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Dievs, svētī Latviju

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 (1920-06-07)
Readopted	February 15, 1990 (1990-02-15)
Relinquished	1940
Preceded by	Anthem of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Audio sample
U.S. Navy Band instrumental rendition in B-flat major file help

"Dievs, svētī Latviju" is the national anthem of Latvia. Created in 1873 as a patriotic song, it did not gain official status until 1920.

History

The music and lyrics were written in 1873 by Kārlis Baumanis, a teacher who was part of the Young Latvian nationalist movement. 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".

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 – 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

Current official

Alternate lyrics

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

• Flag of Latvia
• Coat of arms of Latvia

Notes

1. Latvian pronunciation: [dʲiəʊ̯s ˈsvʲæːtʲiː ˈlˠɐtvʲɪjʊ]; lit. 'God Bless Latvia'
2. See Help:IPA/Latvian and Latvian phonology.

References

1. "Darba apraksts". LIIS mūzikas lapas (in Latvian). Latvijas Izglītības informatizācijas sistēma. Archived from the original on May 12, 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2007.
2. Dr. art. Arnolds Klotiņš (November 13, 1998). "Latvijas svētās skaņas (Part I)" (in Latvian). Latvijas Vēstnesis. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
3. Dr. art. Arnolds Klotiņš (November 17, 1998). "Latvijas svētās skaņas (Part II)" (in Latvian). Latvijas Vēstnesis. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
4. "7. jūnijā atzīmēsim Latvijas valsts himnas 100. dzimšanas dienu". Latvian National Cultural Center (in Latvian). June 5, 2020.
5. Dzintra Stelpe (2009). Lielā Latvijas Enciklopēdija (in Latvian). Riga: Zvaigzne ABC. p. 263. ISBN 9789984408095. OCLC 644036298.
6. "Par Latvijas valsts himnu" (in Latvian). Latvijas Vēstnesis. 1998-03-05. 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.
• Latvia: Dievs, svētī Latviju! - Audio of the national anthem of Latvia, with information and lyrics (archive link)
• Anthem sung at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in Latvia
• Anthem pipe organ recordings of Christian hymns and sung in church

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