Editing Wilhelmus (section)

==Performance==
[[File:William I, Prince of Orange by Adriaen Thomasz. Key Rijksmuseum Amsterdam SK-A-3148.jpg|thumb|upright|[[William the Silent|William I]], leader of the [[Dutch Revolt]], by [[Adriaen Thomasz. Key]]]]

=== History ===
[[File:Het Wilhelmus (first recording 1899).ogg|thumb|right|First recording of the "Wilhelmus" in 1899]]
[[File:Henri Dons - Wilhelmus.ogg|thumb|right|Vocal rendition of the "Wilhelmus" in 1920]]
Though only proclaimed the national anthem in 1932, the "Wilhelmus" already had a centuries-old history. It had been sung on many official occasions and at many important events since the outbreak of the [[Dutch Revolt]] in 1568, such as the [[siege of Haarlem]] in 1573 and the ceremonial entry of the [[Prince of Orange]] into [[Brussels]] on 18 September 1578.

It has been claimed that during the gruesome torture of [[Balthasar Gérard]] (the assassin of [[William the Silent|William of Orange]]) in 1584, the song was sung by the guards who sought to overpower Gérard's screams when boiling pigs' fat was poured over him. Gérard allegedly responded "Sing! Dutch sinners! Sing! But know that soon I shall be sung of!".<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cubra.nl/wilhelmusvannassouwe/wilhelmusvannassouwetheovandoornstructuur.htm|title=Het Wilhelmus, analyse van de inhoud, de structuur en de boodschap.|last=van Doorn|first=T. H.|website=www.cubra.nl|access-date=2016-08-14|archive-date=28 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028073305/http://www.cubra.nl/wilhelmusvannassouwe/wilhelmusvannassouwetheovandoornstructuur.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Another legend claims that following the [[Navigation Acts|Navigation Act 1651]] (an ordinance by [[Oliver Cromwell]] requiring all foreign fleets in the [[North Sea]] or the [[English Channel|Channel]] to dip their flag in salute) the "Wilhelmus" was sung (or rather, shouted) by the sailors on the Dutch flagship ''[[Dutch ship Brederode (1644)|Brederode]]'' in response to the first warning shot fired by an English fleet under [[Robert Blake (admiral)|Robert Blake]], when their captain [[Maarten Tromp]] refused to lower his flag. At the end of the song, which coincided with the third and last English warning shot, Tromp fired a full broadside, thereby beginning the [[Battle of Dover (1652)|Battle of Goodwin Sands]] and the [[First Anglo-Dutch War]].<ref name="auto" />

During the [[Dutch Golden Age]], it was conceived essentially as the anthem of the [[House of Orange-Nassau]] and its [[Orangism (Dutch Republic)|supporters]] – which meant, in the politics of the time, the anthem of a specific political faction which was involved in a prolonged struggle with opposing factions (which sometimes became violent, verging on civil war). Therefore, the fortunes of the song paralleled those of the Orangist faction. [[Trumpet]]s played the "Wilhelmus" when [[Maurice, Prince of Orange|Prince Maurits]] visited [[Breda]], and again when he was received in state in [[Amsterdam]] in May 1618. When William V arrived in [[Schoonhoven]] in 1787, after the authority of the stadholders had been restored, the church bells are said to have played the "Wilhelmus" continuously. After the [[Batavian Revolution]], inspired by the [[French Revolution]], it had come to be called the "Princes' March" as it was banned during the rule of the [[Patriottentijd|Patriots]], who did not support the [[House of Orange-Nassau]].

However, at the foundation of the [[Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands]], forerunner of the current Dutch state, in 1813, the "Wilhelmus" had fallen out of favour. The newly installed prince, William Frederick (the future King [[William I of the Netherlands|William
i]], son of William V, had completed his family's quest to unite the Low Countries. Now a  monarch with a claim to represent the entire nation and stand above factions, he decided to break with the song which served the House of Orange as heads of a faction, and the "Wilhelmus" was replaced by [[Hendrik Tollens]]' song "[[Wien Neêrlands Bloed]]", which was the official Dutch anthem from 1815 until 1932. However, the "Wilhelmus" remained popular and lost its identification as a factional song, and on 10 May 1932, it was decreed that on all official occasions requiring the performance of the national anthem, the "Wilhelmus" was to be played – thereby replacing Tollens' song.

