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Du gamla, du fria

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Du gamla, du fria
English: 'You ancient, you free' [1][2]
A vinyl record of "Du gamla, du fria" published by Tal och ton [sv], dated 1930
National anthem of Sweden
Also known asSång till Norden (English: 'Song to the North')
LyricsRichard Dybeck, 1844
MusicBased on a Swedish folk tune[3] (arranged for orchestra by Edvin Kallstenius, 1933)[4]
Audio sample
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version (two verses)
Music of Sweden
Genres
Specific forms
Sámi music
Media and performance
Music awards
Grammis
Music charts
Music festivals
Music media
Nationalistic and patriotic songs
National anthem
"Du gamla, du fria" (de facto)

Du gamla, du fria[a] (lit. 'You ancient, you free'),[5][6] is the de facto national anthem of Sweden.[7] Originally titled Sång till Norden[b] (lit. 'Song to the North'), its lyrics were written in 1844 by Swedish antiquarian Richard Dybeck, who set them to a variation of the old folk melody Kärestans död (lit. 'Death of a loved one').[8][9]

The song has been widely recognised as the national anthem since the late 19th century, gaining prominence after King Oscar II, attending a dinner in 1893, stood in acknowledgement upon hearing the song.[10][8] It gained further recognition in 1938, when Sveriges Radio, the national public broadcaster, began playing it at the conclusion of its daily programming.[8] In 2000, the Riksdag (Swedish Parliament) declined a proposal to officially recognise Du gamla, du fria as the national anthem, stating that its established status through tradition rendered formal adoption unnecessary.[11]

Dybeck's original lyrics consist of two verses, reflecting the ideals of Scandinavianism.[12] It references the Nordic region (Swedish: Norden) but not Sweden itself, making the Polish national anthem the only national anthem to reference Sweden.[13] Various attempts have been made to introduce additional verses that explicitly mention Sweden, but none have been popularly adopted.[14]

In addition to the national anthem, Sweden has a royal anthem, Kungssången (lit. 'The King's Song'), which holds official de jure status.[15][16]

History

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The original lyrics were written by Richard Dybeck in 1844, to the melody of a variant of the ballad "Kärestans död" (lit. 'Death of a loved one'). The ballad type is classified as D 280 in The Types of the Scandinavian Medieval Ballad; the variant from Västmanland that Dybeck reproduced is classified as SMB 133 G.[17] It was recorded by Rosa Wretman at the beginning of the 1840s. Dybeck published the traditional text in Folk-lore I, and the melody in 1845 in his Runa, where he also published his new text "Sång till Norden" (Song for/to the North).

Dybeck himself originally wrote the beginning as "Du gamla, du friska" (lit. 'You ancient, you healthy'), but in the late 1850s, he changed the lyrics to "Du gamla, du fria". The song was already published in several song books and sung with "Du gamla, du friska", but a priest who had known Dybeck took the opportunity to inform the singer most associated with the song, opera singer Carl Fredrik Lundqvist [sv], about the change in the year 1900. From that point on, printings of the "friska" version ceased to be seen in song books, but a recording from 1905 where it is sung with "friska" still exists.[18] The Swedish composer Edvin Kallstenius made an orchestral arrangement of the song in 1933.[4]

By the early 20th century, many[who?] regarded the song unsuitable as a national anthem. From the 1890s, it was included in the "patriotic songs" section of song books, but up to the 1920s it was occasionally published just as "folk music". In 1899, a contest to produce a national anthem was held. It led to Verner von Heidenstam writing "Sverige", but did not lead to a new national anthem.[19]

Patriotic sentiment is notably absent from the text of the original two verses, due to their being written in the spirit of Scandinavism popular at the time.[c] After the song started to acquire its informal status as the national anthem, various people wrote additional verses to increase the "Swedish-ness" of the song. The aforementioned Lundqvist wrote his own third verse beginning with "Jag älskar dig Sverige" (lit. 'Thee I Adore, Sweden'); Frans Österblom [sv] wrote four verses beginning with "Jag älskar min hembygd" (lit. 'I Adore My Homestead'); and Louise Ahlén with two verses. However, these are not accepted as part of the anthem, and are not normally published or sung.

