"Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" (English: God Save Emperor Francis) is an
anthem to Francis II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and later of Austria.
The lyrics were by Lorenz Leopold Haschka (1749–1827), and the melody by
Joseph Haydn. It is sometimes called the "Kaiserhymne" (Emperor's Hymn).
Haydn's tune has since been widely employed in other contexts: in works of
classical music, in Christian hymns, in alma maters, and as the tune of the
"Deutschlandlied", the national anthem of Germany.
Later uses of the tune in classical music
Later composers in the Western classical canon have repeatedly quoted or
otherwise employed Haydn's tune, as is demonstrated by the following
chronological list. As the tune was widely known, the uses by other
composers were heard as quotations and served as an emblem of Austria, of
Austrian patriotism, or of the Austrian monarchy.
Ludwig van Beethoven quotes the last four bars in "Es ist vollbracht"
WoO 97, the finale of Georg Friedrich Treitschke's singspiel "Die
Ehrenpforten" (1815). The work celebrates the end of the Napoleon Wars,
essentially the same conflict that gave rise to Haydn's original hymn. It is
seldom performed today.[11]
Franz Schubert used the tune in his Stabat Mater (1816), although he
revised this in future editions.
Carl Czerny wrote Variations on "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" for
piano and orchestra or piano and string quartet, his Op. 73 (1824)
Gioachino Rossini used the tune in his opera Il viaggio a Reims (1825).
Niccolò Paganini wrote a set of variations on this tune for violin and
orchestra in 1828, under the title Maestosa Sonata Sentimentale
Gaetano Donizetti used the tune in his opera Maria Stuarda (1835), at
Act 3, Scene VIII, "Deh! Tu di un'umile preghiera ..."
Clara Schumann used the tune as the basis for her Souvenir de Vienne, op
. 9 (1838) for solo piano.[12]
Bedřich Smetana used the tune in his Festive Symphony (1853), which
the composer intended to dedicate to the Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria.
Henryk Wieniawski wrote a set of variations on the tune for
unaccompanied violin (Variations on the Austrian National Anthem, from L'é
cole Moderne, Op. 10; 1853).
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky arranged the work for orchestra in 1874,
apparently in connection with a visit to Russia by the Austrian Emperor. The
arrangement was published only in 1970.[13]
Anton Bruckner wrote his Improvisationskizze Ischl 1890 to be played on
the organ during the wedding of Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria.
Béla Bartók employed the theme in his symphonic poem "Kossuth" (1903);
in this patriotic work about the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848 the
theme serves as an emblem for the Austrian enemy.