"Ons Gelderland" (Our Gelderland) 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 province of

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

in 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 ...

. There are two versions of the song. The first, 'Ons Gelderland' is sung the most, but the second, 'het Geldersch Volkslied', is considered by many to be the official anthem. Since Gelderland is a province, and not a country, the officiality of either one remains undecided. Nowadays, the provincial government of Gelderland displays 'Ons Gelderland' on their website. In the past they have stated 'het Geldersch Volkslied' to be the official anthem. A remarkable detail to note is that each version can be sung to the same tune. Since the texts have already been put to different tunes, this is a surprisingly convenient coincidence for many songwriters in Gelderland.

Lyrics

''Text and music by C.J.C. Geerlings.'' :Waar der beuken breede kronen :Ons heur koele schaduw biên; :Waar we groene dennebosschen, :Paarse heidevelden zien; :Waar de blonde roggeakker :En het beekje ons oog bekoort, :Daar is onze Vale ouwe, :Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord. :Daar is onze Vale ouwe, :Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord. :Waar bij zomerzon de boomgaard :Kleurig ooft den wand'laar toont, :En de vruchtb're korenakker :Stagen arbeid rijk'lijk loont; :Waar het aorige rivierke :Rustig stroomt langs groenen boord, :Daar is onze rijke Betuw :Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord. :Daar is onze rijke Betuw :Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord. :Waar kasteelen statig prijzen :Rond door park en bosch omringd, :Waar het voog'lenkoor zijn lied'ren :In het dichte loover zingt; :Waar het lief'lijk schoon na 't landschap :'t Oog des schilders steeds bekoort, :Daar is onze "olde Graafschap", :Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord. :Daar is onze "olde Graafschap", :Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord.

Structure

Each couplet sings about one of the three part of Gelderland: first the

Veluwe The Veluwe () is a forest-rich ridge of hills (1100 km2) in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes, including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts. The Ve ...

, then the Betuwe and lastly the

Achterhoek The Achterhoek (; Dutch Low Saxon: ''Achterhook'') is a cultural region in the Eastern Netherlands. Its name (meaning "rear-corner") is geographically appropriate because the area lies in the easternmost part of the province of Gelderland and th ...

or Graafschap (which literally means:

County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particula ...

). The song is written in a dated form of the

Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-Europea ...

, with some remarkable

Brabantic Brabantian or Brabantish, also Brabantic or Brabantine ( nl, Brabants, Standard Dutch pronunciation: , ), is a dialect group of the Dutch language. It is named after the historical Duchy of Brabant, which corresponded mainly to the Dutch provi ...

influences, possibly because Zuid-Gelders is one of the many dialects spoken in Gelderland.

Geldersch Volkslied

''Text by Jan van Riemsdijk, original music by Rombout van Riemsdijk'' :Gelders dreven zijn de mooiste :In ons dierbaar Nederland. :Vette klei- en heidegronden, :Beken, bosch en heuvelrand. :Ginds de Waal, daar weer de IJssel, :Dan de Maas en ook de Rijn :Geeft ons recht om heel ons leven :Trotsch op Gelderland te zijn. :Geeft ons recht om heel ons leven :Trotsch op Gelderland te zijn. :Waar ons vaderland bebouwd werd :Door den Saksischen Germaan, :Daar werd onze stam geboren, :Daar is Gelderland ontstaan. :En het graan, dat thans geoogst wordt, :Waar het woest en wild eens was :Geeft ons recht om trotsch te wezen, :Op ons echt Gelders ras. :Geeft ons recht om trotsch te wezen, :Op ons echt Gelders ras. :In de dorpen en de steden :Tusschen Brabant en de Zee, :Tussen Utrecht en Westfalen :Heerscht de welvaart en de vreê! :Met je kerken en kasteelen, :Met je huisjes aan den dijk, :Gelderland, jij bent de Parel :Van ons Hollandsch koninkrijk. :Gelderland, jij bent de Parel :Van ons Hollandsch koninkrijk.

Structure of 'het Geldersch Volkslied'

The first couplet sings about the geography of Gelderland. The second sings about the history and the third couplet is more of a

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

to Gelderland, praising it as the Pearl of the Netherlands. This anthem is again written in an old form of Dutch, albeit somewhat more modern in language than 'Ons Gelderland'.

Hollands vs. Nederlands

The last lines are disputed, and often sung differently. They talk about a kingdom of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, which essentially is nonexistent. Often, the phrase is sung "Van ons Neêrlands koninkrijk" which instead talks about the kingdom of the

, from which

is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

. Some people from the Netherlands living outside the provinces

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

and

South Holland South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...

strongly object against the use of

pars pro toto ''Pars pro toto'' (, ), , is a figure of speech where the name of a ''portion'' of an object, place, or concept is used or taken to represent its entirety. It is distinct from a merism, which is a reference to a whole by an enumeration of parts; ...

when denoting the entire

(see also: 'Netherlands (terminology)'). This is often also the case in

, hence the alterations.

References

{{Reflist
Ons Gelderland
on the official website of the province of Gelderland (in Dutch) :''Note that this source refers to 'Ons Gelderland' as the official anthem''

on a website devoted to anthems of the Netherlands (in Dutch and English) :''Note that this source refers to 'het Geldersch Volkslied' as the official anthem'' Dutch anthems Dutch-language songs Songs about the Netherlands Regional songs Culture of Gelderland