Status

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Similarly to the national anthems of Finland and the United Kingdom,[20] Du gamla, du fria is not defined in Sweden's constitutional Basic Laws, nor has it been formally recognised by other legislation, unlike Sweden's flag[21] and coat of arms.[22] Despite this, the song enjoys universal recognition, and is used at official events such as state visits and the Opening of the Riksdag,[23] at sporting events, and at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony.[24]

The song gained status as the national anthem from the late 19th century, becoming predominant in 1893 after King Oscar II stood up in acknowledgement of the song at a dinner at Lund University.[10][8] In 1938, Sveriges Radio, the national public radio broadcasting service, began playing it at the conclusion of its daily programming, gaining it further recognition.[8] By the end of the 1930s, the song's status had effectively been established.[25]

The song's status has been the subject of multiple motions in the Riksdag. In 1986, a motion proposed granting the song legal recognition, but it was not passed.[26] Further motions from MPs of various political parties in 2000,[27] 2007,[28] 2019[29] and 2024[30] have also sought official status for the anthem. However, none of these proposals have never been accepted by the Riksdag.[11]

In 2000, a Riksdag committee concluded that, as Du gamla, du fria had already become de facto the national anthem, formal recognition was unnecessary. The committee argued that no official confirmation was required, as the anthem's status was already entrenched in Swedish society.[11]

Melody

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\new Staff << \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \override Score.BarNumber #'transparent = ##t \clef treble \key bes \major \tempo 4=76 \relative c'' { \key bes \major \partial 8 d8 | d4 bes8 bes bes4 c8 d | d4 c8 bes a4 r8 c8 | \break c4 a8 bes c a d8. bes16 | g2 f4 r8 f8 | \break bes4 bes8 c a4 a8 bes | g8. f16 g8 a f4 r8 \repeat volta 2 { f8 | \break % \repeat unfold 2 { f8 | \break bes8. a16 bes8 c d bes es d | c2 bes4 r8 } \bar ":|." } \addlyrics { Du gam -- la, Du fri -- a, Du fjäll -- hö -- ga nord Du tys -- ta, Du gläd -- je -- ri -- ka skö -- na! Jag häl -- sar Dig, vä -- nas -- te land __ _ up -- på jord, Din sol, Din him -- mel, Di -- na äng -- der grö -- na. Din sol, Din him -- mel, Di -- na äng -- der grö -- na. } \addlyrics { Du tro -- nar på min -- nen från forn -- sto -- ra da'r, då ä -- rat Ditt namn flög ö -- ver jor -- den. Jag vet att Du är och Du blir __ _ vad Du var. Ja, jag vill le -- va jag vill dö i Nor -- den! Ja, jag vill le -- va jag vill dö i Nor -- den! } >>

Lyrics

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Swedish

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1938 orchestral and vocal recording (verses one and two)
Performed by John Hilmer Borgeling (1903–1969).
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Modern version

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Du gamla, du fria contains two verses, both of which are sung.[7][31]

Du gamla, du fria
Swedish original[32][33][34] IPA transcription[d] English translation

Du gamla, Du fria, Du fjällhöga nord
Du tysta, Du glädjerika sköna!
Jag hälsar Dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
𝄆 Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna. 𝄇

Du tronar på minnen från fornstora da'r,
då ärat Ditt namn flög över jorden.
Jag vet att Du är och Du blir vad Du var.[e]
𝄆 Ja, jag vill leva, jag vill dö i Norden. 𝄇

[dʉː ˈɡâmː.la dʉː ˈfrîː.a dʉː ˈfjɛ̂lː.ˌhøː.ɡa nǔːɖ |]
[dʉː ˈtʏ̂sː.ta dʉː ˈɡlɛ̂ːd.jɛ̠.ˌriː.ka ˈɧø̂ː.na ‖]
[jɑː(ɡ) ˈhɛ̂lː.sa‿ɖɛj ˈvɛ̂ː.nas.tɛ̠ lanːd ˈɵ̌p.poː juːɖ |]
𝄆 [dɪnː suːl dɪnː ˈhɪ̂m.mɛ̠l ˈdîː.na ˈɛ̂ŋː.dɛ̠r ˈɡrø̂ː.na ‖] 𝄇

