Preußens Gloria,

Armeemarschsammlung The (Army March Collection), also known as the ''Prussian Army March Collection'' () refers to the basic catalog of works of German military march music. Origins The basis for the creation of an extensive set of scores for military brass bands ...

II, 240, is a well-known military march of the 19th century, composed by

Johann Gottfried Piefke Johann Gottfried Piefke (9 September 1817 – 25 January 1884) was a German band leader, (''Kapellmeister'') and composer of military music. Piefke was born in Schwerin an der Warthe, Prussia (now Skwierzyna, Poland). In the 1850s, he was ...

(1817–1884). "Preußens Gloria" ("The Glory of Prussia" or "Prussia's Glory") was written in 1871 after the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

's victory in the Franco-Prussian War, which led to the unification of the German states into the new Prussian-led German Empire. As part of the victory parade of the returning troops, the march was performed for the first time in public in

Frankfurt an der Oder Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (), is a city in the German state of Brandenburg. It has around 57,000 inhabitants, is one of the easternmost cities in Germany, the fourth-largest city in Brandenburg, and the largest German ...

, where Piefke's garrison was based. As Piefke only performed it on important occasions, the march was unknown to a broader public for a long time. In 1909 the manuscript of the almost forgotten tune turned up and was reworked by army-musical inspector Prof. Grawert. Shortly afterwards it was included in the collection of Prussian army marches. When the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

came to power in 1933, the famous march became a staple of nationalistic triumph spurred by the propaganda movement for the reclaiming of former glory for the nation. : \relative c'' Today it is one of the best known German army marches. It is often played by the ''

Bundeswehr The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...

'' at official ceremonies and state visits. It is also a standard tune in many international

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the ti ...

s. In

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

it is often played by non-professional bands due to its popularity. It has also been adopted by units in other armies, for example by the First Squadron,

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

. The song is often played by marching bands in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Also, it is played in the

Military Parades A military parade is a formation of soldiers whose movement is restricted by close-order manoeuvering known as drilling or marching. The military parade is now almost entirely ceremonial, though soldiers from time immemorial up until the lat ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, performed by the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and ...

. It is also played by the Royal Swedish Army Band and the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. The

National People's Army The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) a ...

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

was not allowed to play the march.

Lyrics

Although Preußens Gloria has no official lyrics, in May 2021, Karl Sternau, a Music Historian, wrote unofficial lyrics for the aforementioned song: German Lyrics Die Fahne hoch, mit Schwur voran! Marschieren, wir Preußen nun Mann für Mann! Es gibt niemanden auf der Welt, der uns den Sieg nehmen kann! Solang ein Tropfen Blut noch glüht, so sind wir Preußen stets bemüht! Solang der deutsche Stolz noch steht, und niemand auf die Knie geht: Hoch Preußenland! Hoch Preußenland! Gott schütze es durch seine Hand! Stolz, mutig, ehrenvoll zugleich: Du Perle im heiligen Reich! Schwarz-Weiß, die Fahne uns weht. Voran! Ja, voran! Von Potsdam bis nach Königsberg, Vollbringen Preußen stolz ihr Werk, Im Geiste von des Alten Fritz, Wir stets bewahren sein Antlitz! Und in alle Ewigkeit! Niemals uns ein Feind entzweit! Seiest du, mein Preußen, hier, Der ganzen Menschheit edle Zier! Und vom schönen Annaberg Grüßt uns Rübezahl mit Zwerg Du, geliebtes Vaterland: Sei stark, mit Gottes rechter Hand! English translation The flag high, with oath ahead! We Prussians march man for man! There is no one in the world who can take away our victory! As long as a drop of blood still glows, we Prussians are always striving! As long as German pride still stands, and no one goes down on his knees: Hail Prussia! Hail Prussia! God protect it by his hand! Proud, brave, honorable at the same time: You pearl in the holy empire! Black and white flies the flag for us. Forward! Yes, forward! From Potsdam to Königsberg, Prussians proudly carry out their work, In the spirit of Old Fritz, We always preserve his memory! And for all eternity never an enemy will divide us! Be thou my Prussia, the noble ornament of all mankind! And from the beautiful Annaberg greets us Rübezahl with dwarf You, beloved fatherland: Be strong, with God's right hand!

References

External links

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Preußens Gloria, with lyrics.
Retrieved 30 April 2022 {{DEFAULTSORT:Preussens Gloria Culture of Prussia German military marches German patriotic songs Compositions by Johann Gottfried Piefke Articles containing video clips