Maamme

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Vårt land
Maamme

English: Our Land
The first stanza of "Maamme" from the Finnish translation of The Tales of Ensign Stål
National anthem of  Finland
Also known as	"Vårt land" (English: "Our Land")
Lyrics	Johan Ludvig Runeberg, 1848
Music	Fredrik Pacius, 1848
Audio sample
Menu 0:00 "Maamme" (instrumental, one verse) file help

"Maamme" (Finnish: [ˈmɑːmːe]; Swedish: Vårt land, Finland Swedish: [ˈvoːrt ˈlɑnːd]; both meaning "Our Land") is the unofficial national anthem of Finland. The music was composed by the German immigrant Fredrik Pacius, with original Swedish words by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, and with this music it was performed for the first time on 13 May 1848.^[1] Originally it was written for the 500th anniversary of Porvoo and for that occasion it was Runeberg himself who wrote the music.^[2] The poem was influenced by the "Szózat" (Appeal) of Mihály Vörösmarty, both in style and content.^[3]

The melody of "Maamme" is also used for the national anthem of Estonia with a similarly themed text, "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" ("My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy", 1869).^[4] It is also considered to be the ethnic anthem for the Livonians as "Min izāmō" ("My Fatherland").

History[]

	"Maamme" Menu 0:00 Finnish national anthem performed in 1929, with Heikki Klemetti conducting, music composed by Fredrik Pacius (2:09)
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Frontpage of "Vårt land" by Johan Ludvig Runeberg

The Swedish words of the "Vårt Land" poem appear in Johan Ludvig Runeberg's monument in Helsinki. Sculptor Walter Runeberg.

The original poem, written in 1846 but not printed until 1848, had 11 stanzas and formed the prologue to the verse cycle The Tales of Ensign Stål ("Fänrik Ståhls sägner"), a classic example of Romantic nationalism. The current Finnish language text is usually attributed to the 1889 translation of Ensign Stål by Paavo Cajander, but in fact originates from the 1867 translation by Julius Krohn.^[5][6]

There is no law regarding an official national anthem in Finland, in the way the coat of arms and flag of Finland are legally defined. Instead its position has been established gradually by convention over the years.^[4]

Children learn it in school; in formal occasions it is sung both in Finnish and in Swedish. It is played at sporting events, such as the Olympics. In the 1880s and in the 1920s there were more attempts to replace it with a Finnish language version but these ceased by the 1930s.^[7] Some Finns have proposed that the Finnish national anthem be set as "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius,^[8] with lyrics by V.A. Koskenniemi (Finnish) and (Swedish).

It is said that Pacius composed the tune in four days. It was popular throughout the 19th century, but established as national anthem only after Pacius' death.^[9]

Lyrics[]

The original lyrics consist of eleven verses but it is customary to sing the first verse and the last verse, unless the people gathered are mixed Finnish- and Swedish-speaking. In the latter case, three verses are sung: the first in Finnish, the first in Swedish and the last in Finnish.^{[citation needed]}