crown of victory

Hail to you who wear the crown of victory! This song, known as "Heil dir im Siegerkranz" (German: Heil dir im Siegerkranz ) , is a royal hymn used in Germany from the late 18th to the late 19th centuries, especially during the Kingdom of Prussia (1701-1918) and the German Empire (1871-1918) , along with the Rhine River, which was a customary state, and was used, to a limited extent, as a national anthem and imperial hymn. It played the role of a hymn. However, because it was not an official national anthem, it was sometimes used in parallel with Deutschlandlied .

The original lyrics of 《Heil dir im Siegerkranz》 appeared in the historical context of the end of the 18th century, when the European monarchical order and enlightenment sense of loyalty intersected. 1790 Lutheran Church active in the Duchy of Saxe-Lauenburg Heinrich Harries (1762-1802), a pastor and educator, wrote a poem to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the accession to the throne of King Christian VII of the Kingdom of Denmark and Norway . This poem went through several adaptations in the 18th and 19th centuries and later became the lyrics of Heil dir im Siegerkranz.[2]

His poem was composed of loyalty to the monarch, the divine authority of the Lord, and the praise of the prosperity of the country, which had a deep connection with the ideology of the Enlightenment Exhibition. In other words, he is idealized as the 'father' of the Manphan Province, but contains the ethics of the times that he should be responsible for the well -being of the welfare as an enlightened leader. Haris's poem was soon called to the melody of the British country , “God Save The King.”[3][4] In the middle of the 18th century, “God Save The King” was widely known as a song that praised the monarch among monarchs, and many European countries borrowed this famous melody by making hymns for their monarchs. This phenomenon was especially prominent in small countries that required strengthening monarchy.

The content of the early prototype was the king's divine authority[5] , loyalty and obedience[6] , the prosperity of the country[7] , it contained the content of transcendent ruling ideology . This has the function of political propaganda , and in particular can be seen as reflecting the discourse structure of European monarchies in the late 18th century, which equated the monarch with the state. The process of adapting and adopting this poem opened up the possibility of its transformation as a national symbol in conjunction with the ideology of “unification of kingship and state,” which later became the national poem of the Kingdom of Prussia .[8]

Around 1795 , “Heil dir im Siegerkranz” rapidly became popular within the Kingdom of Prussia , and soon began to establish itself as a semi-official anthem praising the king. Originally a hymn to the King of Denmark, his poem was adapted and adopted under the reign of Frederick William II due to its structural simplicity and clear monarchical message .[9] At the time, Prussia was in a state of instability throughout Europe due to the French Revolution and its aftermath, and internally, it was aiming to strengthen the Prussian order and the authority of the absolute monarchy. In the midst of this, the importance of 'music' in mass media was growing in terms of being a symbol of loyalty to the monarch and maintenance of order, so in a way, the Prussian royal family's choice was truly exquisite.

Since 1795, when the song was introduced to the Prussian kingdom , Haris' s primitive poems were changed in the following way. The most important change was the introduction of the phrase “Heil Dir IM Siegerkranz”. Beyond the expression of mercy, it was expanded to praise the king as a symbol of military victory and justified domination, and then the overall lyrics were also modified in the direction of emphasizing the legitimacy and sacredness of the Prussian monarch.[10][11] Since the Prussian kingdom has been a military power in the Austrian throne and seven -year war since the late 18th century , the lyrics of the "crown of victory" reflect the national identity of Prosen.

Although 'Heil dir IM Siegerkranz' has never been designated as a Prussian official state, it has actually served as an official country. It was repeatedly played in various royal events, military parades, coronation, and diplomatic battles, and this song was considered a 'Prussian state' among the general public, as well as officers and court nobles.[12]

'Heil DIR IM SIEGERKRANZ', which was in this position of the country, was naturally sung by the military and educational institutions, beyond court and national rituals. In particular, in the Prussian army, it was adopted as a song for inspiring patriotism during the training of recruits.

In 1871 , as one of the most dramatic events in the modern history of Germany unification , the existing Prussian -centered order was expanded to the Deutsches Kaiserreich . This was also a moment when the new national identity and symbols were required beyond just beyond territorial integration. In the meantime, Heil DIR IM SIEGERKRANZ, which served as a de facto kingdom in the Prussian kingdom, was granted the status of the emperor's hymn, which praised the newly elected German emperor , and was reconstructed as a musical symbol of the entire empire.

