Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-29

week of April, 1892, that news of the Aus
TRAN declaration OF war having been re-
ceived, the Mayor, NJ Frederick De Diet
rich. Invited one of the numerous guests at
his table, Rouget de l'Isle, an officer of
engineers, aged 80, to compose war song
for the soldiers about TO Get out to meet
the enemy. The words and music were
written during the night, and the song was
given to an enthusiastic audience next day
by NJ. Dietrich's niece. The piece was
given to bandmasters OF the several regi-
ments in garrison, and performed in public
Sunday, April och, at the parade
on the Place d'Armees. TIE words
and music were printed immediately
on half.sheet qgsrto by Tn. de
Dannebach, printer at Strasbourg-a pub
hcation which avaiied Rouget de PIsle
when subsequently his claim Of authorship
was contested. The song was popular by
the 29.h OF June it had appeared in the
Journal des Departments NeTidiOHdgT. 1t
spread TO Montpelier, and then TO Mar
settles, where a copy of the Chant de
guerre de Parmee du Rhin to give it It's
original titie-was gwen to each of the
famous band of Marseilles, "who knew
how TO die. " They brought the gong TO
Paris July so, 1892, where it took the
name it has ever since retained. In his
book, published in 1896, Rouget de FIsle
calls it Z" LIE chant des combsts, vulgare-
ment Thyme de Marseilles, and dedi-
Gates il "to the names OF Sylvan Bailey,
first Mayor of Paris" The original YER
sion was addressed to Marshal Luckner,
and copy was sent to Gretry at
Paris, as the musician records in his
Memoirs. L was a particularly unlucky
song, for, apart from the authors own
troubles, his mother died of gIief, attrib.
uting the horrors Of the Reign of Terror
to her sons verse, and Mayor DIETRICH and
Marshal Luckner were guillotined. The
" Marseillaise was first identified with
the events of the 10Th OF August; at the
feast in imitation of those ordered by Ly-
curgus. October IA, 1892, the seventh
stanza was sung by a chorus of children.
This additional verse was long attributed
to Marie-Joseph Chenier, but in 1913
poet, Louis du Bots, put III his claim to the
authorship claim that was long received,
but was utterly unfounded. The seventh |
verse was written by a young priest, An
tome Pessonneaux, Professor of Rhetoric |
at the College OF Vienne (Isere). Yienne |
was celebrating the feast of the fedora |
ton, July IA, 1892; the Marseillais were
there on their memorable march to Paris, |
and the Professor wrote the verse for mis- |
pupils, who sang it with immense effect as
a farewell to the Marseillais next morning. !
Lucky for Pessouneaux that he wrote it,
for some months after he was hauled be- |
fore the revolutionary tribunal at Lyons,
where trials lasted but a minute or so and |
sentence vas pronounced in silence. Pes
sonneaux's patriotism was admitted, but |
he was priest Who are your" asked |
the Judge The Able Pessonneaux, au-
thor OF the last verse of La Marseillaise. ,"
The Judge laid his open hand upon the
black cloth; guards, jailers and citizens |
made way respectfully, and the able passed |
out, free to 60 where he would. He died |
in little parish in Duerphiny, March 9,
1885.