Who doesn't know the French anthem, La Marseillaise, or at least its militaristic melody? However, few know that it is not the first anthem of France, and before and after it, the French have had quite a few other anthems. So today, let me invite you on a 400-year musical journey in their footsteps, in which we will discover those hidden anthems. These are works, most of which have been completely forgotten, which is a shame because, as you will discover, some of them have musical qualities and some have influenced other countries.
Secrets of Le Marais: A Journey into the Historic and Chic Heart of Paris
Join us on a virtual journey to the most fascinating district in Paris. Together we will discover hidden courtyards, French nobility, and the true stories behind the magnificent facades.
The first French anthem, “Long live King Henri”
The national anthem is a relatively modern creation that began to gain momentum in the late 18th century, but the beginnings of the genre can be found in France at the end of the 16th century. At that time, Henri de Navarre, after a bloody civil war, succeeded in seizing power in France and became King Henri IV (king from 4 to 1589). Following his victory, the song “Long Live King Henri” (Vive le Roi Henri) was written, which became the anthem of the kingdom and of the Bourbon kings.
Personally, I really like this song, both because of the performance, which reminds me of “The Dudes,” and because of its very optimistic lyrics. At the beginning of the song, the singer lists the important qualities of the king, which are knowing how to drink, fight, and be a lover, or in other words, French Vert Galant. To me, there's nothing more French than that (well, maybe if we take out the whole fighting part).
Louis XIV's hemorrhoids create the next anthem of France (and England)
In 1686, Louis XIV was forced to who was known for his gluttony, Undergo surgery to remove hemorrhoidsSince there was no anesthesia at that time and no doctor had yet heard of hygiene, such an operation could have ended in death. Add to this the fact that the person who was to operate on the king was none other than Pagon, who only three years earlier managed to kill the queen Using his medications, you will understand why quite a few people were sure he was almost certainly going to die.
At that time, Louis XIV was still considered a popular king, so many of his subjects were very worried about the upcoming surgery, and many of them prayed for its success and for the king’s recovery. One of them was a nun who lived in a convent not far from the Palace of Versailles who, together with her friends, wrote, composed and sang the hymn “God Save the King” (Dieu Sauvez le Roi). The hymn probably opened the gates of heaven, because Louis XIV recovered from the surgery and returned to eating. However, the hymn had two other unexpected consequences.
First, it became the unofficial anthem of France during the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI. The second result was even less predictable. While the nuns were singing the anthem to them, an English tourist passed by who really liked the song. He copied the melody and lyrics and brought them with him to England. The anthem went through several incarnations and nearly sixty years later, after King George II's victory over the Jacobin rebellion (14), this song became the anthem of England. As a victor's baton spins…
The Marseillaise appears on its first tour
The year is 1792. The young French Republic is fighting for its life against a coalition of countries led by Austria, Prussia, and England. A captain named Roger de Lisle, who was serving in Strasbourg at the time, decides, following a hearty dinner and patriotic fervor (or was it a spoiled eclair?), to write a hymn to boost the morale of his soldiers. The song, called “La Marseillaise,” although not written in Marseilles at all, is a success beyond expectations and the French armies defeat the coalition armies while the song is sung on the lips of the soldiers.
The anthem did not help much for Roger de Lille, who was almost sent to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror and ended his life in absolute poverty, but it quickly developed a life of its own and in 1795 was adopted as the official anthem of the First French Republic.
Le chant du Depart The younger brother of the Marseillaise
The fame of the Marseillaise did not last long. In 1799 Napoleon seized power by force and, along with the symbols of the French Republic, the anthem was also discarded. In its place was chosen Le chant du Depart (Song of the Departure), written in 1794 by Marie Joseph II (Marie Joseph Chenier 1764-1811), the younger brother of the famous poet André II.
In terms of the levels of fascism in the anthem, it is certainly comparable to its “elder brother” and sometimes even surpasses it. And so if the Marseillaise speaks of the impure blood that will saturate the furrows of the homeland, then in this song, in one of the verses, the mother sends her sons into battle and gives their lives for the Republic, because France is the true mother…
After Napoleon, the French princes return to Paris
In 1815, after the Battle of Waterloo, the Bourbons returned to rule France. The Marseillaise was outlawed along with Napoleon's anthem and a new anthem was created in its place, praising the return of the princes to France. It is interesting to note that, unlike the anthems of French Revolution which are very aggressive and contain quite a few fascist elements, it is precisely this anthem and the first anthem of the monarchists (Long Live King Henry IV) that sanctify peace. Here, for example, is a passage from the anthem in my (rather poor) translation:
Long live France
And the wise Bourbons
Full of mercy
And all their hearts are good.
Peace and prosperity will come to our towns.
And by the way, if you listen carefully, you will find musical motifs from the first anthem of France, “Long Live King Henri”…
July Monarchy – France adopts German melody for its new anthem
In 1830, the Bourbon monarchy fell and was replaced by Louis Philippe I, the last king of France. In order to please the people, he decided to replace the current anthem with a song called La Parisienne, which in its lyrics is much more similar to the anthems of the French Revolution. Here is the anthem in my translation:
The French people are brave people.
