A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Ça Ira

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Caffarelli, Gaetano

A Dictionary of Music and Musicians
edited by George Grove

Ça Ira

Calah, John

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From volume 1 of the work.

1503017A Dictionary of Music and Musicians — Ça Ira

ÇA IRA. The earliest of French revolutionary songs, probably first heard on Oct. 5, 1789, when the Parisians marched to Versailles. The words were suggested to a street-singer called Ladré by General La Fayette, who remembered Franklin's favourite saying at each progress of the American insurrection. The burden of the song was then as follows:—

'Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira!
Le peuple en ce jour sans cesse répète:
Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira!
Malgré les mutins, tout réussira.'

At a later period the burden, though more ferocious, was hardly more metrical:—

'Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira!
Les aristocrat' à la lanterne;
Ah! ça ira, ça ira, ça ira!
Les aristocrat' on les pendra.'

The tune—the length and compass of which show that it was not composed for the song—was the production of a certain Bécour or Bécourt, a side-drum player at the Opera; and as a contre-danse was originally very popular under the title of 'Carillon national.'

${ \time 2/4 \key g \major \tempo "Allegro" \partial 4 \relative g' { g8 g16 a | g8 g16 a g8 g16 a | g4 g16 a b c | d8 e16 d c8 b | b a g g16 a | g8 g16 a g8 g16 a | g4 g16 a b c | d8 e16 c b8 a | g4_\fermata^\markup { \italic \smaller Fine. } \bar "|:" \repeat volta 2 { b8 d16 b | c b a g fis g a fis d4 b'8 d16 b | c b a g g a b cis | d4 d8 d16 e | d8 d16 e d8 d16 e | d8 r d16 e fis g | a8 b16 a g8 fis | fis e d d16 e | d8 d16 e d8 d16 e | d4 d16 e fis g | a fis b g fis8 e | d4 } } }$

[ G. C. ]