Marche Henri IV

{{Short description|French patriotic song and historical anthem}} {{Multiple issues| {{more citations needed|date=January 2016}} {{Expand French|Vive Henri IV !|date=January 2021}}}} {{Infobox anthem | title = Vive Henri IV | english_title = Long live Henry IV | image = Musée national du Château de Pau - Portait d'Henri IV en Mars - Ambroise Dubois P 81 20 1.jpg | image_size = | caption = [[Henry IV of France]] | prefix = Royal and national | country = [[Kingdom of France]] | author = | lyrics_date = | composer = | music_date = | adopted = 1590 | readopted = 1814 | until = 1792, 1830 | successor = "[[Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin]]" (1792)<br /> "[[La Parisienne (song)|La Parisienne]]" (1830) | sound = Marche Henri IV.ogg | sound_title = 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".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10091760x|title=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.)|language=EN}}</ref> It was a ''de facto'' anthem of the post-[[Bourbon Restoration in France|Restoration]] [[Kingdom of France]] (the kingdom did not have an official anthem).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Paul F. Rice |title=British Music and the French Revolution |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |year=2010 |isbn=9781443821803 |pages=134}}</ref>

[[Thoinot Arbeau]], in his ''Orchesographie'' (1589), gives us a music score of the air as the "[[Bransle|Branle]] Couppé Cassandre".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Arbeau|first=Thoinot (1520-1595) Auteur du texte|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8610761x|title=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|date=1589|language=EN}}</ref> 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''.<ref>"Vive Henri IV!", accessed 2017-12-10, http://www.henri-iv.culture.fr/medias/en/pdf/0/756_10.pdf</ref> At later dates, more lyrics were added to the song.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211210/4h5M78YVN8M Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20071119154025/http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=4h5M78YVN8M Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h5M78YVN8M| title = ♫ 1590 - Royal Anthem - Long Live Henry IV ♪ | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The song refers to the first [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] King of France, [[Henry IV of France|Henry IV]] (Henry III of Navarre), who had ended the [[French Wars of Religion|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 the monarchy during times of political crisis.<ref>{{cite book |title=Vie du roi Louis XVI. |date=1790 |pages=58 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJlcAAAAcAAJ&dq=%22vive+louis+xvi%22+%22vive+henri%22&pg=PA58}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mason |first1=Laura |title=Singing the French Revolution: Popular Culture and Politics, 1787–1799 |date=5 September 2018 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-3233-0 |page=56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=slhuDwAAQBAJ |access-date=30 September 2023}}</ref>

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

==Lyrics== {|class="wikitable" !French original!!English translation |- style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center; vertical-align:top;" |{{Lang|fr|<poem>'''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 !</poem>}} |<poem>'''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!</poem> |}

==In other works== *''Marche Henri IV'' was a common ''[[leitmotif]]'' for French royalty in several 19th-century works, such as in [[Gioachino Rossini]]'s opera ''[[Il viaggio a Reims]]'' (in the finale, when [[Charles X of France|Charles X]] is crowned) and in the final march in [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]'s ballet ''[[The Sleeping Beauty (ballet)|The Sleeping Beauty]]'' (and the same march is recalled in the final scene of [[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]] by [[Walt Disney]], since it includes arrangements and adaptations from the ballet). *It was set for piano solo by [[Franz Liszt]] in c. 1870-80 (S. 239). *It is mentioned as one of the tunes played in Russia after the defeat of [[Napoleon]] in "[[The Blizzard]]" by [[Alexander Pushkin]]. *The anthem is also mentioned in [[Leo Tolstoy]]'s novel ''[[War and Peace]]'', and actually performed by French prisoners in the [[War and Peace (film series)|Russian film production]] of the same name. *In ''[[Les Misérables]]'', [[Victor Hugo]] has the character of [[Grantaire]] sing alternate Dionysian lyrics to the tune to rile his fellow [[Friends of the ABC|student insurrectionists]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hugo |first=Victor |others=Translated by Isabel Hapgood. |title=Les Misérables |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135/pg135-images.html |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=www.gutenberg.org |language=en |quote=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)}}</ref> *It is used in the soundtrack for the television series ''[[Turn: Washington's Spies]]'', when introducing a scene involving French military forces at [[Battle of Yorktown]] (S4E9).

== See also == * ''[[Richard Coeur-de-lion (opera)#The work and its influence|Ô Richard, ô mon roi]]'' * ''[[:fr:Où peut-on être mieux qu’au sein de sa famille ?|Où peut-on être mieux qu’au sein de sa famille ?]]'' * "[[La Marseillaise]]"

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zClE067Q4vs ''Les Ménestriers'' recorded performance of the work with Renaissance instruments]

[[Category:Historical national anthems]] [[Category:French anthems]] [[Category:French monarchy]] [[Category:Henry IV of France]] [[Category:Royal anthems]] [[Category:16th-century songs]] [[Category:Compositions in D minor]]