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Swiss Psalm
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| English: Swiss Psalm | |
|---|---|
 German sheet music | |
National anthem of Switzerland | |
| Also known as | "Trittst im Morgenrot daher..." (English: "Appearing at Dawn...") |
| Lyrics | Leonhard Widmer (German) Charles Chatelanat (French) Camillo Valsangiacomo (Italian) Flurin Camathias (Romansch), 1840 |
| Music | Alberich Zwyssig, 1835, 1841 |
| Adopted | 1961 (de facto) 1981 (de jure) |
| Preceded by | "Rufst du, mein Vaterland" |
| Audio sample | |
"Swiss Psalm" Instrumental | |
The Swiss Psalm (German: Schweizerpsalm [ˈʃvaɪtsərˌpsalm] ⓘ;[a] French: Cantique suisse [kɑ̃tik sɥis]; Italian: Salmo svizzero [ˈsalmo ˈzvittsero]; Romansh: Psalm Svizzer [ˈ(p)salm ˈʒviːtser]) is the national anthem of Switzerland.
It was composed in 1841, by Alberich Zwyssig (1808–1854). Since then, it has been frequently sung at patriotic events. The Federal Council declined, however, on numerous occasions to accept the psalm as the official anthem.[1] This was because the council wanted the people to express their say on what they wanted as a national anthem. From 1961 to 1981, it provisionally replaced "Rufst du, mein Vaterland" ("When You Call, My Country"; French "Ô monts indépendants"; Italian "Ci chiami o patria", Romansh "E clomas, tger paeis"), the anthem by Johann Rudolf Wyss (1743–1818) that was set to the melody of "God Save the King". On 1 April 1981, the Swiss Psalm was declared the official Swiss national anthem.
In 2014, the Schweizerische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft organized a public competition and unofficial vote to change the lyrics of the national anthem.[2]
History
[edit]The German-language patriotic song "Rufst du, mein Vaterland" (French "Ô monts indépendants", Italian "Ci chiami o patria", Romansh "E clomas, tger paeis"), composed in 1811 by Johann Rudolf Wyss (1743–1818), was used as the de facto national anthem from about 1850. The setting of the hymn to the British tune of "God Save the King" led to confusing situations when both countries' anthems were played. Therefore, it was replaced with another tune in 1961.
The Swiss Psalm was composed in 1841 by Alberich Zwyssig (1808–1854). Zwyssig used a tune he had composed in 1835 and slightly altered the words of a poem written in 1840 by Leonhard Widmer (1809–1867).[3]
In the second half of the 19th century, the song became popular and was frequently sung at patriotic celebrations. Between 1894 and 1953, there were repeated suggestions for it to be adopted as official national anthem. In this, it was in competition with "Rufst du, mein Vaterland", a patriotic song that was widely seen as the de facto national anthem but was never given official status.
The Swiss Psalm temporarily became the national anthem in 1961. After a trial period of three years, the Swiss tune was adopted indefinitely in 1965. The statute could not be challenged until ten years later but did not totally exclude the possibility of an ultimate change. A competition was set up in 1979 to search for a successor to the anthem. Despite many submissions, none of the others seemed to express the Swiss sentiment. The Swiss anthem finally got its definitive statutory status in April 1981, the Federal Council maintaining that it was purely a Swiss song suitably dignified and solemn. The popularity of the song has not been established. At least, it has been shown with several vox pops taken that many people do not know it at all, and only a small percentage can recite it all.[citation needed]
Lyrics
[edit]
Because Switzerland has four national languages, the lyrics of the original German song were adapted into the other three national languages: French, Italian and Romansh.
