Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse
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"Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse" ( en, italics=no, "
Sambre-et-Meuse Sambre-et-Meuse () was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium. It was named after the rivers Sambre and Meuse. It was created on 1 October 1795, when the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bish ...
Regiment") is a French poem by Paul Cézano set to music by
Robert Planquette Jean Robert Planquette (31 July 1848 – 28 January 1903) was a French composer of songs and operettas. Several of Planquette's operettas were extraordinarily successful in Britain, especially ''Les cloches de Corneville'' (1878), the length of ...
and arranged and expanded into a military march by .


Background

Cezano penned the lyrics to "Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse" following the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, Planquette setting them to music shortly thereafter. Cezano was one of a number of French artists of the period who sought to reconcile the defeat of France with memories of its historic victories, with the song describing the achievement of human immortality through heroic death. It was first publicly performed by the baritone
Lucien Fugère Lucien Fugère (22 July 1848, Paris – 15 January 1935, Paris) was a French baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory and Mozart roles. He enjoyed an exceptionally long career, singing into his 80s. Life and career Fugère's f ...
in a Paris cabaret on March 3, 1870. Quickly finding favor as a popular song, it became a part of the music curriculum in schools during the
French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 ...
, and was used at other important moments in French history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was performed to accompany
Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus ( , also , ; 9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarizing political dramas in modern French history. ...
' degradation ceremony of 1895 and, during the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, to accompany the execution of traitors, though it later fell out of favor. In 1879, a French army ''chef de musique'' Rauski changed Cézano's original melody into a pas redoublé and made significant additions. This march became internationally popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and Rauski was widely assumed to have been the original composer.Damien Sagrillo, John Graziano and Nigel Marshall. ''Festschrift in Honour of Raoul F. Camus' Ninetieth Anniversary.'' LIT Verlag, 2022
p. 42.
In the United States, the march is sometimes called the "French National Defilé March" and misattributed to French composer Arthur Turlet (who had composed a piano and orchestra arrangement of the piece).


Use outside France

Since 1936, the
Ohio State University Marching Band The Ohio State University Marching Band (OSUMB) is a university marching band named for and a part of the Ohio State University. The band, popularly nicknamed The Best Damn Band in the Land (TBDBITL), performs at football games and other events d ...
in the United States has performed "Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse" as part of its pregame show during the
script Ohio Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of hand ...
formation. It is also a staple of the repertoire of the
West Point Band The West Point Band (also known as the U.S. Military Academy Band or USMA Band) is the U.S. Army's oldest active band and the oldest unit at the United States Military Academy, traces its roots to the American Revolutionary War. At that time, fife ...
, where it is known by the name "French National Defilé". "Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse" is often used for marches of the Belgian military schools in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
(KMS) and
Sint-Truiden Sint-Truiden (; french: link=no, Saint-Trond ; li, Sintruin ) is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, and has over 41,500 inhabitants, which makes it one of the largest cities in Limburg. The muni ...
(KSOO) because of the historic link of this song with Belgium. In the most southern part of the Netherlands, the march is played often because of the historic link of this region with Belgium. "Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse" is also used for the marchpast piece of the 1st Infantry Regiment Grenadiers Platoon of
Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and a ...
and the Air Force Academy of Bolivia. It is used as a marching song during the training of cadets and aspiring officers of the
Brazilian Military Police Military Police ( pt, Polícia Militar, , also known as ''PM'', ) are the preventive state police of the states and of the Federal District of Brazil. The Military Police units are the main ostensive police force at the state level and are respo ...
in some states. The march is also used in the Mexican Naval Academy (
Heroica Escuela Naval Militar The Heroica Escuela Naval Militar is the officer training academy of the Mexican Navy. It began operations on 1 June 1897 with a group of cadets from the Mexican Army's Colegio Militar who had expressed an interest in training as naval office ...
) for drill instructions and parades on special visits. It was the regimental march of the
Royal 22nd Regiment , colors = Scarlet with blue facings (full dress and mess dress) , march = Quick: ''Vive la Canadienne''Slow: ''Marche lente du Royal 22e Régiment: La Prière en famille'' , mascot ...
of the
Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
until 1939.


Use in fiction

In
Robert Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...
's ''
Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...
'', the character Sergeant Zim leads his soldiers in the singing of "oldies ... like ''Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse'' and ''Caissons''".


Lyrics


Notes


References


External links


Complete lyrics
* Modern interpretations:



on the site of the ''Fédération Nationale des Combattants Volontaires'' *
Le régiment de la musique de l'air "Sambre et Meuse"
*
Mexican Armed Forces The Mexican Armed Forces ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de México) are the military forces of the United Mexican States. The Spanish crown established a standing military in colonial Mexico in the eighteenth century. After Mexican independence in 1821, ...
interpreting the march in a military parade at the welcome ceremony for the
French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...


and for the President of Colombia, Colombian President
Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by profession and a journalist by trade, ...


and for the Felipe VI, King and
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
of
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...


{{DEFAULTSORT:Regiment de Sambre et Meuse, Le 1870 compositions French military marches