Oben Am Jungen Rhein

"" (; "High on the young Rhine") is the national anthem of Liechtenstein. Written in the 1850s, it is set to the melody of the British anthem, " God Save the King/Queen", which in the 19th century had been used for a number of anthems of German-speaking nations, including those of Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and Switzerland.

History

The original lyrics, beginning ''Oberst am jungen Rhein'', were written in the 1850s. The song may be grouped with the German "Rhine songs", i.e. songs that celebrate the River Rhine as part of the German national patrimony, opposing the French territorial claims on the left river bank.

The text is attributed to Jakob Josef Jauch (1802–1859). A Russian-born Swiss convert to Catholicism, Jauch studied theology in Switzerland during 1828–1832, and was consecrated as Catholic priest in 1833. He served as priest in London during 1837/8–1850. During 1852–1856, he lived in Balzers, Liechtenstein, and befriended Princess Franziska, with whom he planned a model educational institution in Balzers. Due to his progressive stance, Jauch came into conflict with the church hierarchy, and the bishop of Chur ordered him to leave Liechtenstein in 1856. If the attribution of the lyrics to Jauch is correct, the composition would likely date to Jauch's time in Balzers (1852–1856).

The lyrics were not published during Jauch's lifetime. They appeared in print, as the national anthem of Liechtenstein (''Die Liechtenstein'sche National-Hymne'') only after a period of oral transmission, in 1875, so that the tradition of Jauch's authorship, or the original form of his lyrics, can not be verified.The full seven verses were printed in "Die Lichtenstein's he Nationalhymne", ''Süddeutsche Presse'', 21 March 187
p. 2
Reprinted from the ''Süddeutsche Presse'' report, but shortened to five verses: ''Das Echo'', 16 May 1875
p. 78
Neue Freie Presse Wien, 23 March 1875
p. 2
mentioned as "composed in the 1850s by a Catholic pastor" (''in den Fünfziger-Jahren von einem katholischen Pfarrer gedichtet''). The song served as Liechtenstein's unofficial, ''de facto'' national anthem from the 1870s until its official adoption in 1920.

In 1963, the text was shortened, and reference to the "German Rhine", which had been introduced in the 1920 version, was removed. ''Oben am jungen Rhein'' is the only remaining national anthem sharing the same melody with the British "God Save the King" (since the replacement of the Swiss '' Rufst du, mein Vaterland'' in 1961).

Lyrics

Usually, the first and last verses are sung.

See also

* God Save the King#Use elsewhere
**" Heil dir im Siegerkranz"
**" Rufst du, mein Vaterland"
*"Die Wacht am Rhein"

Notes

References

External links

Liechtenstein at a glance – The National Anthem
– The Portal of the Principality of Liechtenstein has a page in English about the National Anthem, while th

of the page has an MP3 instrumental file of the anthem

Streaming audio, lyrics and information for the Liechtenstein national anthemarchive link



– A vocal version of the Anthem, featured in "Himnuszok" website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oben Am Jungen Rhein
National symbols of Liechtenstein
National anthems
German patriotic songs
European anthems
Liechtenstein songs
German-language songs
National anthem compositions in B-flat major
National anthem compositions in F major
God Save the King