| German original[4] | French lyrics[5] | Italian lyrics[6] | Romansh lyrics[7] |
|---|---|---|---|
I |
I |
I |
I |
English translations
[edit]| German lyrics | French lyrics | Italian lyrics | Romansh lyrics |
|---|---|---|---|
I |
I |
I |
I |
IPA transcriptions
[edit]| German IPA[b] | French IPA[c] | Italian IPA[d] |
|---|---|---|
[trɪt͡st ɪm ˈmɔrɡn̩ˌroːt daˈheːr] |
[syʁ no mɔ̃ kɑ̃ lə sɔ.lɛj] |
[ˈkwan.do ˈbjon.d(a)‿au̯ˈrɔːra] |
Proposals for a new anthem or new lyrics
[edit]- 1986: "Roulez tambours!" ("Roll the drums!") by Henri-Frédéric Amiel was proposed by the Swiss National Alliance.[8]
- Late 1990s: the Fondation Pro CH 98 tried to promote a new anthem composed by the Argovian Christian Daniel Jakob.[8]
- 2014: the Société suisse d'utilité publique started a public competition to find new lyrics for the national anthem.[9] The instruction was to take inspiration from the preamble of the Federal Constitution of Switzerland. The jury received 208 proposals; it selected six of them and translated them in the four national languages of Switzerland. In March 2015, the six selected proposals were released on-line (with videos in four languages) and opened to public vote (until May 2015). The top three vote-getters were selected for a second on-line ballot between June and August. In September 2015, a televised final selected one set of lyrics. Finally, the Société suisse d'utilité publique will propose the winning lyrics to the federal authorities. As soon as the new hymn text is known enough, the Swiss Parliament and the electorate will be asked to determine it. As of 2017, the new lyrics have not been officially adopted. A version of the winning lyrics was also made by combining the four national languages of Switzerland.[9] As 500,000 Swiss abroad and residents in Switzerland are native English speakers, the new hymn text has been translated not only into the four official Swiss languages but also into English. More information and the scores of the hymn can be found at: [1].
Notes
[edit]- ^ Also known by the opening line "Trittst im Morgenrot daher...".
- ^ See Help:IPA/German, German phonology and Swiss German.
- ^ See Help:IPA/French, French phonology and Swiss French.
- ^ See Help:IPA/Italian, Italian phonology and Swiss Italian.
References
[edit]- ^ "Switzerland – Swiss Psalm". NationalAnthems.me. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ "Swiss to launch national anthem competition in 2014". BBC News. 2 August 2013.
- ^ (in German, English, French, and Italian) How a church hymn tune became a national anthem Archived 5 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine article at Admin.ch retrieved on 21 June 2009.
- ^ Schweizer Landeshymne (Schweizerpsalm), admin.ch
- ^ Hymne national suisse (Cantique suisse), admin.ch
- ^ Inno nazionale svizzero (Salmo svizzero), admin.ch
- ^ Imni naziunal svizzer (psalm svizzer), admin.ch
- ^ a b swissinfo.ch, S. W. I.; Corporation, a branch of the Swiss Broadcasting (21 July 2005). "L'hymne suisse entre émotion et exaspération". SWI swissinfo.ch (in French). Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Über 200 Persönlichkeiten wünschen neuen Hymnentext", sgg-ssup.ch, accessed 7 July 2018 (in German)
External links
[edit]
- Landeshymne in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
Swiss Psalm
View on GrokipediaOrigins and Composition
Melody Creation
The melody of the Swiss Psalm was composed by Alberich Zwyssig, a Cistercian monk born on November 17, 1808, in the canton of Uri, who served as music director at the seminary in Zug.[1] In 1835, Zwyssig created a hymn tune for the Latin psalm "Diligam te Domine" (Psalm 18:1, "I will love Thee, O Lord"), originally intended for an ordination service.[5] This melody, characterized by its solemn and uplifting structure in 3/4 time, drew from sacred choral traditions prevalent in 19th-century Swiss monastic and seminary settings.[1] Zwyssig adapted this existing tune in 1841 for the Swiss Psalm, making minor adjustments to fit the patriotic text while preserving its ecclesiastical essence.[2] The composition occurred on November 22, 1841—St. Cecilia's Day, the patron saint of music—in his study at the Hof St. Karl (Salesianum) in Zug, overlooking Lake Zug.[3] That same day, Zwyssig rehearsed the piece with his choir and premiered it publicly at the patrician house, marking the first performance of the melody in its anthem form.[3] [1] The adaptation reflected Zwyssig's intent to blend religious hymnody with emerging Swiss national sentiment following the 1848 federal constitution, though the work remained unofficial until later adoption.[5] Zwyssig's melody features a simple, memorable progression in A-flat major, with rising motifs evoking aspiration and a descending resolution symbolizing steadfastness, aligning with the psalm's themes of divine protection over the homeland.[1] Unlike contemporaneous anthems derived from secular marches, its roots in psalmody underscore a distinctly Protestant-influenced restraint, avoiding bombast in favor of introspective harmony suitable for choral rendition.[5] Zwyssig, who died on November 18, 1854, at age 46, produced over 100 sacred works, but the Swiss Psalm melody endures as his most recognized contribution, valued for its adaptability across Switzerland's linguistic regions.[1]Lyrics Development
