"Dievs, svētī Latviju"[lower-alpha 1] is the national anthem of Latvia. Created in 1873 as a patriotic song, it did not gain official status until 1920.
| English: 'God Bless Latvia' | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music for the national anthem of Latvia in the handwriting of Kārlis Baumanis | |
National anthem of Latvia | |
| Lyrics | Kārlis Baumanis, 1873 |
| Music | Kārlis Baumanis, 1873 |
| Adopted | June 7, 1920 |
| Readopted | February 15, 1990 |
| Relinquished | 1940 |
| Preceded by | Anthem of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic |
| Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version in B-flat major | |
History
The music and lyrics were written in 1873 by Kārlis Baumanis, a teacher who was part of the Young Latvian nationalist movement.[1] It is thought that Baumanis was inspired by a popular song "Dievs, svētī Kurzemi/Vidzemi" (lit. 'God Bless Kurzeme/Vidzeme', which was modified depending on the region it was used in) that was sung to the tune of "God Save the King". 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 it was chosen as national anthem on June 7, 1920, and the word "Baltics" was replaced with "Latvia".[2][3][4]
During the occupation of Latvia by the Soviet Union, the singing of "Dievs, svētī Latviju" was banned. The subsequently-established Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic had its own anthem. "Dievs, svētī Latviju" was restored as the state anthem of Latvia on February 15, 1990[5] – shortly before independence on May 4.
Performance
The anthem's tune was modernized with a new F-major version that has been used since 2014; formerly, a G-major version was used on LTV's sign-on and sign-offs daily from 2011 to 2013. However, the G-major version was still played on any occasion (especially and notably, during times of mourning). The current version played on LTV for their sign-on and sign-offs daily is in the key of B-flat major.
Lyrics
| Latvian original[6] | IPA transcription[lower-alpha 2] | English translation |
|---|---|---|
𝄆 Dievs, svētī Latviju! |
𝄆 [dʲiəʊ̯s | ˈsvʲæː.tʲiː ˈlˠɐt.vʲɪ.jʊ |] |
𝄆 God bless Latvia! |
Other uses
- The Viesturdārzs park of Riga have a monument to Kārlis Baumanis with the music sheet of Dievs, svētī Latviju! on it.
- Latvian 2 euro coins bear the inscription DIEVS SVĒTĪ LATVIJU around the edge.
See also
Notes
- Latvian pronunciation: [dʲiəʊ̯s ˈsvʲæːtʲiː ˈlˠɐtvʲɪjʊ]; lit. 'God Bless Latvia'
- See Help:IPA/Latvian and Latvian phonology.
References
External links
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