The Brabançonne

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Categories: National anthems | National symbols of Belgium | Belgian music | Belgian Revolution

La Brabançonne English: The Brabançonne
National anthem of	Belgium
Music	François Van Campenhout
Lyrics	Jenneval (Louis-Alexandre Dechet)
Adopted	1860

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Lithographie of Jenneval

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Lithographie of Campenhout

The Brabançonne (Song of Brabant) is the national anthem of Belgium. The anthem has a Dutch, a French and a German version, for the three official languages of the country.

1 History
2 Lyrics
3 Recording
4 Trivia
5 See also
6 External links

History

According to legend, the Belgian national anthem was written in September 1830, during the Belgian Revolution, by a young revolutionary called Jenneval, who read the lyrics during a meeting at the Aigle d'Or café.

Jenneval, a Frenchman whose real name was Alexandre Dechet (sometimes known as Louis-Alexandre Dechet), did in fact write the Brabançonne. At the time, he was an actor at the theatre where, in August 1830, the revolution started which led to independence from the Netherlands. Jenneval died in the war of independence. François Van Campenhout composed the accompanying score and it was first performed in September 1830.

In 1860, Belgium formally adopted the song and music as its national anthem, although the then prime minister edited lyrics attacking the Dutch Prince of Orange.

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La Brabançonne monument in Brussels

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Score of the Brabançonne, dated around 1910

The Brabançonne is not only the name of the Belgian national anthem, it is also a monument (1930) by the sculptor Charles Samuël on the Surlet de Chokier square in Brussels. The monument contains partial lyrics of both the French and Dutch versions of the anthem. As many elements in Belgian folklore, this is mainly based on the French La Marseillaise which is also an anthem and the name of a monument in Paris.

Lyrics

Official French-language text

Ô Belgique, ô mère chérie,

À toi nos cœurs, à toi nos bras,

À toi notre sang, ô Patrie !

Nous le jurons tous, tu vivras !

Tu vivras toujours grande et belle

Et ton invincible unité

Aura pour devise immortelle :

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Aura pour devise immortelle :

Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté !

Official Dutch-language text

O dierbaar België, O heilig land der Vad'ren,

Onze ziel en ons hart zijn u gewijd.

Aanvaard ons kracht en bloed van ons ad'ren,

Wees ons doel in arbeid en in strijd.

Bloei, o land, in eendracht niet te breken;

Wees immer uzelf en ongeknecht,

Het woord getrouw, dat g' onbevreesd moogt spreken,

Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht!

Het woord getrouw, dat g' onbevreesd moogt spreken,

Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht!

Official German-language text

O liebes Land, o Belgiens Erde,

Dir unser Herz, Dir unsere Hand,

Dir unser Blut, dem Heimatherde,

wir schworen's Dir, o Vaterland!

So blühe froh in voller Schöne,

zu der die Freiheit Dich erzog,

und fortan singen Deine Söhne:

"Gesetz und König und die Freiheit hoch!"

und fortan singen Deine Söhne:

"Gesetz und König und die Freiheit hoch!"

Unofficial translation of the French lyrics

O Belgium, O dear mother,

To you our hearts, to you our arms,

To you our blood, O fatherland!

We swear it all, you shall live!

You shall always live, great and beautiful

And your invincible unity

Shall have as its immortal motto:

The King, the Law, [the] Freedom!

Unofficial translation of the Dutch lyrics

O beloved Belgium, O holy land of our Fathers

Our souls and hearts are devoted to thee.

Accept our strength and the blood of our veins,

Be our purpose in work and struggle.

Prosper, O country, in unity unbreakable;

Be forever thyself and never servile,

True to the word that thou shouldst fearlessly declare:

For King, for Freedom, and for Justice.

Unofficial translation of the German lyrics

O dear land, O Belgium's earth

To you our heart, to you our hand

To you our blood, the fires of home

We swear to you, O fatherland.

So bloom joyfully in the full beauty

To which liberty has brought you up

And henceforth your sons will sing -

Up Law and King and Liberty!

Recording

Instrumental

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Recording by the United States Navy Band
Problems playing the files? See media help.

Trivia

In the summer of 2007, during the formation of a new government, Yves Leterme, a Flemish candidate for prime minister, was asked by a Walloon journalist to sing a part of the French version of the Brabançonne. Leterme mistakenly sang part of the Marseillaise (French anthem) instead. The incident caused much controversy, and further harmed Leterme's already shaky reputation in Wallonia.