Dievs, svētī Latviju!

Dievs, svētī Latviju!

English: God, Bless Latvia!
National anthem of  Latvia
Lyrics	Kārlis Baumanis, 1873
Music	Kārlis Baumanis, 1873
Adopted	1920
Music sample
Latvian National Anthem (Instrumental)

Dievs, svētī Latviju! (God, Bless Latvia!) is the national anthem of Latvia. Words and music by Kārlis Baumanis (Baumaņu Kārlis, 1834–1904).

Composition

The music and lyrics were written in 1873 by Kārlis Baumanis, a teacher, who was part of the Young Latvian nationalist movement.^[1] It has been speculated that Baumanis may have borrowed part of the lyrics from a popular song which was sung to tune of God Save the Queen, modified them and set them to music of his own. Baumanis's lyrics were different from the modern ones: he used the term "Baltics" synonymously and interchangeably with "Latvia" and "Latvians", so "Latvia" was actually mentioned only at the beginning of the first verse. Later the term "Latvia" was removed and replaced with "Baltics" to avoid a ban on the song. This has led to the misapprehension that the term "Latvia" was not part of the song until 1920, when it was chosen as national anthem and the word "Baltics" was replaced with "Latvia".^[2][3]

Official lyrics[4]	English translation
Dievs, svētī Latviju, Mūs' dārgo tēviju, Svētī jel Latviju, Ak, svētī jel to! (repeat) Kur latvju meitas zied, Kur latvju dēli dzied, Laid mums tur laimē diet, Mūs' Latvijā! (repeat)	God bless Latvia, Our beloved fatherland, We beseech thee, bless Latvia, Oh, we beseech thee to bless it! (repeat) Where the Latvian daughters bloom, Where the Latvian sons sing, Let us dance in happiness there, In our Latvia! (repeat)

Recordings

See also

• Kārlis Baumanis
• Flag of Latvia
• Coat of arms of Latvia
• Anthem of the Latvian SSR

References

1. ^ "Darba apraksts" (in Latvian). LIIS mūzikas lapas. Latvijas Izglītības informatizācijas sistēma. http://www.liis.lv/muzika/komponisti/Karlis_Baumanis/index.php?id=6. Retrieved 2007-05-27. 
2. ^ Dr. art. Arnolds Klotiņš (1998-13-11). "Latvijas svētās skaņas (Part I)" (in Latvian). Latvijas Vēstnesis. http://www.lv.lv/index.php?menu_body=DOC&id=50753&menu_left=LAIDIENS&PHPSESSID=0a4. Retrieved 2007-07-28. 
3. ^ Dr. art. Arnolds Klotiņš (1998-17-11). "Latvijas svētās skaņas (Part II)" (in Latvian). Latvijas Vēstnesis. http://www.lv.lv/index.php?menu_body=DOC&id=50796&menu_left=LAIDIENS&PHPSESSID=67. Retrieved 2007-07-28. 
4. ^ "Par Latvijas valsts himnu" (in Latvian). Latvijas Vēstnesis. 1998-03-05. http://www.likumi.lv/doc.php?id=47134. Retrieved 2007-05-27. 

External links

• The National Anthem — the website "Welcome to Latvia" has a page about the national anthem with information, sheet music, and sound files.
• MIDI version at Wikimedia Commons.
• Anthem sung at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Latvia
• Anthem pipe organ recordings of Christian hymns and sung in church