Artist: Joseph Haydn
Author: Joseph Haydn
Year: 1797
More precisely the Poco Adagio, Cantabile part. Later he re-used the same motiv in his Streichquartett N°77 in C-Dur Hob. III: 77 (op. 76 N°3) - "Kaiser Quartett". Ode to Franz II, Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire, later of Austria. First performance: February 12, 1797, the Emperor's birthday. Lyrics: Lorenz Leopold Haschka. Written while Austria was challenged by France and also as a jealous reaction upon British anthem God Save The King. According to Haydn's valet, this was the last piece the maestro played on piano before he died.
Covers:
August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben [lyrics Das Lied der Deutschen; in combination with Haydn's melody this became the anthem of the Weimar Republic in 1922 and the West German national anthem since the Olympic Games of 1952; during Hitler the first two stanzas were used, since 1952 only the third one ("Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit…")]
Emile Berliner [to demonstrate his disc invention; Berliner was from Hanover, Germany]
Odeon Orchester [with Friedrich Kark]
Stan Kenton [on his national anthems lp]
Jonathan King [as Theme From The 1972 Munich Olympics, with an instrumental version on the B-side played backwards; silently shelved following the terrorist action against the Israeli delegation]
Nico [as Das Lied der Deutschen]
Dead Kennedys [inspiration for California Über Alles]
Laibach [as Germania]
Unknown to Hitler, the melody had Croatian roots: Stal Se Jesem from the Medjimurje region.
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)