New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-13
THE MARSEILLAISE.

HISTORY OF THE FRENCH WAR SONG.
CURIOUS REVELATIONS IN NJ. sEINGUERLoTS HIS
TORY OF sTRAsBURG-CAPTAIN RoUGETs FA-
NOUS SONG WRITTEN TO ENTERTAIN ALsATIAN
sOCIETY-A LETTER THAT TELLS THE TALE OF
ITS BIRTH.
lFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TTIE TRIBUNE
PARIS, Jan. 29.-Thc authorship of the Marsei-
laise Hymn, SO often prohibited by despotic gov
eInments and now the national air OF France, mas
often been disputed. Sengucrlot, IN his interest
ing work Strasburg during tho Revolution, puts
an end to controversy on this subject. Seinguerot
is an Alsat;an, and native of the town about
which he wrote. He was acquainted from infancy
with the Revolutionary legends and anecdotes which
had currency there and has been able through his
local knowledge to trace many of them to their
source and to verify them. The old people of the
town put him on the trace of family papers which
throw a food of light on the Revolutionary period
NJ Seinguerot has discovered that it not az an
officer but as member of the staff OF La FdnH6 de
Sfrasburg that Rouget lde Lise) frequentcd the
house of the Mayor Dietrich, to whom that journal
belonged. NJ. Rouget bore a name that was and is
very common in the east OF France. 1t meant " the
little red man." There were hundreds of ROugcts
in that part of France not one OF which had right
to the noblary addition. Some OF them were
RouCets do In Ri Were Others ROugets du Pont and
the family of the anthor of the Marseilaisc were
Rougets do rlsle or of tho Island. NJ. Rouget
brought out his poem in the Ieaitle dc StrdsbmD
The Mayors wife, Madame Dietrich. native OF
Bale thought it a chef deuvre, ana induced the
officers to have it set to music and to pub ISL It,
The Marseillaisc appeared i'll this form probably i'll
the spring OF 1892. 1t was entitled: "A war song
for the Army of the Rhine. dedicated to Marshal
Luckner, and sold at Strasburg by T. j. Dannbach,
printer of the municipality, in one Quarto oblOng
page or in four pages with the music." NJ Sein-
l;rlc ha+ mt in lp hpUin
ming of April. On the 20th of that month. NJ. de
Chastelet commander OF the stronghold of Sche
stadt wrote to the Mayor of Strasburg: :" have
not yet received the war song OF NJ de Llsle, which
Won promised me-" NJ. du Chastelet, who was of
course. n man Of old and noble family, drops the
vulgar Rouget and turns what only was AZ adjcc
tive into n name expressing nobary prctcnsionS.
The letter of the Mayors wife. Louise Dietrich,
hich is in the hands of distant relation of hers,
to whom il came hy Inheritance as the next of kin.
to the grandson of her brother. the Chancellor
Ochs of Bale, tells all about the birth OF the Mar
seilaise. 1t is as follows:
My DEAR BROIHFR-l have been so busy for
some days past. transcIibing and copying music.
This occupation ain4ses me and enables me to shut
only discussed here. You know that we receive |
deal of company. and that are always trying to
invent something new to entertain our guests. 80 |
as to change conversation, and to turn IT INTO agree
able channels. My husband has hit upon tine eA.G- |
which will emDody tho patriotic feeling OF tic |
town. captain of engineers, Rouget de Llsle.
who is very amiahc poet and COMPOSER has rap |
idly me Tor hlm the song and the music NV hus-
band who is good tenor, has sung the morceau.
which sprit-stlrrlng enird'adnQ and not waning
III originality. IL Is Ill the feeling OF Gluck, nut |
better than his things being more lively anu alert.
On my side have utilized my talent for orchestra,
ton have arranged the scores for the harpsichord
and other instruments. You Will understand from |
this how hard have been working. Ilc moroccan |
has been performed at our house to the great salts
,,f " L a
of the song and music. The little Nlrtuosps VINO |
surround you will not find the after dilcnlt' and
YOU will, am sure, be charmed with tie norccdu |
Your sister, LOUISE DlEImCd. nee OcHs.
Thus it appears that the Marsellase was written |
to please the hosptabe Mayor oi StraSburg and his
WIFE and not improvised in moment of feverlsh |
excitement. Captain ROuect dc Isle was asked
to draw his inspiration from passing events ana the
dominant sentiment Of the town, which WAS
frontier stron ghoid and Aoubt trench aously
excited by the of what was going on III IdIis
and by the declaration of war. 1t would probably
have to bear the brunt of the invasion. and III any
case would be the centre of military operations.
Political discussions went Oh to the exclusion oil
ali other topics The fact that the Dletrichs kept
the harpsichord going and employed Captain
Rouqet de Lise to compose new things for 1t, III
Older to create diversion from stirring politics. Is
n curious example of the power that shapes orr
ends. rough-hew them rs VIC may In trying to
silence political WTdng'crs, Mauamo DI"tIlcH
lighted fame which set France in blaze. 1t
would be interesting to ascertain in what manner
the war song of Captan RouGot got 10 MarScilics
without traversiug Paris. 4 rcgimen'al band may
have taken it to the South. The first time thc
PaIjsiana heard it waa the day the Revolutionary
dsnntation of Marseiles (which had on foot
singing the song that had been composed for thr
Hictrichsl entered the capital. The cntrain which
the Mayors wife said one OF its cbaracterbt'cs
melted the impressonablc denizens OF the au-
bourgs to massacre tho cideyant Dc les, who filled
the prisons. Cnder the mOnarchical governments
the war song of Captain Rouget because Of its
spirit stirring force, held to be sedtious The first
time since the Revolution that II was not counted
by men in authority reasonable, was at the open
ing OF the Worlds Fair In 1873.
n