The lyrics of the Swiss Psalm were authored by Leonhard Widmer, a Zurich-born poet, journalist, music publisher, and radical politician (1809–1867), who composed them in 1840 as a patriotic poem invoking divine protection over Switzerland's natural beauty and the virtues of its people.[3][6] In the summer of 1841, Widmer entrusted the text to Alberich Zwyssig, a Cistercian monk and composer from Uri, via mail, seeking a suitable melody to elevate its patriotic resonance amid Switzerland's post-Sonderbund War context of national consolidation.[5][3] Zwyssig adapted the lyrics with minor alterations to align with the meter and rhyme scheme of a melody he had originally composed in 1835 for a church hymn, ensuring the text's solemn, prayer-like structure—beginning with "Trittst im Morgenrot daher" (You appear in the morning glow)—fit seamlessly without substantial revision.[1][2] This collaboration produced the final four-stanza German text, emphasizing themes of alpine grandeur, communal prayer, and fidelity to homeland and faith, reflecting Widmer's vision of Switzerland as a divinely favored confederation.[4] The unaltered core of Widmer's original poem preserved its ecumenical tone, bridging confessional divides in the multilingual federation.[7] Subsequent printings and performances in the 1840s disseminated the lyrics widely at patriotic gatherings, though no major textual evolutions occurred until 20th-century debates over modernization; the 1841 version remained foundational, with Zwyssig's tweaks limited to phrasing for musical compatibility rather than ideological shifts.[8][9]Adoption and Official Status
Pre-20th Century Usage
The Swiss Psalm underwent its initial private rehearsal on 22 November 1841, conducted by composer Alberich Zwyssig alongside four residents of Zug in his study overlooking the lake.[3] Zwyssig had adapted the melody from his earlier 1835 church hymn "Diligam te Domine" to accompany Leonhard Widmer's 1840 patriotic poem.[3] The work was first published in 1843 within a commemorative brochure marking the anniversary of Zurich's integration into the Swiss Confederation and received its public debut that year at the National Singing Festival, earning widespread acclaim.[3] During the second half of the 19th century, the Swiss Psalm attained significant popularity, performed routinely by male choirs at patriotic events and integrated into the repertoire of the Swiss Singers' Association following its promotion at various singing festivals.[1] Translations facilitated its adoption across linguistic regions, yet it remained unofficial, as Switzerland had no designated national anthem; instead, songs like "Rufst du, mein Vaterland" fulfilled comparable roles informally.[10] Formal proposals to elevate it to official status, beginning in 1894, were unsuccessful prior to 1900.[10]Provisional Adoption in 1961
In 1961, the Swiss Federal Council (Bundesrat) provisionally adopted the Swiss Psalm ("Trittst im Morgenrot daher") as the national anthem, replacing "Rufst du, mein Vaterland," which had served in that de facto role since the 1840s.[11][5] The decision stemmed from the longstanding issue that "Rufst du, mein Vaterland" shared its melody with the British anthem "God Save the Queen," prompting repeated calls for a distinctly Swiss alternative amid growing national self-awareness post-World War II.[8][11] The Federal Council selected the Swiss Psalm—composed with music by Alberich Zwyssig in 1841 and lyrics by Leonhard Widmer—for its purely Swiss origins, viewing it as an "unverwechselbare und rein schweizerische Schöpfung" (unmistakable and purely Swiss creation).[11] This provisional status was initially set for a three-year trial period, during which public and cantonal feedback would be assessed, reflecting Switzerland's federalist caution in formalizing national symbols without broad consensus.[12][13] The adoption addressed practical embarrassments, such as orchestral confusion at international events where the British anthem's playing inadvertently honored Switzerland, and aligned with efforts to emphasize linguistic and cultural unity across German-, French-, Italian-, and Romansh-speaking regions through multilingual versions of the Swiss Psalm.[5][8] While not immediately permanent, this step marked the first federal endorsement of a dedicated anthem, paving the way for periodic renewals until full confirmation in 1981.[4]Official Confirmation in 1981
