Kde domov muj
Encyclopedia
Kde domov můj? (ˈɡdɛ ˈdomof ˈmuːj; in English
: Where is my home?) is a piece of music written by the composer František Škroup
and the playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl
.
The piece was written as a part of the incidental music
to the comedy Fidlovačka aneb Žádný hněv a žádná rvačka (Fidlovačka, or No Anger and No Brawl). It was first performed by Karel Strakatý
at the Estates Theatre
in Prague
on December 21, 1834. The original song consists of two verses (see below). Although J. K. Tyl is said to have considered leaving the song out of the play, not convinced of its quality, it soon became very popular among Czechs and was accepted as an informal anthem of a nation seeking to revive its identity within the Habsburg Empire
.
Soon after Czechoslovakia
was formed in 1918, the first verse of the song became the Czech part of the national anthem, followed by the first verse of the Slovak song Nad Tatrou sa blýska
. Because of the linguistic and ethnic diversity of the First Republic
, official translations were made into Hungarian
and German
as well.
With the split of Czechoslovakia in 1992, the Czechoslovak anthem was divided as well. While Slovakia
extended its anthem by adding a second verse, the Czech Republic
's national anthem was adopted unextended, in its single-verse version.
(Lyrics according to Appendix 6 of Czech Act No. 3/1993 Coll., as adapted by Act No. 154/1998 Coll.)
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Where is my home?) is a piece of music written by the composer František Škroup
František Škroup
František Jan Škroup was a Czech composer and conductor. His brother Jan Nepomuk Škroup was also a successful composer and his father, Dominik Škroup, and other brother Ignác Škroup were lesser known composers.- Biography :At the age of eleven he moved to Prague where he supported himself as a...
and the playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl
Josef Kajetán Tyl
Josef Kajetán Tyl was a significant Czech dramatist, writer and actor. He was a notable figure of the Czech National Revival movement and is best known as the author of the current national anthem of the Czech Republic titled Kde domov můj.-Life:Josef Kajetán Tyl was the first-born son of Jiří...
.
The piece was written as a part of the incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
to the comedy Fidlovačka aneb Žádný hněv a žádná rvačka (Fidlovačka, or No Anger and No Brawl). It was first performed by Karel Strakatý
Karel Strakatý
Karel Strakatý was a Czech operatic bass who had a lengthy career at the Estates Theatre in Prague from 1827 until his retirement in 1858. While there he portrayed more than 253 roles in over 3,230 performances...
at the Estates Theatre
Estates Theatre
The Estates Theatre or Stavovské divadlo is a historic theatre in Prague, Czech Republic. The Estates Theatre was annexed to the National Theatre in 1948 and currently draws on three artistic ensembles, opera, ballet, and drama, which perform at the Estates Theatre, the National Theatre , and the...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on December 21, 1834. The original song consists of two verses (see below). Although J. K. Tyl is said to have considered leaving the song out of the play, not convinced of its quality, it soon became very popular among Czechs and was accepted as an informal anthem of a nation seeking to revive its identity within the Habsburg Empire
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
.
Soon after Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
was formed in 1918, the first verse of the song became the Czech part of the national anthem, followed by the first verse of the Slovak song Nad Tatrou sa blýska
Nad Tatrou sa blýska
Nad Tatrou sa blýska is the national anthem of Slovakia. The origins of the anthem are in the Central European activism of the 19th century. Its main themes are a storm over the Tatra mountains that symbolized danger to the Slovaks, and a desire for a resolution of the threat...
. Because of the linguistic and ethnic diversity of the First Republic
Czechoslovak Republic (1918–1938)
The First Czechoslovak Republic , refers to the first Czechoslovak state that existed from 1918 to 1938. The state was commonly called Czechoslovakia . It was composed of Bohemia, Moravia, Czech Silesia, Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia...
, official translations were made into Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
as well.
With the split of Czechoslovakia in 1992, the Czechoslovak anthem was divided as well. While Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
extended its anthem by adding a second verse, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
's national anthem was adopted unextended, in its single-verse version.
Czech national anthem lyrics
- Kde domov můj, kde domov můj?
- Voda hučí po lučinách,
- bory šumí po skalinách,
- v sadě skví se jara květ,
- zemský ráj to na pohled!
- A to je ta krásná země,
- země česká domov můj,
- země česká domov můj!
(Lyrics according to Appendix 6 of Czech Act No. 3/1993 Coll., as adapted by Act No. 154/1998 Coll.)
Official German translation
- Wo ist mein Heim?
- Mein Vaterland?
- Wo durch Wiesen Bäche brausen,
- Wo auf Felsen Wälder sausen,
- Wo ein Eden uns entzückt,
- Wenn der Lenz die Fluren schmückt:
- Dieses Land, so schön vor allen,
- Böhmen ist mein Heimatland.
