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Marche Henri IV

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Vive Henri IV
English: Long live Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Royal and national anthem of Kingdom of France
Adopted1590
Readopted1814
Relinquished1792, 1830
Succeeded by"Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" (1792)
"La Parisienne" (1830)
Audio sample
Digital instrumental rendition in D minor

"Marche Henri IV", alternatively "Vive Henri IV" or "Vive le roi Henri", is a popular French song celebrating King Henry IV of France (also known as Le Bon Roi Henri, "Good King Henry"). The melody was heard of as early as 1581, when it was mentioned in the book of Christmas songs of Christophle de Bordeaux, under the name "Chant de la Cassandre".[1] It was a de facto anthem of the post-Restoration Kingdom of France (the kingdom did not have an official anthem).[2]

Thoinot Arbeau, in his Orchesographie (1589) gives us a music score of the air as the "Branle Couppé Cassandre".[3] The air was adapted around 1600, presumably by Eustache du Caurroy, to fit new lyrics celebrating the then King of France. Three other verses were written for a comedy opera by Charles Collé in 1770, called La partie de chasse de Henri IV.[4] At later dates, more lyrics were added to the song.[5] The song refers to the first Bourbon King of France, Henry IV (Henry III of Navarre), who had ended the Wars of Religion and restored peace to France (hence his sobriquet).

During the French Revolution, the original lyrics were used to support the royalist cause. For instance, during the early Revolution, before the turn to republicanism (1789–1791), the anthem was renamed Vive Louis XVI (Long live Louis XVI). The lyrics were used by constitutional monarchists to give praise to monarchy during the times of political crisis.[6][7]

The anthem was also used with yet another set of lyrics during the Bourbon Restoration period (1814–1830), under the name Le Retour des Princes français à Paris.

Lyrics

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French original English translation

I
Vive Henri quatre
Vive ce Roi vaillant
Ce diable à quatre
A le triple talent :
De boire et de battre,
Et d'être un vert galant.
De boire et de battre,
Et d'être un vert galant.

II
Au diable guerres,
Rancunes et partis !
Comme nos pères
Chantons en vrais amis,
Au choc des verres,
Les roses et les lys.
Au choc des verres,
Les roses et les lys.

III
Chantons l'antienne
Qu'on chantera dans mille ans;
Que Dieu maintienne
En paix ses descendants
Jusqu'à ce qu'on prenne,
La Lune avec les dents.
Jusqu'à ce qu'on prenne,
La Lune avec les dents.

IV
Vive la France !
Vive le roi Henri !
Qu'à Reims on danse
En disant comme Paris :
Vive la France !
Vive le roi Henri !
Vive la France !
Vive le roi Henri !

I
Long live Henry IV
Long live this valiant king
This fourfold devil
Of three talents:
Of drinking, fighting
And womanising.
Of drinking, fighting
And womanising.

II
To hell with wars,
Grudges and partisanship!
Like our fathers
Let us sing as true friends,
Clink the glasses,
The roses and the lilies.
Clink the glasses,
The roses and the lilies.

III
Let's sing the refrain
That we will sing in a thousand years:
May God maintain
His descendants in peace
Until we take the moon
With our teeth.
Until we take the moon
With our teeth.

IV
Long live France!
Long live king Henry!
To Reims we dance
Singing as they do in Paris:
Long live France!
Long live king Henry!
Long live France!
Long live king Henry!

In other works

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ NOELZ NOV || VEAVX, et deuots Can- || tiques à l'honneur de la na- || tiuité de nostre Seigneur Iesus Christ, faicts || & composez par Christophle de Bordeaux || Parisien, pour l'annee mil cinq cens quatre || vingts || & vn. || A Paris, || Par Nicolas Bonfons, ruë neuue nostre || Dame, a l'enseigne S. Nicolas. — Fin. || Christophle de Bordeaux. S. d. [1580], in-8 de 8 f. non chiffr., sign. A-B par 4, mar. r., fil., dos orné, tr. dor. (Trautz-Bauzonnet.).
  2. ^ Paul F. Rice (2010). British Music and the French Revolution. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 134. ISBN 9781443821803.
  3. ^ Arbeau, Thoinot (1520-1595) Auteur du texte (1589). Orchesographie. Et traicte en forme de dialogue, par lequel toutes personnes peuvent facilement apprendre & practiquer l'honneste exercice des dances . Par Thoinot Arbeau demeurant a Lengres.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Vive Henri IV!", accessed 2017-12-10, http://www.henri-iv.culture.fr/medias/en/pdf/0/756_10.pdf
  5. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: ♫ 1590 - Royal Anthem - Long Live Henry IV ♪. YouTube.
  6. ^ Vie du roi Louis XVI. 1790. p. 58.
  7. ^ Mason, Laura (5 September 2018). Singing the French Revolution: Popular Culture and Politics, 1787–1799. Cornell University Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-8014-3233-0. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  8. ^ Hugo, Victor. "Les Misérables". www.gutenberg.org. Translated by Isabel Hapgood. Retrieved 2024-05-06. A rover, a gambler, a libertine, often drunk, [Grantaire] displeased these young dreamers by humming incessantly: 'J'aimons les filles, et j'aimons le bon vin.' Air: Vive Henri IV. (3.4.1)
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