Het Wilhelmus

Het Wilhelmus

English: 'William'
National anthem of  Kingdom of the Netherlands (Holland)
Adopted	~1572 1932 (officially)

"Het Wilhelmus" (Dutch pronunciation: [ɦɛt ʋɪlˈɦɛlmʏs], listen (help·info)), fully known as "Wilhelmus van Nassouwe" ("William of Nassau"), is the national anthem of the Netherlands and the former national anthem of the Netherlands Antilles until 1964. Known since at least the 16th century – around the time of the Dutch Revolt – this song contains the oldest melody among all national anthems of the world. Its lyrics also date back to the 1500s, though the lyrics of "Kimigayo"—Japan's national anthem—are much older. Because "Het Wilhelmus" is so old, the origins of the composer(s) and author(s) are uncertain, but the melody has been arranged by Dutch composer Adrianus Valerius in the 1600s. It wasn't officially adopted as national anthem of the Netherlands until the 20th century.^[1][2][3][4]

1. ↑ Facts About National Anthems. www.national-anthems.org. The words of the Japanese anthem Kimigayo date from the 9th century.
2. ↑ Netherlands: 'Het Wilhelmus'. NationalAnthems.me. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
3. ↑ "Geuzenliedboek. cf.hum.uva.nl". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
4. ↑ DeLapp, Nevada Levi (2014). The Reformed David(s) and the Question of Resistance to Tyranny: Reading the Bible in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-567-65549-3.