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 byChant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin (1792),
La Parisienne (1830)
Audio sample
Vive Henri IV (instrumental)
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"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 royal and national anthem of the Kingdom of France (the kingdom did not have an official anthem).

Thoinot Arbeau, in his Orchesographie (1589) gives us a music score of the air as the "Branle Couppé Cassandre".[2] 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.[3] At later dates, more lyrics were added to the song.[4] 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.[5][6]

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.

Original lyrics

French lyricsLiteral English translation

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Let us 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.[7]
Until we take the moon
With our teeth.

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!

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

See also

References

  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. ↑ 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)
  3. ↑ "Vive Henri IV!", accessed 2017-12-10, http://www.henri-iv.culture.fr/medias/en/pdf/0/756_10.pdf
  4. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: ♫ 1590 - Royal Anthem - Long Live Henry IV ♪. YouTube.
  5. ↑ Vie du roi Louis XVI. p. 58.
  6. ↑ Mason, Laura. Singing the French Revolution: Popular Culture and Politics, 1787–1799. Cornell University Press. p. 56. ISBN 0-8014-3233-2. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  7. ↑ i.e. achieve the impossible
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