The Butler weekly times., 1891-03-11
ORIGIN OF la MARSeiIlAiSE. I"
Dramatic Circumstance Attending the
Production OF the Famous French Air.

kfCufh
LA Marselllai>e. the national air of
France. Is Il song which inspires the
hearts OF E-cnchmen as no other music
! can II was composed by Claude Joseph
Rouget de L-isle. a French poet player.
soldier and singer. in l122. and Of this
notabl" production CARLYLE wrote IN
1886:
The thought which works voicele>s
in this blackbrowed mass 1.-THE Mar
seillaise"l an inspired Tyrt:en Colonel,
Rouget de Lisi.. whom the earth still
| holds, has translated into grim melody
! and rhythm; into his hymn or march of
| the Marseillaise: luckie>t musical com
| position ever promulgated, the sound
| OF which will make the blood tinglo in
/ mems veins: and whole armies and as
semblagce will sing it. with eyes weep
/ ing and burning, with hearts defiant OF
| Death. Dcspot al 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 Hougct de Lisle. :
says the historian. He was born at
| Lons-le->aunitr in the Jura, that coun-
try of reverie and energy. a> mountain
Gus countries always are. This young
man loved war like i soldier-the
F., revolution like thinker, He charmed
. with hi, verses and music the slow. dull
garrison life. Mach in request from his
two-fold talent as musician and poet. he
visited the house of Dietrich. an AL
/ satan patriot. on intimate terms. Diet
rich wife and young daughters shared
in his patriotic feelings. for the revolu.
| tion 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
his ideas hardly developed. confidante,
of the earliest flights of his genius
1T was in the winter of 1872, and
| there was u scarcity in Strasburg. The
house of Dietrich was poor and the
table humble, but there was always a
| welcome for Rouget de Lisla. The
young officer was there from morning
till night like son or a brother of the
| family. One day when there We're only
|
the table Dietrich. looking with calm
sadness at De LiSle. said to him: Plenty
is not seen at our feasts: but what mat
ter. if enthusiasm is not wanting at our
| civic fetes and courage in our soldiers
hearts? | have still 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
must be inspired by these last
drops To produce one of those
hymns which convey tn 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. II was midnight
and very cold. De Lisle was dreamer;
mis- heart was moved. his head was
heated. The cold seized Oh him, and he
went staggering to his lonely chamber,
endeavorins by degrees to find inspira-
ton in the palpitations Of his citizen
| heart: and un his small caavicord. 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 lrr 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 inspiras asfon,
| his head fell -lteping on his Instrument,
and he did mot awake unt7S daylight.
The song of Che overnight returned 20
his memory with difficulty. like she
| recOllections Of dream. He wrote it
| down and then ran tn Dietrich. he
found him in his garden. His wife and
daughter had not yet risen DIETRICH
aroused them. called together solze
friend as fond as himself of music
and capable. Of executing De LisIe's
composition: Dietrich : eldest daughter
accompanied them. Rouget sang. Al
the first verse all cCuntenanees turrseG
pale, at this second tears flowed. al
the last enthusiasm burst forth
The hymn of the cnantry wa.
found. Alas. it was also destined ts
be the hyEan of terror. The unfortu
mate Dietrich went few months after
ward to the scaffold 20 the sound OF the
notes produced at his own sreside. from
the heart oE IA friend. and the voices o.
his daughters
The new song. executed some day.
afterwari in Strasburg. few from city
to city IN every public orchestra. Mar
seilles adopted it to be sung at the open
ing and the close of the sitting of it.
clubs The Marseillaise spread it al
over France by singing it everywher'
on their way. Hence the name of Mar
seillaise De Lisle's old mother. roy
alist and religious, alarmed at the ef
feet of her sons voice. wrote to him
What is this revolutionary hymn
sung by bands of brigands wht
are traversing France, and with whicl
our name is mingled?' De Lisle him
self, prescribed as royalist heard it
and shuddered as it sounded on his ear
whilst escaping by some of the wil'
| nasS.s of the Aims What do they cal