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This article is about the anthem "La Marseillaise". A sculpture popularly called "La Marseillaise" is part of the sculptural program of the Arc de Triomphe. "La Marseillaise" (; in English The Song of Marseille) is the national anthem of France.
History
Re-arrangements "La Marseillaise" was re-arranged by Hector Berlioz around 1830. Robert Schumann, while setting some Heinrich Heine poems to music, used part of the Marseillaise for Heine's "The Two Grenadiers" poem at the end of the piece when the old French soldier dies (Opus 49, No.1). Schumann would also incorporate the Marseillaise as a major motif in his other overture, 'Hermann und Dorothea' inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In 1882, Pyotr Tchaikovsky used extensive quotes from the Marseillaise to represent the invading French army in his 1812 Overture. This was an anachronism, as the Marseillaise was the French anthem in Tchaikovsky's day, but not Napoleon's. Serge Gainsbourg recorded a reggae version in the late 1970s. Historical use and adoption Now the national anthem of France, the song was also once the anthem of the international revolutionary movement. Indeed, the words of "The Internationale", written in 1870 by Eugène Pottier were originally set to the tune of "La Marseillaise". During the Paris Commune (1871) that was adopted as an anthem; it was only in 1888 that Pierre Degeyter re-set "The Internationale" to the tune known today. Because great numbers of left-wing supporters around the world, particularly anarchists, took inspiration from the Commune, the song became an international symbol of leftism. For instance, in Chicago, the Haymarket Martyrs went to their deaths singing the "Marseillaise". In 1917, after the collapse of the tsarist regime "La Marseillaise" and "The Internationale" were both used as de facto anthems of the nascent Soviet Union.** Within a few years "The Internationale" gradually prevailed and became the only anthem. The Russian lyrics of "Marseillaise", "Otrechemsya ot starogo mira", are quite different from the French. However, both French and Russian lyrics were sung in Russia. The song was banned in Vichy France and German-occupied areas during World War II and singing it was seen as an act of resistance (see also Chant des Partisans). It was also banned under the French Empires of Napoléon and Napoléon III. In France itself, some of the anthem lyrics have come to be considered militaristic in certain circles, and some propositions have been made to change the anthem or the lyrics.* However, "La Marseillaise" has been associated throughout history with the French Republic and its values, and it remains very popular. The anthem was sung by protesters after Jean-Marie Le Pen advanced to the second round of the 2002 presidential election. It also has been sung by Le Pen and his supporters in the FN. Confederate artillery Major John Pelham allegedly sang the song cheerfully at the American Civil War Battle of Fredricksburg as his pair of guns blasted the Army of the Potomac, so the Union Army was unable to attack. This stalled them to the point of defeat the next day. Henrik Wergeland wrote a Norwegian version of the song in 1831, called The Norwegian Marseillan. Unofficial versions Fiction The song's theme was used by Jacques Offenbach in his Opera "Orphée aux enfers" to illustrate a revolution amongst the Olympic gods and goddesses with the lines "Aux armes Dieux et Demi-Dieux". The song was part of a famous scene in the film Casablanca in which French resistance sympathisers used the song to drown out the Nazi soldiers who were singing "Die Wacht am Rhein". These two songs were juxtaposed in exactly the same way five years earlier, in Jean Renoir's 1937 film Grand Illusion. Renoir traced the history of the song in the film he made the following year, "La Marseillaise". * The British comedy series 'Allo 'Allo! spoofed Casablanca by having the patriotic French characters start singing "La Marseillaise", only to switch to Deutschland über alles when Nazi officers enter their cafe. Abel Gance's film Napoléon features a striking scene in which the song is first sung by the French masses. In the 1981 movie Escape to Victory, the final scene features the entire crowd of the stadium in occupied Paris spontaneously sing La Marseillaise at the end of the game. Also featured in Isaac Asimov's short SF story, 'Battle-hymn' about how the national anthem is used as a subliminal advertising ploy. Featured in the Monty Python sketches, "A Man With a Tape Recorder Up His Nose" and "A Man With a Tape Recorder Up His Brother's Nose" Glass Joe from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, a Nintendo Entertainment System boxing game, uses part of the song as his ring theme. Music There are various versions of the music. Sheet music can be found at *. An official version from the website of the French President is available as a . Lyrics Note only the first verse (and sometimes the 5th and 6th) and the first chorus are sung today in France. There are some slight historical variations in the lyrics of the song; the following is the version listed at official website of the French Presidency *. | cellpadding=2 style="background:transparent;" |- |align="center" colspan="2"|La Marseillaise |- | Allons enfants de la Patrie | Arise, you children of the fatherland |- | Le jour de gloire est arrivé! | The day of glory has arrived! |- | Contre nous de la tyrannie | Against us, tyranny |- | L'étendard sanglant est levé (bis) Notes See also The "Belarusian Marseillaise", a patriotic song in Belarus. Official French government sites Other sites | ||||||||||
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