In 1926, the tune was used in a patriotic anthem written by officers of the Whampoa Military Academy, "Revolution of the Citizens" ( 国民革命歌). A manuscript at the French National Library contains "Frère Jacques" among 86 canons, with Rameau listed as author. This book was very popular and it was republished several times, so many editions exist.įrench musicologist Sylvie Bouissou has found some evidence that composer Jean-Philippe Rameau had written the music. The words and music appear together in Recreations de l'enfance: Recueil de Rondes avec Jeux et de Petites Chansons pour Faire Jouer, Danser et Chanter les Enfants avec un Accompagnement de Piano Très-Facile by Charles Lebouc, which was first published in 1860 by Rouart, Lerolle & Cie. An earlier publication in 1825 included the words together with a description of the melody in solfège, but not in musical notation. Sheet music collector James Fuld (1916–2008) states that the tune was first published in 1811, and that the words and music were published together in Paris in 1869. The "Frère Jacques" melody is labelled "Frère Blaise" in this manuscript. The manuscript is titled "Recueil de Timbres de Vaudevilles", and the Bibliothèque Nationale estimates that it was written between 17. Published record First publication ĪllMusic states that the earliest version of the melody is on a French manuscript circa 1780 (manuscript 300 in the manuscript collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris).
In a review of a book about Kozma Prutkov, professor of Russian at Vassar College, Richard Gregg, notes it has been claimed that "Frère Jacques" was derived from a Russian seminary song about a "Father Theofil". Marie Delrieu suggest that "Frère Jacques" might have been created to mock the Dominican friars, known in France as the Jacobin order, for their sloth and comfortable lifestyles. Carson without finding any evidence for a connection.įrancesca Draughon and Raymond Knapp argue that "Frère Jacques" was originally a song to taunt Jews or Protestants or Martin Luther (see Frère Jacques in popular culture). The name Jacques, instead, corresponds to the English names James or Jacob, which derive from the Latin Iacobus and the Greek Ἰακώβος ( Septuagintal Greek Ἰακώβ), referring to the Biblical Patriarch Jacob and the apostles known in English as James.Ī possible connection between "Frère Jacques" and the 17th century lithotomist Frère Jacques Beaulieu (also known as Frère Jacques Baulot ), as claimed by Irvine Loudon and many others, was explored by J. The French name Jacques would not ordinarily be translated to "John", which is "Jean" in French. The French word frère in turn comes from the Latin word frater (which also means "brother"). In English, the word friar is derived from the Old French word frere (Modern French frère "brother" in English), as French was still widely used in official circles in England during the 13th century when the four great orders of Friars started. The traditional English translation preserves the scansion, but alters the meaning such that Brother John is being awakened by the bells. Frère Jacques has apparently overslept, it is time to ring the bells for matins, and someone wakes him up with this song.
The song concerns a monk's duty to ring the bell for matines. The result of all four parts runs together into the same two measures: an authentic cadence.
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