1871 On January 18 , the German Empire , a new modern nation, was officially launched in the mirror room of the Palace of Versailles , as a German emperor . However, since the German empire was more likely to be a federal structure and a political compromise centered on the kingship rather than a complete national national unification, symbols were immediately needed to visually and auditively realize the identity of the new empire.[13] The problem, however, is that there was no single state that represents all over Germany as there were no countries that had not been unified in the area before. Other German small countries, such as Bavaria , Saxony , and Burst Temberg, had a unique kingdom and hymns, and they were also incorporated into the empire with independent kingship, so it was likely to cause political conflicts.

As a result, Heil Dir IM Siegerkranz was not formally legislated as a "German state," but as King Prussia soon became a German emperor, it was naturally used throughout the empire as a de facto emperor hymn. However, in order for this song to be used throughout the German Empire, it was necessary to modify the existing Kings of the Prussian king. As a result , all parts of the original lyrics were replaced by “ kaiser ” and the expression was adjusted in the direction of emphasizing the loyalty of the Kaiserreich, not the loyalty to the kingdom.[14]

Since then, Heil DIR IM SIEGERKRANZ has been repeatedly played in a number of official situations such as diplomatic events, emperor coronation , fever ceremony , foreign national hospitality, international sports competitions , and propaganda marches , and was soon recognized as a musical embodiment of the emperor and the country. Especially in the North Germany, centered on Berlin , the song was almost identified with the state, and it was ritual in schools, churches, and civic groups and melted as part of national education. However, in the region where the Namdokil region, especially the Independent tradition, such as the Bavarian Kingdom, was considered a symbol of the Prussian centralism, there were some repulsions. As a result, the imperial government finally avoided designating it as an official state and stayed in an ambiguous position of "hymn for the emperor." As such, 'Heil DIR IM SIEGERKRANZ' was politically symbol of empire integration, but culturally functionally as a unified national family because of the perception that it reflects Prussian hegemony, but there was a variation by region in emotional acceptability as a symbol of a single national integration identity.

This limitation reflects the duality of the identity faced by the German empire, that is, two structural impulses, the pre -modern monarchy order and the construction of a modern national state. In other words, 'Heil DIR IM SIEGERKRANZ' has been excellent in strengthening the dynasty, but it contains some elements in representing the identity of the entire national community.

'Heil dir IM SIEGERKRANZ' was used not only in Germany but also as a national hymn that symbolizes the German Empire in the international diplomatic stage. As is described, when the emperor visits foreign countries or the head of a foreign country visits Germany, the song was usually played at the national and official banquet, and the military band expressed the dignity of the German empire. It was frequently used comparable to the God Save the Queen and France's La Marseillaise , and was often described as a German state in international media. Of course, this was a result of customary use, not legal enactment. However, from a foreign point of view, this song was virtually regarded as a state of the German empire because the concept of 'musical symbol of the state' was defined by functional context and the frequency of real rituals rather than law.[15]

Meanwhile, in music sociologically, 'Heil Dir IM Siegerkranz' has been gradually integrated not only as a symbolic means led by political elites and national organizations, but also as part of the cultural experience and emotional structure of the German people. As mentioned above, this song is recited in elementary school music class in the educational system of the imperial period, and is repeatedly used in nationalist rally or festivals, especially in the middle class.[16] It has become a musical tool that incorporates the feelings of loyalty to the state. This structure is closely linked to the strategy of the national integration strategy of the German Empire, the Kulturnation of the German Empire at the end of the 19th century. At the same time, however, the song was rejected and rejected as a symbol of the Prussian prerequisite among the minorities, socialists , Catholics , and liberal intellectuals. Prussia, who occupied the center of the empire, had a cultural political tension in the fact that 'Heil Dir IM Siegerkranz' was virtually a song of the empire, especially in relation to South Germany. During this period, German romantic musicians and nationalist composers, such as Righart Wagner , and Anton Bruckner , tried to capture German identity in different ways, and some tried to regard the emperor hymns such as 'Heil Dir IM Siegerkranz' in a traditional form and clear the distinction from art music.

Nevertheless, the song was arranged in the form of nationalist oratorio, military music choir, and public opereta, and attempted to combine with popular culture beyond artistic boundaries. In particular, during the time of Wilhelm II, the terms such as ' Kaiserwetter ' spread to the public media, and the song was also used to symbolize the emperor's dignity and ideal governing climate.

