Editing Ja, vi elsker dette landet (section)

==History==
Until the mid-1860s, the songs "[[Sønner av Norge]]" and "[[Norges Skaal]]" were commonly regarded as the Norwegian national anthems, with "Sønner av Norge" being most recognised. "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" gradually came to be recognised as a national anthem from the mid-1860s. Until the early 20th century, however, both "Sønner av Norge" and "Ja, vi elsker" were used, with "Sønner av Norge" preferred in official situations. In 2011, the song "[[Mitt lille land]]" featured prominently in the memorial ceremonies following the [[2011 Norway attacks]] and was described by the media as "a new national anthem".<ref>[http://www.bt.no/bergenpuls/Verdig-tilstandsrapport-fra-nasjonalartistene-2546839.html Verdig tilstandsrapport fra nasjonalartistene] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229051142/http://www.bt.no/bergenpuls/Verdig-tilstandsrapport-fra-nasjonalartistene-2546839.html |date=December 29, 2013 }}, BT.no</ref> On [[Norwegian Constitution Day]] in 2012, [[NRK]] opened its broadcast with "Mitt lille land".<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindahl |first=Björn |url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/utrikes/norsk-festyra-fick-ny-dimension_7209020.svd |title=Norsk festyra fick ny dimension |language=sv |newspaper=[[Svenska Dagbladet]] |date=2001-09-11 |access-date=2012-05-26 |archive-date=2013-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227095206/http://www.svd.se/nyheter/utrikes/norsk-festyra-fick-ny-dimension_7209020.svd |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Background===
Norway did not have an official national anthem until 11 December 2019, but over the last 200 years, several songs have been commonly regarded as ''de facto'' national anthems. At times, multiple songs have enjoyed this status simultaneously. "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" is now most often recognised as the anthem, but until the early 20th century, "[[Sønner av Norge]]" occupied this position.

In the early 19th century, the song "[[Norges Skaal]]" was regarded by many as a ''de facto'' national anthem. From 1820, the song "Norsk Nationalsang" ({{lit|Norwegian National Song}}) became the most recognised national anthem. It came to be known as "[[Sønner av Norge]]" (originally "Sønner af Norge") after its first stanza. "Sønner av Norge" was written by [[Henrik Anker Bjerregaard]] (1792–1842) and the melody by Christian Blom (1782–1861) after the [[Royal Norwegian Society for Development]] had announced a competition to write a national anthem for Norway in 1819. "Norsk Nationalsang" ("Sønner af Norge") was announced as the winner.<ref>''Sangen har lysning : studentersang i Norge på 1800-tallet'', Anne Jorunn Kydland, 1995, {{ISBN|82-560-0828-8}}</ref><ref>''Viktige trekk fra Norges vels historie 1809-1995'', Kristian Kaus, 1996, {{ISBN|82-7115-100-2}}</ref><ref>''Norsk litteraturkritikks historie 1770-1940, Bind 1'', Edvard Beyer og Morten Moi, 1990, {{ISBN|82-00-06623-1}}</ref> {{ill|Blant alle Lande|no|Blant alle Lande}} (also called "Nordmandssang") by [[Ole Vig]] has also been used as a national anthem. [[Henrik Wergeland]] also wrote an anthem originally titled "Smaagutternes Nationalsang" ({{lit|The Young Boys' National Song}}) and commonly known as "[[Vi ere en Nation, vi med]]".

"Ja, vi elsker dette landet" was written by [[Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson]] and composed by [[Rikard Nordraak]] between 1859 and 1868, and gradually came to replace "Sønner av Norge" as the most recognised national anthem. Until the early 20th century, "Sønner av Norge" and "Ja, vi elsker dette landet" were used alongside each other, but "Sønner av Norge" was preferred in official settings. Since 2011, the anthem "[[Mitt lille land]]" by [[Ole Paus]] has also been called a "new national anthem" and notably featured in the memorial ceremonies following the 2011 Norway attacks.<ref>[http://www.bt.no/bergenpuls/Verdig-tilstandsrapport-fra-nasjonalartistene-2546839.html Verdig tilstandsrapport fra nasjonalartistene] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229051142/http://www.bt.no/bergenpuls/Verdig-tilstandsrapport-fra-nasjonalartistene-2546839.html |date=2013-12-29 }}, BT.no</ref> On [[Norwegian Constitution Day]] in 2012, the [[NRK]] broadcast opened with "Mitt lille land."<ref>{{cite news |author=Björn Lindahl |url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/utrikes/norsk-festyra-fick-ny-dimension_7209020.svd |title=Norsk festyra fick ny dimension |language=sv |newspaper=[[Svenska Dagbladet]] |date=2001-09-11 |access-date=2012-05-26 |archive-date=2013-12-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227095206/http://www.svd.se/nyheter/utrikes/norsk-festyra-fick-ny-dimension_7209020.svd |url-status=live }}</ref>

In addition, Norway has an unofficial royal anthem, "[[Kongesangen]]", based on "[[God Save the King]]" and written in its modern form by [[Gustav Jensen]]. The psalm "[[Gud signe vårt dyre fedreland]]", written by [[Elias Blix]] and with a melody by [[Christoph Ernst Friedrich Weyse]], is often called Norway's "national psalm".