Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger was a Danish poet and playwright. He introduced romanticism into Danish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the song Der er et yndigt land, which is one of the national anthems of Denmark.
"Ja, vi elsker dette landet" is the national anthem of Norway. Originally a patriotic song, it became commonly regarded as the de facto national anthem of Norway in the early 20th century after being used alongside "Sønner av Norge" since the 1860s. It was officially adopted in 2019.
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European nations tend towards more ornate and operatic pieces, while those in the Middle East, Oceania, Africa, and the Caribbean use a more simplistic fanfare. Some countries that are devolved into multiple constituent states have their own official musical compositions for them ; their constituencies' songs are sometimes referred to as national anthems even though they are not sovereign states.
The earliest traces of Danish music go back to the many twisting Bronze-Age horns or lurs which some experts have identified as musical instruments. They have been discovered in various parts of Scandinavia, mostly Denmark, since the end of the 18th century. Denmark's most famous classical composer is Carl Nielsen, especially remembered for his six symphonies, while the Royal Danish Ballet specializes in the work of Danish choreographer August Bournonville. Danes have distinguished themselves as jazz musicians, and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival has acquired an international reputation. The modern pop and rock scene has produced a few names of note, including MØ, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, Lukas Graham, D-A-D, Tina Dico, Aqua, The Raveonettes, Michael Learns to Rock, Volbeat, Alphabeat, Safri Duo, Medina, Oh Land, Kashmir, King Diamond, Outlandish, and Mew. Lars Ulrich is the first Danish musician to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold, commonly referred to as Tordenskjold, was a Norwegian nobleman and flag officer who spent his career in the service of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the rank of vice-admiral for his services in the Great Northern War. Born in the Norwegian city of Trondheim, Peter Wessel travelled to Copenhagen in 1704 and eventually enlisted in the navy.
Johannes Ewald was a Danish national dramatist, psalm writer and poet. The lyrics of a song from one of his plays are used for one of the Danish national anthems, Kong Christian stod ved højen mast which has equal status of national anthem together with Der er et yndigt land. Quite until the days of romanticism, Ewald was considered the unsurpassed Danish poet. Today he is probably more lauded than read; though considered classics, only few of his works have become popular.
Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau was a Danish pianist and composer during the late Classical and early Romantic periods. He was a central figure of the Danish Golden Age and is immortalized in Danish cultural history through his music for Elves' Hill, the first true work of Danish National Romanticism and a concealed tribute to the absolute monarchy. To this day it is his version of this melody which is the definitive arrangement.
"Nuna asiilasooq" is a Greenlandic song used as an ethnic anthem by the self-governing Kalaallit of Greenland. It was officially recognised by the government in 1979. Both lyrics and melody were composed by Jonathan Petersen, who also wrote the musical score for Greenland's 1916-adopted national anthem "Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit."
Denmark has two official national anthems with equal status:
"Rufst du, mein Vaterland" was the former national anthem of Switzerland. It had the status of de facto national anthem from the formation of Switzerland as a federal state in the 1840s, until 1961, when it was replaced by the Swiss Psalm.
Elves' Hill is a comedy by Johan Ludvig Heiberg, with overture and incidental music by Friedrich Kuhlau, which is considered the first Danish national play.
During his time at the Moscow Conservatoire around September 1866, the school's principal, Nikolay Rubinstein commissioned Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose a Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem to be played for the visit of the Tsarevich to Moscow, accompanied by his new Danish bride, Princess Dagmar of Denmark. The Tsarevich would eventually be crowned Tsar Alexander III of Russia and remain a devoted follower of Tchaikovsky's music, awarding the composer both the Order of St. Vladimir in 1884 and a state pension in 1885.
"Kong Christian stod ved højen mast", or simply "Kong Christian", is the unofficial royal anthem of Denmark that officially has equal status of national anthem together with "Der er et yndigt land". However, it is almost exclusively used regarding the Danish royal house and the military. The theme of the song is the heroics of Danish and Norwegian sailors during the wars against Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries.
DitlevLudvig Rogert (1742–1813) was a Danish songwriter who is credited with composing the music for Denmark's royal anthem "Kong Kristian stod ved højen mast". He was also a High Court judge and violinist.
Hans ErnstKrøyer was a Danish composer.
Rungstedlund, also known as the Karen Blixen Museum, is a country house in Rungsted on the Øresund coast just north of Copenhagen, Denmark, notable for its association with the author Karen Blixen, who lived there for most of her life. She was born on the estate in 1885, and returned there after her years in Kenya, chronicled in her 1937 book Out of Africa, to do most of her writings. The property is today managed by the Rungstedlund Foundation as a writer's house museum.
The Royal Life Guards Music Band is the foremost military band in the Danish Defence and the official regimental band of the Danish Royal Life Guards. The DKLM is based in Copenhagen and primarily participates in parades and ceremonies for the Danish monarch and the Danish royal family. It also supports the government and the military, specifically increasing the esprit de corps in army units as well as in the public.
Denmark is one of only two countries in the world—the other being New Zealand—with two official national anthems of equal status. Officially, Kong Christian stod ved højen mast is both a national and a royal anthem; it has equal status with Der er et yndigt land, which is treated as the civil national anthem. At sports events and other civil events, Der er et yndigt land is the one played.