On April 1, 1981, the Swiss Federal Council formally designated the Swiss Psalm (Schweizerpsalm) as the national anthem for official use by the Swiss Armed Forces and diplomatic representations abroad, elevating it from its provisional status since 1961.[14][1] This decision replaced the longstanding de facto anthem "Rufst du, mein Vaterland" (Ô monts indépendants in French), which had been in use since the 19th century but faced criticism for its Austrian origins and militaristic tone.[1][6] The confirmation stemmed from sustained advocacy by cultural organizations, including a petition from over 250 delegates of the Swiss Singers' Association (Eidgenössischer Sängerbund), who emphasized the psalm's Swiss composition, dignified character, and alignment with national identity.[1] Federal Councilor Kurt Furgler, responsible for the Department of Home Affairs, announced the move, citing the psalm's purely domestic origins—music by Alberich Zwyssig in 1841 and lyrics by Leonhard Widmer—as preferable to foreign-influenced alternatives.[15] No constitutional amendment was required, as Switzerland's anthem status relies on federal decree rather than enshrined law, reflecting the country's decentralized governance.[1] Despite the official status, implementation was gradual; the psalm's religious content, invoking divine providence, prompted minor debates but did not delay adoption, as proponents argued it captured Switzerland's historical Christian heritage without mandating belief.[14] By 1981, public familiarity had grown through radio broadcasts and school curricula since the 1961 provisional phase, ensuring broad acceptance.[6] The designation solidified the psalm's role in state ceremonies, though multilingual versions in German, French, Italian, and Romansh continued to reflect linguistic diversity.[1]Lyrics and Musical Elements
Original German Text
The original German lyrics of the Schweizerpsalm were composed by Leonhard Widmer in 1841, drawing on themes of divine majesty intertwined with Swiss natural grandeur to inspire patriotism and piety.[3] Although the anthem's official use since 1961 has conventionally limited performances to the first stanza, Widmer's complete text comprises four stanzas, each structured around a time or atmospheric condition revealing God's presence.[3] The refrain emphasizes faithful anticipation of divine protection in the homeland.[3]Strophe 1
Trittst im Morgenrot daher,
Seh’ ich dich im Strahlenmeer,
Dich, du Hocherhabener, Herrlicher!
Wenn der Alpenfirn sich rötet,
Betet, freie Schweizer, betet!
Eure fromme Seele ahnt
Gott im hehren Vaterland,
Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland.
Strophe 2
Kommst im Abendglüh’n daher,
Find’ ich dich im Sternenheer,
Dich, du Menschenfreundlicher, Liebender!
In des Himmels lichten Räumen
Kann ich froh und selig träumen!
Denn die fromme Seele ahnt
Gott im hehren Vaterland,
Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland!
Strophe 3
Ziehst im Nebelflor daher,
Such’ ich dich im Wolkenmeer,
Dich, du Unergründlicher, Ewiger!
Aus dem grauen Luftgebilde
Bricht die Sonne klar und milde,
Und die fromme Seele ahnt
Gott im hehren Vaterland,
Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland!
Strophe 4
Fährst im wilden Sturm daher,
Bist du selbst uns Hort und Wehr,
Du, allmächtig Waltender, Rettender!
In Gewitternacht und Grauen
Lasst uns kindlich ihm vertrauen!
Ja die fromme Seele ahnt
Gott im hehren Vaterland!
Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland!
Strophe 1
Trittst im Morgenrot daher,
Seh’ ich dich im Strahlenmeer,
Dich, du Hocherhabener, Herrlicher!
Wenn der Alpenfirn sich rötet,
Betet, freie Schweizer, betet!
Eure fromme Seele ahnt
Gott im hehren Vaterland,
Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland.
Strophe 2
Kommst im Abendglüh’n daher,
Find’ ich dich im Sternenheer,
Dich, du Menschenfreundlicher, Liebender!
In des Himmels lichten Räumen
Kann ich froh und selig träumen!
Denn die fromme Seele ahnt
Gott im hehren Vaterland,
Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland!
Strophe 3
Ziehst im Nebelflor daher,
Such’ ich dich im Wolkenmeer,
Dich, du Unergründlicher, Ewiger!
Aus dem grauen Luftgebilde
Bricht die Sonne klar und milde,
Und die fromme Seele ahnt
Gott im hehren Vaterland,
Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland!
Strophe 4
Fährst im wilden Sturm daher,
Bist du selbst uns Hort und Wehr,
Du, allmächtig Waltender, Rettender!
In Gewitternacht und Grauen
Lasst uns kindlich ihm vertrauen!
Ja die fromme Seele ahnt
Gott im hehren Vaterland!
Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland!