Dem Vaterland is a patriotic anthem written by Robert Reinick and set to music by Hugo Wolf.
History
Wolf, who unsuccessfully attempted to dedicate Dem Vaterland to Emperor William II, originally wrote it as a song for tenor and piano in 1890, but later arranged it for male voices and orchestra. His personal love for the song is attested by the following letter he wrote to Melanie Köchert:
I was tremendously happy yesterday. I succeeded in writing another new song, but good heavens, what [a piece]!!! When the German emperor hears it, he’ll make me chancellor on the spot. It’s titled after Reinick’s “Dem Vaterland” and closes with the words “Heil dir, heil dir, du deutsches Land!” Well, one can scream “Heil dir” for a long time before it gets into the blood the way my music does. How I achieved this death-defying patriotic tone is a puzzle to me. By this time, I’m starting to think I can do just about anything.