La Marseillaise - Musical Quotations

Musical Quotations

During the French Revolution, Giuseppe Cambini published Patriotic Airs for Two Violins, in which the song is quoted literally and as a variation theme, with other patriotic songs.

Gioachino Rossini quotes "La Marseillaise" in the second act of his opera Semiramide (1823).

Robert Schumann used part of "La Marseillaise" for his 1840 setting (Op. 49, No. 1) of Heinrich Heine's poem "Die Beiden Grenadiere" (The Two Grenadiers). The quotation appears at the end of the song when the old French soldier dies. Schumann also incorporated "La Marseillaise" as a major motif in his overture Hermann und Dorothea, inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and quotes it, in waltz rhythm, in the first movement of Faschingsschwank aus Wien, for solo piano.

Richard Wagner also quotes from "La Marseillaise" in his 1839–40 setting of a French translation of Heine's poem.

Giuseppe Verdi quotes from "La Marseillaise" in his patriotic anthem Hymn of the Nations, which also incorporates "God Save the King" and "Il Canto degli Italiani". In his 1944 film, the Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini also incorporated "The Internationale" for the Soviet Union and "The Star-Spangled Banner" representing the United States.

In 1882, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky quoted "La Marseillaise" to represent the invading French army in his 1812 Overture. He also quoted the Russian national anthem he was familiar with, to represent the Russian army. However, neither of these anthems was actually in use in 1812.

In 1896, Umberto Giordano briefly quoted the anthem in his opera Andrea Chénier.

Claude Debussy quoted the anthem in the coda of his piano prelude, Feux d'artifice.

Edward Elgar quoted the opening of "La Marseillaise" in his choral work The Music Makers, Op. 69 (1912), based on Arthur O'Shaughnessy's Ode, at the line "We fashion an empire's glory", where he also quoted the opening phrase of "Rule, Britannia!".

Dmitri Shostakovich quoted "La Marseillaise" at some length during the fifth reel of the film score he composed for the 1929 silent movie, The New Babylon (set during the Paris Commune), where it is juxtaposed contrapuntally with the famous "Can-can" from Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld.

Max Steiner weaves quotes from "La Marseillaise" throughout his score for the 1942 film Casablanca. It also forms an important plot element when patrons of Rick's Café Américain, spontaneously led by Czech underground leader Victor Laszlo, sing the actual song to drown out Nazi officers who had started singing "Die Wacht am Rhein", thus causing Rick's to be shut down.

The Beatles hit single of 1967, "All You Need is Love", used the opening bars of "La Marseillaise" as an introduction.

In 2009, thrash metal band Metallica played their version of "La Marseillaise" as an intro to "Master Of Puppets". This was recorded live as part of their DVD Français Pour Une Nuit ("French for a Night") from Nimes.