[dʉː ˈtrûː.nar poː ˈmɪ̂n.nɛ̠n froːn ˈfûːɳ.ˌʂtuː.ra dɑːr |]
[dǒː ˈæ̂ː.rat dɪtː namːn fløːɡ ˈøː.vɛ̠r ˈjǔː.ɖɛ̠n ‖]
[jɑː(ɡ) věːt atː dʉː æːr ɔ(kː) dʉː bliːr vɑː(d) dʉː vɑːr |][e]
𝄆 [jɑː jɑː(ɡ) vɪlː ˈlêː.va jɑː(ɡ) vɪlː døː iː ˈnǔː.ɖɛ̠n ‖] 𝄇

You ancient, you free, you mountainous North
You quiet, you joyous beauty!
I greet you, loveliest land upon Earth,
𝄆 Your sun, your sky, your meadows green. 𝄇

You are enthroned upon memories of ancient days,
When honoured your name flew across Earth,
I know that you are, and you will be, what you were,
𝄆 Yes, I want to live, I want to die in the North. 𝄇

Original lyrics

[edit]

Richard Dybeck originally wrote these lyrics, but revised them in the late 1850s to the version used today.[40] The lyrics presented here also follow archaic spelling conventions that were in use before the 1906 Swedish spelling reform.[41]

Du gamla, du friska
Swedish original English translation

Du gamla, du friska, du fjellhöga Nord,
Du tysta, du glädjerika sköna!
Jag helsar dig, vänsta land uppå jord,
𝄆 Din sol, din himmel, dina ängder gröna. 𝄇

Du tronar på minnen från fornstora da'r,
Då äradt ditt namn flög öfver jorden;
Jag vet att du är och blir hvad du var,
𝄆 Ack, jag vill lefva, jag vill dö i Norden! 𝄇

You ancient, you healthy, you mountainous North
You quiet, you joyous beauty!
I greet you, loveliest land upon Earth,
𝄆 Your sun, your sky, your meadows green. 𝄇

You are enthroned upon memories of ancient days,
When honoured your name flew across Earth,
I know that you are, and you will be, what you were,
𝄆 Oh! I want to live, I want to die in the North. 𝄇

National minority languages

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Du gamla, du fria is sung in Swedish in official contexts,[42] however translations of the lyrics into some of Sweden's national minority languages exist.[43][44]

Finnish

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Pohjolanmaa (lit. 'Nordic land') is the de facto Finnish version of the song. Originally translated by Finnish writer Alpo Noponen [fi] (1862–1927),[45] it has been used in textbooks produced by the Swedish National Agency for Education.[43] Finnish is an official national minority language in Sweden.[46]

Pohjolanmaa
Finnish version[47] English translation[45]

Sä jylhä ja ponteva pohjolanmaa,
sä hiljainen riemun kehto parhain,
sä armahin seutu, min kohdata saa,
𝄆 maa kukkanurmein, koskein, tähtitarhain. 𝄇

Sun muistosi suuret, sun uljahat työs
ei hukkua saata ajanvuolla;
mit’ ennen voit olla, voit vastakin myös –
𝄆 mä pohjolassa tahdon elää, kuolla. 𝄇

You majestic and vigourous North,
you quiet cradle of joy, the best of them all,
you most beloved country, that one can ever meet.
𝄆 Land of flower fields, brooks, starry heavens. 𝄇

Your great memories, your grand works,
may not drown in the passage of time;
what you once were, you can be once more –
𝄆 In the North I want to live, to die. 𝄇

Southern Sámi

[edit]

In 1938, Sveriges Radio recorded a Southern Sámi version of Du gamla, du fria, performed by students from Skarvsjöby nomad school in Västerbotten.[44] The lyrics were taken from the 1911 songbook Sami laulotasah – Liten lappsk och svensk sångbok (lit. 'Little Lapp and Swedish songbook'),[48] though the author is unknown.[44] The Sámi languages have official national minority language status in Sweden.[46]

