Norway
"Ja, vi elsker dette landet" (Yes, We Love This Country)

Words by: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
Music by: Rikard Nordraak
Adopted: 1864

The words for the national anthem, written by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, one of Norway's great dramatists and poets, were first published in 1859. The original poem had six verses; the first verse and last two verses are used nowadays as the anthem. The music was composed by Rikard Nordraak, cousin of Bjørnson and a friend of the famed Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg, in 1864. It was first performed later that year for the 50th anniversary of their constitution, and caught on quickly. It became a part of the reading books in schools all over the country, and was sung by the children in the children's parades organized by Bjørnson on every 17th of May.

See also: Norway (royal anthem), Norway (?-1820), Norway (1820-1864).