Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-01-22
ORIGIN OF LA MARSEILLAISE.'

La Marseillaise,' the national air of
france, is a song which inspires the
hearts of Frenchmen as no other music
can 1t was composed by Claude Joseph
hou9et de Llsle, a French poet. player.
soldier and singer, in 1892. and of this
notable production Carlyle wrote in
1886:
The thought which works voiceIess
IN TINS black-browed mass 1.-THE Mar
seillalse), an inspired Tyrtan Colonel.
Rouget de Lisle. whom the earth still
hoIds, has translated into grim melody
ana rhythm: into his hymn or march of
the Marseillaise: lucl1iest musical com
posltlon ever promulgated. the sound
OF winch will make the blood tinrle in
men S veins: and whole armies and as
semblages will sing it. with eyes weep
ing and burning, with hearts defiant of
Death, DespOt and Devil
The story of the origin of this SONG is
dramatic, as it is told by Lamartine.
There was young officer in garrison
at Strasburg named Rouget de Lisle."
says the historian. He was born at
LoaS-le-Saunier. in the .Jura. that conn
try OF reverie and energy. as mountain
Gus countries always are. This Young
man loved war like a soldier-the
revolution like thinker He charmed
with his verses and music the slow, dull
garrison life. Much in request from his
tWo-fold talent as musician and nOet he
VISITED the house of Dietrich an AL
satan patriot, on intimate terms Diet
rich wife and young daughters shared
In ms patriotic feelings. for the revolu-
ton was advancing toward the frontiers
just as the affections of the body always
commence at the eXtremities They
were very partial to the young officer.
and inspired his heart, his poetry and
his music. They executed the first of
ms Ideas hardly developed, confidantes
OF the earliest flights of his genius
1T was in the winter of 1892. and
there was Il scarcity in Strasburg The
house of Dietrich was poor and the
table humble, but there was ALWAYS a
welcome for ROuget de LiSle The
young officer was there from morning
till night. like a son a brother of the
family. One day when there We're only
some coarse bread and slices of ham on
the table Dietrich. looking with calm
sadness at De LiSle. said to him: Plenty
Is not seen at our feasts: but what mat
ter. II enthusiasm is not wanting at our
civic feteS and courage in our soldiers
hearts? L have still Il bottle of wine
left in my cellar. Bring it.. he added
addressing one of his daughters. and
we will drink to liberty and our coun-
try. Strasburg is shortly to have a
patriotic ceremony and De Isle
must be inspired by these last
drops to produce one of those
hymns which convey to the soul of the
people the enthusiasm which suggested
it The young girls applauded. fetched
the wine, filed the glasses of their old |
father and the young officer until the |
wine was exhausted. 1t was midnight !
and very cold. De Isle was a dreamer: |
his heart was moved. his head was !
heated. The cold seized on him. and he
went staggering to his lonely chamber
endeavoring by degrees to find inspir.i-
ton in the palpitations of his citizen
heart: and on his small clavicordI. now
composing the air before the words
and now the words before the air.
combined them SO intimately in his
mind that he could never tell
which was first produced. the air or the
words, so impossible did he find it to
separate the poetry from the music. and
the feeling from the impression. He
sang every thing-wrote nothing.
Overcome by this Divine inspiration.
his head fell sleeping on his instrument.
and he did not awake until daylight
The song of the overnight returned to
his memory with difficulty. like the
recollcctionS of a dream. He wrote it
down and then ran to Dietrich. He
found him in his garden. His wife and
daughter had not yet risen. Dietrich
aroused them. called together some
friend as fond as himself of music
and capable of executing De Isles
composition; DietrichS eldest daughter |
accompanied them. Rouget sang. At
the first verse all countenanceS turned
pale at the second tears flowed at
the last enthusiasm burst forth.
The hymn of the country was
found. Alas it was also destined to !
be the hymn of terror. The unfortu-
nate Dietrich went Il few months after
ward to the scaffold to the sound of the
notes produced at his own fireside. from .
the heart of friend, and the voices of
his daughters.
The new song. executed some days =!
afterward in Strasburg. flew from city ,
to city in every public orchestra. Mar
settles adopted it to be sung at the open t
ing and the close of the sitting of its !
cIubS- L he NdTScllldlSc SpItStl II al I {
over France by singing it everywhere e
on their way. Hence the name of Mar L
seillaise De Lisle's old mother. Il roy r
alist and religious, alarmed at the eff v
feet of her sons voice, wrote to him.
What is this revolutionary hymn i
sung by bands of brigands who
are traversing France, and with which e
our name is minglcd?' De Lisle him t
self. prescribed as Il royalist, heard it. a
and shuddered as it sounded on his ear. '
whilst escaping by some of the wild '
passes of the Alps What do they call d
that hymn? he inquired of his guide. t
The Marseillaise, replied the peasant. n
1t was thus he learned the name of his II
own work The arm turned against the t
hand that forged it. The Revolution, n
insane. no longer recognized its own u
voice 1t was the fire-water of
the Revolution which instilled into the p
senses ard the soul of the people the in Il
toXication of battle"
France has other songs of patriotism. o.
put only one MarseillaiSe.-St. Louis u
ilobc- Democrat. u
Roswell told Johnson that S;!ch Il =,
hing beggar starving to death in