La Fayette, We Are Here‪!‬ Emmanuel Dubois

We often see history as a succession of dates, events, wars and political machinations. But we should not forget that history is also forged by culture and by art. Art reflects society's values and aspirations, but also helps create them and move people forward. It also elevates us and makes us better in many ways.

Among the many art forms available to us, music is the one that transports us with the greatest strength. It surrounds us, lifts us and takes us to places we didn't know existed. Oh, literature and paintings can do that too, but music is special. It is unique as it can be savoured with our eyes closed. 

Let's meet Camille Saint-Saëns and France's music!


Timecodes:
Introduction
04:33 - A Young Prodigy
12:28 - The Remarkable Organist & Pianist
19:17 - World Famous Composer
32:13 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Musical excerpts (in order):

Finale - Carnival of the Animals, R. 125 


Phaeton, Op. 39 


Symphony #3 In C Minor, Op. 78, "Organ", 4th movement 


Danse Macabre, Op. 40 


Symphony #3 In C Minor, Op. 78, "Organ", 1st movement 


The Swan - Carnival of the Animals, R. 125 


Aviary - Carnival of the Animals, R. 125 


Aquarium - Carnival of the Animals, R. 125 


Pianists - Carnival of the Animals, R. 125 


Royal march of the Lion - Carnival of the Animals, R. 125


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For France, the Great War is a serious and deep wound that she partially inflicted on herself. It is painful and has never fully healed. It is something personal, felt by all strata of the nation. From the humblest peasant to the richest industrialist, no layer of French society was spared in the great slaughter that the trenches were. The country itself still bears the scars of battles dating back nearly 110 years. Every city and village in France has a monument to the dead of the First World War, often with a staggering number of fallen soldiers considering the local population. And that's not counting the wounded, the mutilated, the traumatized.
We are not going to go through dates and battles. We are not going to summarize four years of destructive conflict by analyzing every move and strategic decision. Others have done it many times, surely better than me. No, we will focus on the experience of the country of France during those dreadful years from 1914 to 1918. 
Timecodes:
Introduction
05:18 - On The War Path
13:22 - The Poilus
26:51 - France at War
42:18 - Life after 1918
48:11 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Artwork: Fête de L’Alsace-Lorraine le 17 novembre 1918. Les blessés défilent avenue des Champs-Elysées, Paris. Agence Rol, Public Domain (Gallica)

Recommended link: Blueprint for Armageddon, Hardcore History podcast by Dan Carlin
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In this unique episode, we engage in a conversation with Salina B. Baker, an accomplished author of historical fiction, who has received multiple awards for her work. Additionally, she is a historian specializing in the American Revolution and Victorian America.


She has just released an outstanding novel titled "The Line of Splendor: A Novel of Nathanael Greene and the American Revolution." In our conversation, we delve into the intricate relationship between General Greene and his close French ally, the Marquis de La Fayette. This profound friendship holds significance not only for the two men but also for the broader context of the American Revolution, symbolizing the enduring and meaningful connection between France and the United States of America in various aspects.



Timecodes:
Introduction
03:01 - Meet Nathanael Greene
09:57 - Greene and La Fayette
20:40 - Working Together
27:39 - Fighting for the Cause
30:41 - Friends after the War
40:16 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Artwork:  "Nathanael Greene in General uniform" by Charles Willson Peale (left) and "The young Marquis de Lafayette wearing his uniform as Major General of the Continental Army" by Charles Willson Peale (right).

Recommended link: Salina B. Baker's website (https://www.salinabbaker.com/)


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Contact me or follow the podcast on social media Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Become a patron on Patreon to support the show Buy me a Coffee Get beautiful “La Fayette, We are Here!” merchandise from TeePublic

Liberté, égalité, fraternité. This is the French Republic’s motto. Liberty and equality are also in the first article of the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" of 1789. The French are very proud of that heritage, of France’s struggle during and after the Revolution. They think of their homeland as the cradle of liberty in Europe, as a welcoming and understanding land, ruled by reason and intellect, rather than by prejudice and bigotry. Sadly, those clear and healthy waters of freedom and justice often got muddied over the years.

In the late nineteenth century, France was a wounded country. Her honour had been tarnished in 1870-71 and her population was deeply traumatized by the civil war that ensued. Fears of an enemy, and of traitors, was at an all time high. This very specific phase mixed with an element older than France herself: antisemitism. In 1894, captain Alfred Dreyfus would suffer greatly as a consequence of those elements. Although there are some saving graces, and some might even say a silver lining, this whole series of events really are France’s shame!
Timecodes:
Introduction
03:38 - La Belle Époque
08:48 - Alfred Dreyfus, Jewish French officer
14:28 - Dreyfus Arrested
21:17 - L'Affaire begins
26:07 - J'accuse...!
34:03 - The Rennes Trial
39:20 - Rehabilitation
44:10 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Artwork: "The traitor: Degradation of Alfred Dreyfus, degradation in the Morland Court of the military school in Paris" front page of the illustrated supplement of the Petit Journal, Sunday, January 13, 1895.

Recommended link: The Siècle podcast by David H. Montgomery, available at http://thesiecle.com/
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This particular conflict goes by multiple names and definitions. While it is globally recognized as the Seven Years' War, it is more commonly referred to in America as the French and Indian War, and in Canada as the War of Conquest. These wars are all interconnected and are part of a vast global struggle between the two superpowers of the mid-eighteenth century: France and Great Britain.

Considered by many as the first true world war, it continues to reverberate even today. Join us as we embark on a historical journey, with Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour, the Marquis de Montcalm, and general Wolfe as our guides, to examine "the Great French Disaster." 


Timecodes:
Introduction
04:18 - The Origins of Conflict
13:21 - From Frontier Struggle to Global War
22:12 - Downward Spiral
28:51 - The Great Disaster
37:46 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Artwork: The death of the Marquis de Montcalm, by Juste Chevillet, National Gallery of Canada

Recommended link: "The Life and Times of Frederick the Great" podcast by Alec Avdakov


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King Louis XIII and the Cardinal de Richelieu. These two men are quite important and deserve to be better known. The Cardinal is probably the most known of the two, because of his policies, wars and his long lasting impact on French institutions and Europe's destiny.

Louis XIII is often perceived as the weaker of the two, the king who merely signed his minister's recommendation. But history is never quite that straightforward, that easy. It is under these men that France will become an absolute monarchy and will begin her rise as Europe's dominant power. Louis XIII's son, Louis XIV will complete his father's work and become Europe's most powerful monarch. 

Join me as I discuss the Just king and the famed red eminence, France's dynamic duo! 
Timecodes:
Introduction
04:13 - Bloodied France
09:47 - The Red Eminence
13:48 - The Phoenix Rises
19:56 - The Great Partnership
26:28 - A Reinforced Kingdom
33:40 - France and the World
38:31 - Conclusion

Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche.

Artwork: Louis XIII in coronation costume and Portrait of Cardinal Richelieu. Both by Philippe de Champaigne.


Support the show
Reach out, support the show and give me feedback!
Contact me or follow the podcast on social media Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Become a patron on Patreon to support the show Buy me a Coffee Get beautiful “La Fayette, We are Here!” merchandise from TeePublic