The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-14
A FAMOUS SONG.
The Marseillaise and It's Inter
esting History.
For . Long Ifne the Rallying Song Of
Europe-Written by a Young
Oncer in a Single
Night.

There is an interesting account in
Music of the circumstances under
which the 'Marseillaise" was written,
together with short sketch of Rouget
lie Isle, the author of this famous ma
tional air. On the oath day of April,
1892, the mayor of Strassbourg, Diet
Fich, gave banquet TO a company of
volunteers who were about to join the
army. -Four days earlier France had
declared war on Austria and Prussia,
and in consequence the prevailing SEN
timent was one of intense patriotism.
One of the participants of the banquet
was the captain of engineers. Claude
Joseph Rouget de Lisle at that time
was thirty-two years old. He was
born on Maybe, 1860, at Ions lie Saul
nier. The young officer was known as
a successful amateur musician and
poet. Mayor Dietrich asked him if he
could not undertake to write war
song for the departing volunteers.
lRouGet de Isle answered yes and
went home. shat whole night he sat
at his desk, and when the morning of
April 35 dawnsd the "Marseillaise"
was finished. 1t was the result of one
nights work. The author had called
1T Chant du Guerre de lArmee du
fRlfin." The northern wing of the
French army brought the song with
them to the seat of war, and copies oft
were quickly scattered over the whole of
,Alsace. In Paris it remained unknown
for some time. First it must pass
fhrnY,rh Marcoi1gno In
council of Marseilles had, on the APP
peal of Barbaroux, collected number
lof volunteers "who understood how to
die" and whose moral worth waS such
las to deserve death These brave
lMarseilleans" were Toasted by their fell
low citizens on June IS. A citizen by
fhe name of Mireaux, from Montpel-
Her, rendered Rouget de Lisle's song
The enthusiasm it created was ire
mendous. and on the following dav the
journal des Departments Meridionaux
printed the song in its columns under
the title, ''Chant de Guerre aux Armees
des Frontieres. This was its second
title. The soldiers OF Marseilles who
went to Paris brought copies of. the
song with them. IL was sung during
their entrance into Paris on July Is,
and again On Angus: 10. while the Tuil-
fieries were stormed, it resonudcd from
the lips of the whole populace. Short
lly afterward its author was imprisoned
on account of his moderate opinions"
and was only liberated after the fall of
Robespierre. In Paris, where the his
tory of the song was unknown. il was
called "Hynne des Marseillaise." as
the volunteers Of Marseilies had
brought it with them This became its
final name. As La Marseillaise" it is
mot alone the patriotic song of the
Trench republic, but the song OF liber-
ty. or rather OF revolution, for the
whole world That Rouget de Lisle
iconposed the melody OF the 'MarseiI-
laise" is hardly credible. The latest
researches would show that Il is taken
from an oratorio called Esther. com
posed by Grisan. of st. One, and thus
of French origin. During the first en-
pire and the restoration the "Nlarseil-
laise" was prohibited. With the revo-
luton of July it came into fame once
more. and its author was offered a pen
SAS- VI SiA enoUSdHu iIaicS, Wnlcn,
however. was refused. RouCct de Isle
died in 1886, at Choisy lie Roi. where
later statue was erected TO his mem
DRY. Last year the "Narseillaise" cell
ebrated its ninety-ninth anniversary
by being played before the ear in
kronstadt harbor. an occurrence the
author could not have dreamed of
when he wrote it almost = h,n,I,.,>H
years previously. aS I yvar.soa- against
despots. II would be difficult to point
out ANY other song which has reached
the masses in the same manner 5 has
the 'Marseillaise.H L Europe ct lenst
there must be few who have not heard
st and cannot hum the melody. Its only
eomDotitor for popularity is its abso-