Vox Populi

In 1849 Berlioz brought together under the title Vox populi two originally independent pieces: La Menace des Francs (poem anonymous), composed in 1848 in London, where he was left stranded during the revolutionary activities in Paris; and Hymne à la France (poem by Henri-Auguste Barbier), dating from 1844. Richault published this patriotic diptych in 1851. Like several of Berlioz’s vocal works, La Menace des Francs exists in several versions. Originally intended for two tenors, two basses, mixed choir and piano, it may also be performed with a small choir instead of the four soloists and with an orchestra replacing the piano. This lively march with its catchy melody was premièred on 25 March 1851 at the Salle Sainte-Cécile with the composer conducting. Hymne à la France, for choir and orchestra, also favours the vertical writing and firm rhythms that make for intelligibility of the text. It testifies to Berlioz’s taste for “Babylonian” projects (as he liked to describe this kind of piece) and the colossal musical forces that also appealed to the public. The première was furthermore a resounding success, when he conducted eight thousand singers in Paris at the Exposition des produits de l'industrie française on 1 August 1844. The popularity of Hymne à la France is attested by the fact that it was performed six times during the composer’s lifetime. The last performance took place during the Exposition universelle of 1867, when it was given before an audience of fourteen thousand by five hundred chorus singers and seven hundred instrumentalists.