Malbrough s'en va-t-en guerre facts for kids

Sheet music for Malbrough

"Malbrough s'en va-t-en guerre" (which means "Marlborough has left for the war") is a very old and popular folk song from France. It's also known as "Mort et convoi de l'invincible Malbrough" (The death and burial of the invincible Marlborough).

History of the Song

This song is a bit like a funny, sad story about the death of a famous British general named John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. He lived a long time ago, from 1650 to 1722. The song was written after a big battle called the Battle of Malplaquet in 1709. This battle was one of the bloodiest during the War of the Spanish Succession. At the time, there was a false rumor that Marlborough had died.

The song tells a story. It describes Marlborough's wife waiting for him to come home from the battle. Then, she gets the sad news that her husband has died. The song even says he was buried and that a nightingale sang over his grave.

For many years, people just sang this song by memory. It wasn't printed in books like other popular songs of the time. But then, in 1778, a famous French writer named Beaumarchais used the tune in his play The Marriage of Figaro. He used it for a sad love song.

Around 1780, the song became super popular! A musician named Carl Stamitz even used the tune in one of his musical pieces. Then, something special happened in 1785. Louis XVII of France, who was the son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, was born. His nurse, Geneviève Poitrine, sang "Marlborough s'en va-t-en guerre" while rocking his cradle.

Queen Marie Antoinette loved the song's simple words and pretty tune. She started singing it often, and soon, everyone around her did too, even the King! The song was heard everywhere in the royal palace. It was sung in fancy rooms, in the kitchens, and even in the stables. It became incredibly famous.

From the royal court, the song spread to the people of Paris. Then it traveled from town to town and even to other countries. It became just as popular in England as it was in France. A famous German writer, Johann von Goethe, even said he started to dislike Marlborough because he heard the song so much during his travels!

The song also became popular in Spain. The Spanish royal family, the House of Bourbon, had strong ties to France. In Spain, the name "Marlborough" was changed to "Mambrú" because it was easier to say. Children would sing it while playing games like Hopscotch (Rayuela). A Spanish guitarist, Fernando Sor, even created special music for guitar based on the song's tune. From Spain, it spread to Latin America.

The song's popularity lasted for many years. It slowly faded after the French Revolution, a big change in France. However, it's said that Napoleon, another famous French leader, liked to hum the tune. He even hummed it in 1812 when he started his difficult Russian campaign.

The melody also became very popular in the United Kingdom. By the mid-1800s, people were singing it with new words: "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". This version was often sung at parties. By 1862, these lyrics were well-known in America. From this version, the tune also became used for a popular American campfire song called The Bear Went Over the Mountain.

The song has been translated into many languages. An American poet named Henry Wadsworth Longfellow even published an English version in the 1800s.

Melody

<score sound="1"> \relative g' { \autoBeamOff \clef treble \key g \major \time 6/8 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4. = 96 \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"brass section" \partial 8 d8 | b'4 b8 b4 a8 | c4. b8 c b | a a a a g a | b4. g4 d8 | b'4 b8 b4 a8 | c4. b4 d8 | b4 g8 a4 a8 | g4. ~ g4 d'8 | d4 b8 e4 e8 | d4. d4. | d4 b8 e4 e8 | d4. ~ d4 \bar "|." } \addlyrics { \override LyricHyphen #'minimum-distance = #2.0 Marl -- brough s'en va- t-en guer -- re, mi -- ron -- ton, mi -- ron -- ton, mi -- ron -- tai -- ne, Marl -- brough s'en va- t-en guer -- re, ne sait quand re -- vien -- dra, ne sait quand re -- vien -- dra, ne sait quand re -- vien -- dra. } </score>

Verses