1914 With the outbreak of World War I , 'Heil dir im Siegerkranz' was strengthened in both military and civilian society as a symbol of loyalty and sacrifice to the emperor and country. Soldiers sang this song in the trenches to boost their morale, and the people in the rear supported the wartime system through this song, which contained an oath of loyalty to the emperor.

However, as the war prolonged and the emperor's authority fell, the symbolic power of the song was gradually weakened. 1918 In November , when Wilhelm II retired and the empire collapsed , the song lost its vitality in German political culture, and the status as an official song was also lost. Since the establishment of the Baimar Republic, the song has been officially abandoned and no longer functions as a national symbol. Instead, the existing Deutschlandlied has gradually became a German state. As a result, Heil Dir IM Siegerkranz remained a legacy of the imperial era, and it almost disappeared under the Republican regime.

Today's heil dir im Siegerkranz is no longer used, but is intermittently dealt with. This song is a representative example of symbolizing militarism and emperor worship culture during the German Empire, and is itself a creation that creates a musical creation of imperialist ideology and political propaganda. In addition, as a representative example of sharing the same melody in various European countries, it has music history values ​​that show the international distribution and borrowing of national melody, and it is also widely studied in academic and educational fields as it is a cultural history that shows how the pre -modern rule and the public propaganda are connected.

It is also played as a historical repertoire, documentary, and music history education of military bands.

The lyrics reflect the traditional monarchy ideology. The gods protect the emperor, the people are loyal to him, and peace and victory come from the monarch. In particular, the ideal monarch statue of the emperor's authority, the guardian of peace, and the loved one of the people is repeated.

However, compared to the monarchic hymns of the 18th century, the most notable differences in Heil dir im Siegerkranz lie in the scope of loyalty and the nature of the subject. While the monarch hymns of the 18th century were mainly in the form of praying for the well-being of the dynasty and monarch, this song is qualitatively different in that it emphasizes the entire nation's loyalty to the country and the emperor.

First of all, the speaker of the lyrics adapted in the 19th century is not a specific court group or aristocratic class, but an ordinary German citizen. They are not portrayed as passive subjects, but as collective subjects who unite and devote themselves to their country and the emperor. In other words, loyalty is presented as a form of communal will expressed from below, rather than obedience required from above. This is closely connected to the spread of the modern concept of nation .

These changes can be understood within the historical context of nationalism that spread throughout Europe in the 19th century. The establishment of the German Empire in 1871 was not perceived as a simple dynastic unification, but as the political realization of a national community sharing language, culture, and historical memories. In particular, unification through the Franco-Prussian War was narrated as an opportunity for national perfection. In this process, the war was no longer a dispute over the individual interests of the monarch, but was re-signified as an all-out confrontation with the fate of the country and people at stake.

Today, as nationalism has become more common, the concept of 'nation' is taken for granted, but such recognition did not even exist in Europe until at least the 18th century. At the time, individual identity was rooted not in the nation but in the family or clan, and even broadly speaking, it was limited to a guild or a citizen status in a specific city. This is because in Europe at the time, a country was in fact a concept close to the private property of the royal family. Therefore, groups that shared identity with their country of origin were mainly limited to royalty and nobles, and the general public did not rely much on national belonging.

However, the French Revolution and the formation of nation-states fundamentally changed the social foundations of Europe. With the emergence of nationalism, ordinary people also formed a sense of national belonging and came to share their identity as 'citizens'. So, “I must sacrifice for my country.” This perception became widespread, and from this point on, citizens and soldiers were recognized as 'citizens protecting their country' rather than employees or subjects of the royal family, and the objects of loyalty also diversified to include not only individual commanders or monarchs but also countries and ethnic groups. The lyrics of Heil dir im Siegerkranz reflect this change. The emperor is not a simple ruler but a personal center that symbolizes the unity of the nation, and the people are depicted as subjects willing to unite and fight for their country.

In addition, political leaders in various European countries used nationalism as a core ideology for national unity and mobilization. Loyalty to the emperor was immediately equated with loyalty to the fatherland and nation, and individual sacrifice was presented as a value directly related to the glory of the national community. This discourse served to morally and emotionally justify state authority.

In conclusion, 《Heil dir im Siegerkranz》 can be said to be a text that internalizes the logic of modern nationalism within itself while maintaining the format of a monarch hymn. By reconstructing dynastic loyalty into national loyalty, this song popularly represented the ideology of national unity and sacrifice centered on the country and the emperor.