- Böhmen ist mein Heimatland.
Official Hungarian translation
- Hol van honom, hol a hazám?
- Hol patak zúg a hegyháton,
- Csörgedez a rónaságon.
- Üde virág a kertben,
- Mint egy földi édenben.
- Ez az istenáldotta föld,
- Cseh föld a hazám,
- Cseh föld a hazám.
Slovak translation
- Kde je domov môj? Kde je domov môj?
- Voda hučí po lúčinách,
- Bory šumia po skalinách,
- V sade skvie sa jari kvet,
- Zemský raj to na pohľad!
- A to je tá krásna krajina,
- Krajina česká, domov môj!
- Krajina česká, domov môj!
English translation
- Where is my home, where is my home?
- Water roars across the meadows,
- Pinewoods rustle among crags,
- The garden is glorious with spring blossom,
- Paradise on earth it is to see.
- And this is that beautiful land,
- The Czech land, my home,
- The Czech land, my home.
Original lyrics (from Fidlovačka, 1834)
- Kde domov můj!? Kde domov můj!?
- Voda hučí po lučinách
- bory šumí po skalinách,
- v sadě skví se jara květ
- zemský ráj to na pohled!
- a to jest ta krásná země,
- země česká domov můj!
- země česká domov můj!
- Kde domov můj!? Kde domov můj!?
- V kraji znáš-li bohumilém
- duše outlé v těle čilém,
- mysl jasnou, vznik a zdar
- a tu sílu vzdoru zmar,
- to je Čechů slavné plémě
- mezi Čechy domov můj!
- mezi Čechy domov můj!
English translation of original version
- Where is my home? Where is my home?
- Waters murmur across the meads
- Pinewoods rustle 'pon the cliff-rocks,
- Bloom of spring shines in the orchard,
- Paradise on Earth to see!
- And that is the beautiful land,
- The Czech land, my home!
- The Czech land, my home!
- Where is my home? Where is my home?
- If, in the heavenly land, you have met
- Tender souls in agile frames,
- Of clear mind, vigorous and prospering,
- And with a strength that frustrates all defiance,
- That is the glorious race of Czechs,
- Among the Czechs (is) my home!
- Among the Czechs, my home!
Slovak translation of original version
- Kde je domov môj? Kde je domov môj?
- Voda hučí po lúčinách,
- Bory šumia po skalinách,
- V sade skvie sa jari kvet,
- Zemský raj to na pohľad!
- A to je tá krásna krajina,
- Krajina česká, domov môj!
- Krajina česká, domov môj!
- Kde je domov môj? Kde je domov môj?
- Ak (s)poznáš v kraji bohumilom
- Útlu dušu v tele čulom,
- Myseľ jasnú, vznik a zdar
- A tú silu vzdoru zmar,
- To je slávne plemeno Čechov,
- Medzi Čechmi je domov môj!
- Medzi Čechmi je domov môj!
German translation of original version
- Wo ist mein Zuhause? Wo ist meine Heimat?
- Waters murren über die Wiesen
- Kiefernwälder rauschen auf den Klippen Felsen,
- Bloom von Frühling leuchtet in den Obstgarten,
- Das Paradies auf Erden zu sehen!
- Und das ist das schöne Land,
- Die tschechische Land, meine Heimat!
- Die tschechische Land, meine Heimat!
- Wo ist mein Zuhause? Wo ist meine Heimat?
- Wenn in den himmlischen Land, haben Sie erfüllt
- Tender Seelen in agilen Rahmen,
- Klarer Verstand, kräftig und blühend,
- Und mit einer Kraft, die alle zum Trotz frustriert,
- Das ist die glorreiche Rennen der Tschechen,
- Unter den Tschechen (ist) meine Heimat!
- Unter den Tschechen, meine Heimat!
Hungarian translation of original version
- Hol a haza? Hol a haza?
- Vizek zörej egész rétek
- Fenyvesek suhogását alapján a szikla-sziklák,
- Virágzás a tavasz ragyog a gyümölcsös,
- Paradiscom Földön látni!
- És ez a gyönyörű föld,
- A cseh föld, a haza!
- A cseh föld, a haza!
- Hol a haza? Hol a haza?
- Ha, a mennyei földet, akkor találkozott
- Meglágyít lelkek agilis keretek,
- A tiszta tudat, élénk és virágzó,
- És egy erős, hogy meghiúsítja minden dac,
- Ez a dicső faj a csehek,
- Között a csehek (a) az otthonom!
- Között a csehek, az otthonom!
External links
- State Symbols – Ministry of Foreign Affairs – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a page about state symbols that includes a copy of the music of the anthem.
- New version (mp3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
) - New (2008) official recordings – female solo, male solo, choir, and orchestral versions.