How many revolutions has France had, anyway? 1789, of course. Then 1830. The “Les Miserables” revolution of 1832. Another big one in 1848. A failed one in 1871… You might say, all throughout the 19th century, the French were a rather revolting people.
But Bastille Day commemorates the one we all remember, with the storming of the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789, a defining moment of what we identify as “the French Revolution,” the social upheaval that would topple the monarchy, the ancien régime, and feudalism in France.
The patriotic song “La Marseillaise” must be one of the most recognizable melodies in the world. Certainly among national anthems. The song was composed in 1792 by Rouget de Lisle and became a rallying cry of the revolution. It was adopted as the French national anthem in 1795. It has been referenced in, or assimilated into, so many pieces of classical music, film scores, popular songs, etc., it would be difficult to compile every quotation.
One day, Hector Berlioz was holed up at the Paris Conservatory, laboring over his cantata “Sardanapale,” hoping to snare the elusive Prix de Rome (his fifth attempt), when revolution broke out again. He could hear the bullets whistling by and pocking the walls outside his window. The latest uprising would become known as the July Revolution of 1830.
When the composer finished, he roamed the streets, pistol in hand. Soon after, he came across an impromptu concert being given by a group of young men, who were singing a battle hymn he had composed to a gathering crowd. Berlioz himself joined the performance, and when they had finished, launched into “La Marseillaise.” By chance (?), he had only recently arranged De Lisle’s song for vocal soloists, double chorus, and orchestra. At the refrain, he incited the crowd to join in.
The patriotic zeal that swept Paris brought a revival of interest (and a belated pension) to De Lisle, who was actually still alive, but in retirement. He wrote Berlioz a warm letter of thanks, hoping that the composer might be interested in setting his unpublished libretto for an opera based on Shakespeare’s “Othello.” Unfortunately for De Lisle, Berlioz’s “Sardanapale” was a success, and the younger composer, finally a Prix de Rome winner, was about to leave for a period of study in Italy. By the time he returned, De Lisle had died.
His patriotic song, however, lives on. On Bastille Day, lather on the French dressing, and vive la France!
PLEASE NOTE! If you are a Berlioz fan, you will be interested to know that he will be the focus of this year’s Bard Music Festival. “Hector Berlioz and His World” will be held at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, August 9-18.
The “Hymne de Marseillaise” will be performed on a concert titled “The Sounds of a Nation: Patriotism and Antiquity” on August 10. The program will also include works by Christoph Willibald Gluck and Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, as well as Berlioz’s rarely-heard “Te Deum,” a work celebrating Napoleon Bonaparte.
You’ll find more information here:
Fisher Center at Bard
Rouget de Lisle, the muse upon him (left), and Hector Berlioz
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