"De Alde Friezen" ( en, "The Frisians of Old") is the

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

of the

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

province of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The text is by the Frisian writer Eeltsje Halbertsma. The version commonly sung today is an abridgement, dating from 1876, by Jacobus van Loon. The words were not set to music until after Halbertsma's death; they were first sung in 1875 at a ceremony held to commemorate his work. The song was adopted as the Frisian anthem by the ''Selskip foar Frysk Taal- en Skriftekennisse'' (Society for Frisian Language and Literature) on the urging of politician, writer and poet Pieter Jelles Troelstra (1860–1930) and has served as the anthem of Friesland ever since.

Lyrics

External links

Vocal rendition (MP3 file)
(first stanza and chorus)
Vom hoh'n Olymp
(the melody of which was used for De âlde Friezen) {{DEFAULTSORT:Alde Friezen, De Dutch anthems Regional songs Frisian culture Culture of Friesland West Frisian literature