Interconnected in singing

It is a sad occasion, on which people all over the world join in singing these days. After the attacks in the French capital in the night of November 13, 2015 the Marseillaise sounds worldwide. People from all nations thereby express their solidarity and compassion with victims, relatives and the French people.

The violence of extremist religious groups in the 21th century flaring up with increasing frequency results worldwide in anger and fear likewise. Therefore people all over the world unite by singing, the most universal language at all, in order to make a statement for democracy and freedom. For singing unifies, overcomes national borders, makes origins and religions take a back seat and creates moments of a peaceful cooperation.

For this reason the French national anthem sounded at many significant venues such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Trafalgar Square in London, in Tel Aviv, at sports events in Ottawa, Los Angeles and Italy and at the Parisian cathedral Notre-Dame during the memorial service on Monday.
"Aux armes, citoyens" – "to the arms, citizens", the refrain of the Marseillaise goes. These fierce words of the anthem reflect the national strength which the French public wants to demonstrate nowadays.

The Marseillaise was composed by the French musician, poet and officer Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle on April 26th, 1792 and refers to the declaration of war on Austria. First of all the song was named "Chant de guerre pour l’armée du Rhin", which means "song of war for the Rhine army", but it was renamed into Marseillaise when soldiers from the port Marseille sung this song during their military entry into Paris. Since July 14th, 1795 Marseillaise resounds as the French national anthem.

These days the Marseillaise has an ambivalent meaning: it does not only represent the national anthem but also symbolizes the power which has now to be raised in order to protect freedom and democracy, the basic values of France and whole Europe.