“Sons of the Fatherland, rise, the day of glory has come!” - this is how the famous anthem of France begins, which everyone will remember performed by the talented Edith Piaf. But how many people can name the author of these words? Will they remember the forgotten and lonely composer who wrote the revolutionary march?
The line “Freedom, treasured freedom, fight together with your defenders” (Liberté, liberté chérie, combats avec tes défenseurs!), Played in the French hymn, reveals the essence of the revolution of 1789. Even then, the people fought for the right to a decent life.
Freedom, equality and fraternity (Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité) - this was the motto of the great revolution. With this slogan, revolutions took place in many European countries.
In this article, you will get acquainted with the biography of Rouge de Lily - a striking figure of that time.
Childhood and youth
Claude Joseph Rouge de Lille was born in 1760 in a bourgeois family. His father, Claude Ignatius Rouge, was a wealthy lawyer.
From early childhood, the future poet revealed a craving for music. The boy was at a street concert of vagrant musicians and was so impressed that he was seriously carried away by this art.
Rouger began to play the violin, but his parents controlled his passion and did not allow him to spend a lot of time on it. The fact is that Rouge's father dreamed of giving his son to military school, and for the sake of this he even went to some trick. At that time, only nobles could study at a military school. From others they were distinguished by the particle "de" added to the surname. Father had to buy a piece of land and add his name to his surname.
The boy entered a military school in Paris in 1776. He graduated in six years, in 1782. After graduation, the young man began to work as a military engineer.
Life during the years of revolution
Very soon, namely, in 1789, the Great French Revolution took place. Rouge de Lille, becoming a volunteer of the Republican army, was sent to the garrison of the French city of Strasbourg. By 1792, he rose to the rank of captain. It was during this period that Rouge de Lille composed his famous song - "Marseillaise", which later became the anthem of France.
Historians say that the musician was not a revolutionary. Moreover, he supported the monarchy. For his noble birth, de Lille had to serve a term in prison.
The history of the Marseillaise
In the winter of 1792, the French composer and military Rouge de Lille was in the Strasbourg garrison. Here the musician often came to see Philippe de Dietrich, the first mayor of Strasbourg. The politician shared de Lille's views on the revolution.
It was de Dietrich who asked the talented young man to compose a song for the upcoming city festival. The composer wrote music and words and brought them to the mayor the next day. They pleased Dietrich.
Initially, the song was called "Chant de guerre de l'armee du Rhin", which is translated into Russian as "The War Song of the Rhine Army."
On the day of the festival, the piano was played by the eldest daughter of Dietrich, and the young officer sang. The performance made such an impression on the audience that on the last line the audience applauded loudly.
The song Lily, performed for several days in Strasbourg, began to spread throughout France. With it, the inhabitants of Marseilles began and ended political meetings, with her soldiers went into battle. From that moment on, the military march of Rouge de Lily went down in history under the name "Marseillaise".
The song became the national anthem on July 14, 1795, however, it was recognized as the official symbol of France only on February 14, 1879.
