Kaiserlied, Austrian emperor's hymn Postcard

The Austrian Kaiserlied, whose original title was “Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" (English: "God Save Emperor Francis”), was a personal anthem to Francis II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and later of the Austrian Empire. In January 1797 the first performance of the Song was ordered for the birthday of the Monarch. With the succession of other emperors the original melody by Joseph Haydn remained, only the lyrics changed. Haydn seems to have been particularly fond of his creation. During his frail and sickly old age (1802–1809), the composer often would struggle to the piano to play his song, often with great feeling, as a form of consolation; it was the last music Haydn ever played. The heraldic double-headed eagle, work of the famous Austrian heraldist Hugo Gerhard Ströhl (1851–1919), is the less common coat of arms of the Empire of Austria from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 until 1867. It shows the Habsburg arms with the Order of the Golden Fleece lying on the Austrian double-headed Eagle, with the Crown of Rudolf above it.