Southern Sámi version[49]

Tån aiteki lanta tu all vari kum,
tån tjappa tån avost tievas ätnam.
Mån ätsav tu fapmokis ruodnis mietsi kum
𝄆 tu almev, tu jaurit, tu änoit. 𝄇

Tu namma li allak tu fapmo vil aj,
tu kudne kitt alme radjai kulloi.
Mån tietav att nåu tat kalka sjaddat aj.
𝄆 Mån sitav viessot, japmet ietjat lunne. 𝄇

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Swedish pronunciation: [dʉː ˈɡâmːla dʉː ˈfrîːa]
  2. ^ pronounced [ˈsɔŋː tɪl ˈnǔːɖɛn]
  3. ^ Norden in general refers to the Nordic countries in Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish
  4. ^ See Help:IPA/Swedish and Swedish phonology.
  5. ^ a b Often sung as Jag vet att Du är och förblir vad Du var [jɑː(ɡ) věːt atː dʉː æːr ɔ(kː) fœr.ˈbliːr vɑː(d) dʉː vɑːr].[35][36][37][38][39]

References

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  1. ^ Gustafson, Anita Olson (2018-12-14), "CHAPTER 5. SWEDISH NATIONALISM IN A NEW LAND", Swedish Chicago: The Shaping of an Immigrant Community, 1880–1920, Cornell University Press, pp. 119–152, doi:10.1515/9781501757624-007/html?lang=en, ISBN 978-1-5017-5762-4, retrieved 2025-03-30
  2. ^ "‎Du gamla du fria (1 of 2) - UWDC - UW-Madison Libraries". search.library.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  3. ^ Eva Danielson; Märta Ramsten (30 May 2013). "Du gamla, du friska – från folkvisa till nationalsång". musikverket.se (in Swedish). Svenskt visarkiv / Musikverket. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  4. ^ a b Holm, Anna Lena (August 1991). "Edvin Kallstenius". musikverket.se (in Swedish). Musik- och teaterbiblioteket / Musikverket. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  5. ^ Gustafson, Anita Olson (2018-12-14), "CHAPTER 5. SWEDISH NATIONALISM IN A NEW LAND", Swedish Chicago: The Shaping of an Immigrant Community, 1880–1920, Cornell University Press, pp. 119–152, doi:10.1515/9781501757624-007/html?lang=en, ISBN 978-1-5017-5762-4, retrieved 2025-03-30
  6. ^ "‎Du gamla du fria (1 of 2) - UWDC - UW-Madison Libraries". search.library.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  7. ^ a b "Sweden's national anthem". Sharing Sweden. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  8. ^ a b c d e "This is why Sweden doesn't have an official national anthem". Classic FM. Archived from the original on 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  9. ^ "Begravningen (Kärestans död)". www.isof.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  10. ^ a b swed20chamb19admin (2021-06-07). "Sweden National Day – a June 6 digital celebration". Swedish Chamber of Commerce Taipei. Retrieved 2025-03-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ a b c Allmänna helgdagar, symboler m.m. Sammanfattning [Public holidays, symbols, etc. Summary] (in Swedish). Committee on Constitutional Affairs. 2000.
  12. ^ Pierre-Robert Cloet, Bénédicte Legué, Kerstin Martel (2013-12-03). "United in diversity: Anthems and flags of the European Union - Sweden" (PDF). Jacques Delors Institute.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Därför sjunger Polen om Sverige i sin nationalsång". gp.se. Göteborgsposten. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  14. ^ Katie Barclay, François Soyer (2021). "Richard Dybeck (1811–1877)". Emotions in Europe, 1517-1914. Archived from the original on 2021-06-09. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  15. ^ "Historik - Sveriges Kungahus". web.archive.org. 2014-03-02. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  16. ^ "HM The King opens the new Parliamentary Session". www.kungahuset.se. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  17. ^ Sveriges Medeltida Ballader, vol. 4:1, pp. 16–17
  18. ^ Collections., University of California, Santa Barbara. Library. Department of Special (2005-11-16). "Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project". cylinders.library.ucsb.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2017-06-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ Reinhammar 2013, p. 152.
