Hakkapeliittain Marssi
Hakkapeliittain marssi or Finska Rytteriets Marsch in Swedish, also known as Suomalaisen ratsuväen marssi 30-vuotisessa sodassa or Finska rytteriets marsch i trettioåriga kriget is one of the Finnish and Swedish cavalry's battle marches and one of the oldest currently played. It originates from the times of Thirty Years' War when Finnish cavalrymen were known as hakkapeliitta and it became popular with military bands. It was given lyrics in 1872 by Zacharias Topelius and is commonly known as the "March of the Finnish Cavalry during the Thirty Years War". The Prussian army officially adopted it for use in 1891; it is now a standard of the German marching band repertoire.
The march is the official regimental march of the Swedish Småland Grenadier Corps, the Karlskrona Grenadier Regiment, the Småland Hussar Regiment, the Norrbotten Regiment and the Norrbotten Brigade.
The Finnish composer Uuno Klami developed a free orchestral version of this theme under the title "Suomalaisen ratsuväen marssi" in 1939. The Finnish poet Eino Leino published another "Hakkapeliittain Marssi" as part of a collection by the name of Tähtitarha in 1912.
Names of the song in different languages:
- Suomalaisen ratsuväen marssi 30-vuotisessa sodassa
- Finska Rytteriets Marsch i trettioåriga kriget
- Marsch der Finnländischen Reiterei im 30-jährigen Kriege or Schwedischer Reitermarsch
Finnish lyrics
Alternative lyricsOriginal Swedish lyrics
Literal English translation
Poetic English translation
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