So how do French people feel now? I decided to ask some of my French friends what La Marseillaise means to them. Listen to historian Simon Schama explain for BBC News why he feels that La Marseillaise is the greatest national anthem. For example, in 2002, Corsicans booed the anthem so loudly that Jacques Chirac (French president at the time) left the match, which couldn’t be started until the booing had ceased. Aux armes, citoyens ! Since this time, though, many Frenchmen have found the words to be very uncomfortable. “La Marseillaise” was formally recognized as the French National Anthem in 1879, and it hasn’t been changed since!ĭuring La Deuxième Guerre Mondiale (WWII), French people found new meaning in the words as it became a call to rebuild their country. Under Napoleon III, the anthem that replaced “La Marseillaise” was “Partant pour la Syrie” (Departing for Syria), a very chilling title after recent events. “La Marseillaise” would eventually be re-instated for a while after the July Revolution in 1830. During his reign, “Veillons au Salut de l’Empire” (Let’s Ensure the Salvation of the Empire) was the anthem of the regime. That could be something you would take personally, and Napoleon was definitely in a powerful enough position to do something about it. ![]() Other sources say that Rouget de Lisle may have had an affair with Napoleon’s wife. In its history, the anthem has both been banned and had its status removed under Napoleon I when he saw its power and feared a revolution against his regime. “La Marseillaise” was adopted as the French national anthem le 14 juillet, 1795 (July 14, 1795) by la Convention nationale (The National Convention). It then goes on to ask the men to go to arms, form battalions, and let un sang impur (an impure blood) water their fields. These soldiers would be coming to cut the throats of their sons and wives. They lyrics make a call to Frenchmen by first asking if they hear the roars of the ferocious soldiers in the distance. When they arrived in Paris in July singing the song, it acquired its new nickname which has stuck to the present day.ĭo you know the words to the anthem (if not – get to memorizing!)? They’ve been the cause of une polémique (a controversy) for years now. So how did it get its name of “ La Marseillaise” ? By the end of May, les fédérés (volunteer troops for the French National Guard during the revolution) from Marseilles had heard the song and adopted it as their own war march. That evening, he wrote the piece intitulé (titled) “ Chant de guerre pour l’Armée du Rhin” (War Song for the Army of the Rhine). The coalition forces eventually entered France, and on le 25 avril, 1792, (April 25, 1792), the mayor of Strasbourg requested that Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle compose a song to rally soldiers from all over France to fight to defend their homeland. La Première Coalition was an alliance that lasted from 1792 to 1797 and was founded by European monarchies against the short-lived Royaume de France (the Kingdom of France) and eventually la Première République (the French First Republic), which lasted until 1804. That also explains why this piece is so controversial, even at the time it was written in 1792.Īs la Révolution française (The French Revolution) progressed, European leaders feared that revolutions may pop up in their own countries. I suppose it does help that it was first written as un chant de guerre (a war song). There’s something about this piece - especially when sung in a group - that makes me feel like I’m part of something strong. I must admit that every single time I hear this anthem, I get chills. La solidarité est partout (Solidarity is everywhere). Perhaps the most moving recent example of the solidarity is a 36-second clip of soccer fans singing while being evacuated from the stadium after les attentats (the attacks). All of French congress joined in to sing their anthem. English fans at Wembley were encouraged to sing along as lyrics were displayed during the soccer match against France on Tuesday. ![]() ![]() After the attacks on November 13th, The Metropolitan Opera, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago all performed moving renditions. This past week, just as in January with the Charlie Hebdo attacks, La Marseillaise has been performed worldwide. That being said, I have always been a fan of France’s national anthem, La Marseillaise. Everyone has something different to add to it. Their styles vary per country – some versions are standard fanfares, some sway more toward operatic pieces, and others have difficult lyrics that are very easy to flub! As an American, I have always enjoyed my country’s anthem, and it’s great to have so many interpretations available. Les hymnes nationaux (national anthems) are patriotic numbers used to tell the history, traditions, and struggles of a country and unite its citizens.
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