"Wilhelmus" was also translated into [[Malay language|Malay]], of which was sung back when [[Dutch East Indies|Indonesia was under Dutch colonial rule]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kumparan.com/potongan-nostalgia/lagu-wilhelmus-dan-nasionalisme-yang-dipaksakan-di-hindia-belanda/full|title = Lagu Wilhelmus dan Nasionalisme yang Dipaksakan di Hindia Belanda}}</ref> with the following lyrics:

<blockquote><poem style="font-style:italic;">Selamat bagi Ratu yang maha mulia
Aman dan sentosa di atas takhtanya
Umur dan usia dilanjutkan Allah
Rezeki murah lipat berganda-ganda

Bulan yang kedelapan diinilah waktu
Tiga puluh satu bilangan tertentu
Hari lahir Baginda Putri Ratu
Mengucapkan selamat kami sekutu </poem></blockquote>

During the [[Netherlands in World War II#German occupation|German occupation of the Netherlands]], [[Arthur Seyss-Inquart]], the Nazi ''Reichskommissar'', banned all the emblems of the Dutch royal family, including the "Wilhelmus". It was then taken up by all factions of the [[Dutch resistance]], even those socialists who had previously taken an anti-monarchist stance. The pro-German [[National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands|Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging]] (NSB), who had sung the "Wilhelmus" at their meetings before the occupation, replaced it with "Alle Man van Neerlands Stam" ("All Men of Dutch Origin").<ref>Dewulf, Jeroen (2010), [https://books.google.com/books?id=nUQmsfyctPcC&dq=Wilhelmus+and+resistance&pg=PA115 ''Spirit of Resistance: Dutch Clandestine Literature During the Nazi Occupation''], Camden House, New York {{ISBN|978-1-57113-493-6}} (p. 115)</ref> The anthem was drawn to the attention of the English-speaking world by the 1942 British [[war film]] ''[[One of Our Aircraft Is Missing]]''. The film concerns a [[Royal Air Force]] bomber crew who are shot down over the occupied Netherlands and are helped to escape by the local inhabitants. The melody is heard during the film as part of the campaign of [[passive resistance]] by the population, and it finishes with the [[coat of arms of the Netherlands]] on screen while the "Wilhelmus" is played.<ref>Furhammar, Leif and Isaksson, Folke (1971), [https://books.google.com/books?id=OW9ZAAAAMAAJ&q=%22one+of+our+aircraft+is+missing%22+dutch+national+anthem ''Politics and film''], Praeger Publishers, New York (p. 81)</ref>

=== Current ===
[[File:Wilhelmus bladmuziek.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|First stanza of the "Wilhelmus"]]
The "Wilhelmus" is to be played only once at a ceremony or other event and, if possible, it is to be the last piece of music to be played when receiving a foreign [[head of state]] or emissary.

During international sport events, such as the [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]], [[UEFA European Football Championship]], the [[Olympic Games]] and the [[Dutch Grand Prix]], the "Wilhelmus" is also played. In nearly every case the 1st and 6th stanzas (or repeating the last lines), or the 1st stanza alone, are sung/played rather than the entire song, which would result in about 15 minutes of music.<ref>Each of the 15 stanzas lasts 56 seconds, and the last stanza has a [[ritenuto]].</ref>

The "Wilhelmus" is also widely used in [[Flemish Movement|Flemish nationalist]] gatherings as a symbol of cultural unity with the Netherlands. Yearly rallies like the "[[IJzerbedevaart]]" and the "Vlaams Nationaal Zangfeest" close with singing the 6th stanza, after which the Flemish national anthem "[[De Vlaamse Leeuw]]" is sung.