Jean-Baptiste Clément (31 May 1836 in

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

– 23 February 1903 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was a French

chansonnier A chansonnier (, , Galician and , or ''canzoniéro'', ) is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally " song-books"; however, some manuscripts are call ...

, journalist, socialist activist and

communard The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards we ...

. He is mostly known for his work '' Le Temps des cerises,'' which is strongly associated with the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

Biography

Clément was born in to the family of a wealthy miller. He left his family as a teenager and became a metal worker. He soon began to become active in socialist circles as a journalist and became associated with prominent activists such as

Jules Vallès Jules Vallès (1832–1885) was a French journalist, author, and left-wing political activist. In 1883 he was entirely successful in restarting ''Le Cri du Peuple'' as a voice for libertarian and socialist ideas. At the same time he became incre ...

. In 1867 he had to flee to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, where he published ''Le Temps des cerises'' later on''.'' He returned to Paris and continued his activism against the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

which eventually got him arrested and imprisoned in the Sainte-Pélagie Prison. Clément was released after the Republican protests and abdication of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

. He became a member of the National Guard and participated in protests against the

Government of National Defence The Government of National Defense () was the first government of the Third Republic of France from 4 September 1870 to 13 February 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was formed after the proclamation of the Republic in Paris on 4 Septembe ...

. After the proclamation of the Paris Commune he was elected to the Commune Council and fought in the defense barricades during the

semaine sanglante The ''Semaine sanglante'' ("") was a weeklong battle in Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871, during which the French Army recaptured the city from the Paris Commune. This was the final battle of the Paris Commune. Following the Treaty of Frankfurt ...

. After the fall of the Commune he managed to flee Paris and through Belgium he settled in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

for a short time. He was sentenced to death in absentia and during this period lived clandestinely with his family in

Montfermeil Montfermeil () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in ...

. He returned to Paris of the general amnesty of 1880. Clément participated in the founding of the Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party of

Jean Allemane Jean Allemane (25 August 1843, Sauveterre-de-Comminges, Haute-Garonne – 6 June 1935, Herblay in Seine-et-Oise) was a French socialist politician, veteran of the Paris Commune of 1871, pioneer of syndicalism, leader of the Revolutionary Social ...

. He also a member of the

Grand Orient de France The Grand Orient de France (, abbr. GODF) is the oldest and largest of several Freemasonic organizations based in France and is the oldest in Continental Europe (as it was formed out of an older Grand Lodge of France in 1773, and briefly absorbe ...

. Jean-Baptiste Clément died on 23 February, 1903 in Paris aged 66.

Selected songs

* ''Au moulin de Bagnolet'' (1863) * ''Le Moulin des larmes'' (1865) * '' Le Temps des cerises'' (1866) * '' La Semaine sanglante'' (1871) * ''La Chanson du semeur'' (1882) * ''Les Traîne-misère'' (1883) * ''Aux loups'' (1884) * ''La Grève'' (1893) * ''En avant paysans !'' (1900) *''Dansons la capucine'' (1860-1870 ?) *'' Le Capitaine « Au mur »'' *''La Marjolaine'' *''Bonjour printemps'' *''Quatre-vingt-neuf'' *''L'Eau va toujours à la rivière'' *''Fournaise'' *''Ah le joli temps !'' *''Le Chasse neige'' *''Le Bonheur des champs'' *''Le Couteau de Jeannette'' *''Fille des champs'' *''Le Barde Gaulois'' *''J'n'en ai pas le courage'' *''Le Chant du ruisseau'' *''Je vais chez la meunière''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Jean-Baptiste 1836 births 1903 deaths Communards French male songwriters French songwriters 19th-century French poets Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party (France) politicians French socialists French Freemasons People of Montmartre Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery