Sonate A-Dur - Hurra Germania!

Upon this occasion, we shall elucidate the notion of "Hurrah Patriotism."
The various European nations, in the midst of the 19th century, all embraced this brand of fervent nationalism. Whether it be the Empire, the "Grande Nation," or foremost among them, the "Black, Red, and Gold," they marched to war with cheers and fanfare. Yet, scarcely a century later, such exuberance found itself stifled at its inception by the nuclear armament and the looming threat posed by both the great powers and the burgeoning nation-states.

But then, "hurrah, we are off to war"... The populace celebrated in the streets, a situation wholly incredulous to us today. The question arises, whether we might still delight in the splendid music of that era, despite its overtones of jingoistic fervour. I believe we may; within the pages of the Lacher Commersbuch, one finds all the patriotic songs, with texts that from today's perspective seem highly questionable, yet without exception, they possess beautiful romantic, or rather late romantic melodies, which bring immense joy when arranged in harmony or fashioned into fugues!
Here we have a song with a stirring melody, composed by Theodor Mohr. The (questionable) text dates back to 1870 and was penned by Ferdinand Freiligrath.

Who, then, was Germania? Germania is a personification with a shifting meaning.
In antiquity, as the peoples of Germania appeared as a unified entity solely from the perspective of Roman conquerors, they already depicted a "Germania" in the form of a woman as a numen, naming her after the same designation they had assigned to the region.
Since the Middle Ages, drawing on the concept of Germania magna of antiquity, she has been regarded as the national personification of Germany in the sense of the distribution area of German languages.

To be continued in the 1st comment .....