Freedom opens its arms to you.
They told us, “We were slaves.”
We said, “We will be soldiers.”
Suddenly Paris In your memory
You brought back the cry of glory.
As we walk against the guns
Passing through the iron and fire of the regiments
Marching towards victory
What sets this anthem apart from other anthems is that it is not a French melody but an “imported” melody of a German military song called “Ein Schittein Sach Ich Fahren.”
Alexandre Dumas writes the anthem of the Second French Republic
The Second Republic of France lasted for about 3 years (1848-1851) but left us an anthem whose words were written by no less than Alexandre Dumas the ElderThe song was originally written for the play Le Chevalier de la Maison Rouge and quickly became a huge success. That is why the president of the young Republic, Louis Napoleon (nephew of the famous Napoleon), chose it. Like the previous anthems (except those of the kings of France), this one is also a very militaristic song whose first words begin with:
Amidst the noise of the cannons
France calls for its construction
Let's go, says the soldier, to kiss!
I'm protecting my mother here.
With lyrics like these, it is not surprising that the song remained very popular with French army soldiers and became one of the symbols of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1).
Going to Syria! The anthem of Napoleon III
In December 1851, Louis Napoleon carried out a military coup and became Emperor Napoleon III. Since the Empire needed new symbols to distinguish it from the Republic, he decided to make the song “We Are Going to Syria,” composed by no less than his mother, Hortense de Beauharnais, into an anthem.
The song was inspired by Napoleon I's journey through the Middle East, which ended at the walls of Acre and marked France's imperial ambitions. And if the seizure of power by force and the words "going to Syria" make you think of Erdogan, the president of Turkey, then you're not alone 🙂
World War II – The Two Anthems
After the Third Empire ceased to exist following the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the Third Republic was established, which adopted the anthem La Marseillaise. In 1940, France surrendered to Germany following its defeat in World War II, resulting in the occupation of part of France and the establishment of a semi-autonomous Republic in Vichy under Marshal Petain. The new state abandoned the La Marseillaise, which was written during the period when the French Republic was fighting against the countries that would later form Germany, and instead adopted a hymn in praise of Marshal Petain…
However, not all French people supported the Vichy regime and some joined the partisans (of course most of them joined them in the 90th minute when it was clear that the Germans were losing). The partisans and all those who opposed the Germans had their own anthem and as such it gained the status of an almost official anthem at the time.
Is the Mercedes back, and this time for good?
After the end of World War II and the liberation of France, the Fourth Republic was established, which brought back the La Marseillaise and it remains with us to this day. It is interesting to note that at a time when the La Marseillaise was not the anthem of France He did not sit idle at home. Between 1917 and 1918, the Marseillaise “performed a gig” in Russia and became the anthem of the Russian Republic that was established after the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty. Not only that, but the Lubavitcher Rebbe also used the melody of the anthem in the 70s for the piyyut “Ha’aderat ve’a’uma’na.”
So there you have it, as you may have guessed, the Marseillaise is here to stay. The question is, is this the end of the musical journey or are we in for more anthems for France?
Great post, except that Napoleon III was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte I, not his cousin.
Absolutely correct. My mistake, which will be corrected immediately.
Why this incitement against democracy in the “satirical” video by Alek? It’s unnecessary.
Indeed, Jews are really loved by the far right in France. Hahahaha
I don't understand what kind of incitement this is? It's a satirical video that talks about the sad and dangerous phenomenon of the Islamization of France. What's undemocratic about that?
A curiosity related to the French anthem:
In one of his greatest provocations, Serge Ginzburg combined a reggae melody with the lyrics of the anthem. This caused widespread condemnation and scandal.
At an auction held at that time – the late 1970s – Serge bought the original page on which Roger de Lille had written the text in his own handwriting. He then claimed that there was no reason to come to him with claims because it was his….
I liked it very much 🙂
It should be mentioned that the French anthem, the “Marseille,” is also played in the work “Overture 1812” by the Russian composer Tchaikovsky, which was intended to praise and celebrate the Russian victory over Napoleon’s army in 1812. It should be noted that this is a complete anachronism because at the time the famous overture was written – in 1880 – the French anthem was different and, as you point out in the article, even during Napoleon’s time a different anthem was played in France, and it is impossible that the “Marseille” was heard on the Russian plains in 1812.
Thanks for an interesting musical article.
I agree with everything you wrote.
Interesting and fascinating article.
It is interesting to note that the magical melody of La Marseillaise and the circumstances of its writing,
Find paths to the heart of poet Dov Frankel, who wrote in 1929,
After the events of 1949, the song: “We will shake off the dust of our exile.” The lyrics of the song were
To the magical melody of La Marseillaise. The song was published in Shiron Beitar in 1958.
Below is one of the verses of the poem:
We will shake off the dust of our exile.
Let us shake off the dust of separation!
Lift up your head in our time of trouble, –
Rise up, youth, full of purpose!
I expanded on the song and the circumstances surrounding his passion in my book: “Gayon, Generous, and Cruel,” about the history of the singer of the Bethany and the story
The life of the poet Dov Frankel.
Very interesting! I didn't know this story.