  20. ^ "Kungahusets symboler". www.kungahuset.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  21. ^ "Act (1982:269) on the Flag of Sweden". www.riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2025-01-18. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  22. ^ "Act (1970:498) on the protection of the coat of arms and certain other official designations". rkrattsbaser.gov.se. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  23. ^ "HM The King opens the Parliamentary Session". www.kungahuset.se. Archived from the original on 2025-01-18. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  24. ^ "Nobel Prize Ceremony 2023". Archived from the original on 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  25. ^ "Sweden: Du gamla, Du fria". NationalAnthems.me. Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  26. ^ "Den svenska nationalsången (Motion 1986/87:K803 Alexander Chrisopoulos (vpk))". www.riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  27. ^ "Nationaldagen och nationalsången (Motion 2000/01:K245 av Magnus Jacobsson (kd))". www.riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  28. ^ "Nationalsången (Motion 2007/08:K327 av Betty Malmberg (m))". www.riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  29. ^ "Nationalsången (Motion 2019/20:781 av Carina Ståhl Herrstedt (SD))". www.riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  30. ^ "En officiell nationalsång (Motion 2024/25:304 av Erik Hellsborn (SD))". www.riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2024-10-10. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  31. ^ Tegnér, Alice (2024). Nu ska vi sjunga (in Swedish). Modernista. ISBN 978-91-8063-922-4.
  32. ^ Riksdagsförvaltningen. "Sveriges nationalsång Motion 2009/10:K263 av Lennart Sacrédeus (kd) - Riksdagen". www.riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  33. ^ "Nationalsången". Sveriges Kungahus. Archived from the original on 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  34. ^ "Sweden national anthem lyrics in English". Classical Music.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  35. ^ "This is why Sweden doesn't have an official national anthem". Classic FM. Archived from the original on 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  36. ^ Byström, Jakob Jakobsson (1950). Sånger och sångare (in Swedish). B[aptist]-m[issionen]s bokförlag.
  37. ^ "Du gamla du fria - Lyrics, låttext, låttexter - Felsjunget.se". Archived from the original on 2022-05-16. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  38. ^ Jonathan Nilsson (2010-02-11). "Svenska Nationalsången - Du Gamla Du Fria [Med Text]". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2022-03-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  39. ^ PsychedelicMindGarage (2010-06-06). "Du Gamla Du Fria (Alla 4 verserna Ultima Thule)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2022-03-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  40. ^ Normal-sångbok för Svenska skolor tusendet, (38-39 thousandth ed.). p. 105.
  41. ^ Mats, Thelander (2011). "Standardisation and Standard Language in Sweden" (PDF). University of Uppsala. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  42. ^ "Minoriteterna på Skansen". Minoritet.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  43. ^ a b Kangassalo, Raija (2010). HEIPPA! 3 : Tekstikirja – Textbok (Svensk-finsk lärobok 3) (PDF) (in Finnish). Stockholm: National Agency for Education (Sweden) (Skolverket). p. 76. ISBN 9789186529079. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  44. ^ a b c Skarvsjöby nomadskola (1938). "Hör nationalsången på samiska!". sverigesradio.se. Sveriges radio. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  45. ^ a b "Pohjolanmaa" - National anthem of Sweden in Finnish [Sanat] + [Lyrics]. SgtMattson (translation), Alpo Noponen (original text), Ville Pirnes (performance) (in Finnish). 2024-08-25. Retrieved 2025-01-19 – via YouTube.
  46. ^ a b "National minorities and national minority languages". www.lansstyrelsen.se. Archived from the original on 2025-01-15. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
  47. ^ Työväenopiston laulukirja: nuottipainos. Helsinki: Otava. 1928.
  48. ^ Liten lappsk och svensk sångbok : - Sami laulotasah. 1911.
  49. ^ Sweden anthem - Saami version [CC]. TheFlagandAnthemGuy (in Southern Sami). youtube.com. 2021-07-12. Archived from the original on 2022-10-30. Retrieved 2022-10-30 – via YouTube.

Sources

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