French Gaiety theaters in 1880's and .. just what were United States Marines doing in such a ribald and risqué emporium ???
attribution: P.T. Brent
No doubt remembering a soon to be sacred tune and .. smiling
U S A MILITARY MARCH Patriotic Song
The Marines' Hymn is the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps. It is the oldest official song in the U.S. Armed Forces. The song has an obscure origin—the words date from the 19th century, but no one knows the author. The music is from the Gendarmes' Duet from the opera Geneviève de Brabant by Jacques Offenbach, which had its début in Paris in 1859. The Marine Corps secured a copyright on the song on August 19, 1919, but it is now in the public domain.
The initial verse is "From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli". The Montezuma phrase refers to the Battle of Chapultepec, which took place during the Mexican-American War. The Tripoli phrase refers to actions during the First Barbary War and the Battle of Derne.
The "Marines' Hymn" is typically sung at the position of "attention" as a gesture of respect.
History
Some of the lyrics were popular phrases before the song was written. The line "To the shores of Tripoli" refer to the First Barbary War, and specifically the Battle of Derne in 1805. After Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon and his Marines hoisted the American flag over the Old World for the first time, the phrase was added to the battle colors of the Corps. "The Halls ofMontezuma" refers to the Battle of Chapultepec, during the Mexican-American War, where a force of Marines stormedChapultepec Castle.
While the words date from the 19th century, the author of the song itself is unknown. Anecdotal evidence supposes it was penned by a Marine on duty in Mexico. The unknown author transposed the phrases in the motto on the Colors so that the first two lines of the Hymn would read: "From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli," favoring euphony over chronology.
The music is from the Gendarmes' Duet from the opera Geneviève de Brabant by Jacques Offenbach, which debuted inParis in 1859. Correspondence between Colonel Albert S. McLemore and Walter F. Smith (the second leader of the Marine Band) traces the tune:
Major Richard Wallach, USMC, says that in 1878, when he was in Paris, France, the aria to which the Marines' Hymn is now sung was a very popular one.
The name of the opera and a part of the chorus was secured from Major Wallach and forwarded to Mr. Smith, who replied:
Major Wallach is to be congratulated upon a wonderfully accurate musical memory, for the aria of the Marine Hymn is certainly to be found in the opera, 'Genevieve de Brabant'... The melody is not in the exact form of the Marine Hymn, but is undoubtedly the aria from which it was taken. I am informed, however, by one of the members of the band, who has a Spanish wife, that the aria was one familiar to her childhood and it may, therefore, be a Spanish folk song.
John Philip Sousa once wrote:
The melody of the 'Halls of Montezuma' is taken from Offenbach's comic opera, 'Genevieve de Brabant' and is sung by two gendarmes.
The Marine Corps secured a copyright on the song on 19 August 1891, but has since expired and is now in the public domain. In 1929, the Commandant of the Marine Corps authorized the three verses of the Marines' Hymn as the official version, but changed the third and fourth lines:
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Marine Barracks Washington,DC 2929 Lejeuneby Burners291,941 views
One grand Leatherneck salute to a Devil Pup Dad; who loves our Corps.
Marines is a bawdy theater outrageous indeed
Semper Fidelis Walter !!!
Tim Monaghan 17 March 2010 Quantico
OOO RRAH to Monsieur Offenbach
ptb2929 1 year ago