"Der er et yndigt land" (lit. 'There Is a Lovely Land') is one of the two national anthems of Denmark—the other being the royal anthem "Kong Christian stod ved højen mast".

History

The lyrics were written in 1819 by Adam Oehlenschläger and bore the motto in (Horace: "This corner of the earth smiles for me more than any other"). The music was composed in 1835 by Hans Ernst Krøyer. Later, Thomas Laub and Carl Nielsen, each composed alternative melodies, but neither has gained widespread adoption, and today they are mostly unknown to the general population. When it was first published, the national anthem had twelve verses, but later editions shortened it to the first, third, fifth, and last verses. Denmark is one of only two countries in the world — the other being New Zealand – with two official national anthems. Officially, "Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" is a national and a royal anthem; it has equal status with "Der er et yndigt land", the civil national anthem. On official and military occasions, "Kong Christian" is performed alone, or the two national anthems are played together.

Music

Lyrics

In certain situations, such as sporting events, only the first verse (or stanza) and the last three lines of the fourth verse are sung.