Gaston Mardochée Brunswick, better known by his pseudonym Montéhus (9 July 1872 – December 1952), was a French singer-songwriter. He was the writer of such notable songs as "Gloire au 17ème" and "La Butte Rouge".

Biography

Montéhus was the eldest child of 22 in an impoverished working-class family of Jewish descent.

A Child of the Commune

Montéhus was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

after the

Paris Commune of 1871 The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

. According to him, his father Abraham Brunschwig had been among the rebels, but there is no source to verify this claim. Nevertheless, Montéhus was raised in a post-Commune context, which accounts for his commitment to left-wing politics. "Revolutionary jingoist" as he liked to present himself, he was close to the "wretched of the Earth" spoken of by

Eugène Pottier Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".L'Internationale''. He began to sing in public at the age of 12, in 1884, a decade before the beginning of the

Dreyfus Affair The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...

. He published his first song (''Au camarade du 153ème'') in 1897. It was then that he adopted his pseudonym, easier to bear than his name in the context of strong

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

. In 1907, he published '' Gloire au 17ème'' in honour of the regiment of soldiers who refused to fire on a demonstration of wine growers in Béziers.

A Committed Singer

In the second half of the 19th century, the song was central to the popular culture. Books, expensive as they were, were not accessible to the working classes. When it contained a strong political element, the song could be a powerful tool of propaganda. Montéhus was one of the singers of the red revolt, along with Jean-Baptiste Clément (1836–1903), writer of the song '' Le Temps des cerises'',

Eugène Pottier Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".L'Internationale'', Jules Jouy (1855–1897), writer of ''V'là l'choléra qu'arrive'', ''Les Anarchistes de Chicago'',

Pierre Dupont Pierre Dupont (23 April 1821 – 25 July 1870) was a French songwriter. Dupont was born in Lyon as the son of a blacksmith. His mother died before he was five years old, and he was brought up in the country by his godfather, a village priest. ...

(1821–1870), ''Le chant des ouvriers'', ''Le chant du vote'',

Gaston Couté Gaston Couté (23 September 1880 – 28 June 1911) was a French poet and singer, known for his pacifist and anarchist texts. Biography Couté was the son of a miller and went to the lycée Pothier in Orléans, but left before taking the bac ...

(1880–1911) ''Le gars qu'a mal tourné'', etc. In his lively, driven songs, Montéhus opposed war, capitalist exploitation, prostitution, poverty, religious hypocrisy, but also the income tax: :Au lieu d'imposer l'travailleur qui enrichit l'gouvernement :Imposez plutôt les noceurs es capitalistesqui gaspillent tant d'argent. He also defended the cause of women in a remarkable way. ''La grève des Mères'' (The Mothers' Strike) was legally banned on 5 October and Montéhus condemned for "incitement to abortion". On 5 March 1902, he is initiated into

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

at ″l'Union de Belleville″ lodge in Paris. And when he considered joining the Communist Party in 1922, as the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (french: Parti communiste français, ''PCF'' ; ) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its MEPs sit in the European Un ...

did not accept Freemasons, he preferred to remain faithful to his lodge.

A Friend of Lenin

Montéhus maintained relations with

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

; moreover, the latter made reference to this in his correspondence. In a letter to Lev Kamenev, Lenin wrote: "Ah! If I could listen to Montéhus again!". At the time of his exile in France (between 1909 and 1912), Lenin gave a series of conferences in a room of either the Rive Gauche or Bobino (the places is uncertain). At Lenin's request, Montéhus sang in the first part to attract a sizable audience. The people who came to listen to the "humanitarian singer" were also invited to listen to the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

activist after the intermission. The relations between art and politics prefigured the

agitprop Agitprop (; from rus, агитпроп, r=agitpróp, portmanteau of ''agitatsiya'', "agitation" and ''propaganda'', " propaganda") refers to an intentional, vigorous promulgation of ideas. The term originated in Soviet Russia where it referred ...

(art in the service of political discourse and/or ideology) put in place in the USSR beginning in the 1920s.

A Revolutionary Jingoist

During the First World War, Montéhus, like many others, underwent a radical change of political opinion. He made himself the zealous changer of the

Union Sacrée The Sacred Union (french: Union Sacrée, ) was a political truce in France in which the left-wing agreed, during World War I, not to oppose the government or call any strikes. Made in the name of patriotism, it stood in opposition to the pledge mad ...

and sang militarist songs. One may draw a comparison with the painting of Picasso, who in the same period renounced cubism (considered "too German") for a more academic style (considered "French"). It was then that Montéhus sang ''La Guerre finale'', a grotesque détournement of ''L'Internationale'': :"Et maintenant tous à l'ouvrage :Amis, on ne meurt qu'une fois !" Similarly, in ''Lettre d'un Socialo'' (sung to the tune of ''L'air du Clairon'' by

Paul Déroulède Paul Déroulède (2 September 1846 – 30 January 1914) was a French author and politician, one of the founders of the nationalist League of Patriots. Early life Déroulède was born in Paris. He was published first as a poet in the magazine '' ...

), he explained that the time had come for ''

La Marseillaise "La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du R ...

'', while waiting to be able to sing ''L'Internationale'' once again: :Nous chantons La Marseillaise :Car dans ces terribles jours :On laisse ''L'Internationale'' :Pour la victoire finale :On la chantera au retour. Montéhus was the image of the working people, who left en masse for the front contrary to the fears of the state adjutant who had overestimated the workers' commitment to pacifism. In a song impregnated with the

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

of his time, entitled ''L'Arbi'', Montéhus held xenophobic intentions: :Moi li sait bien, toi pas voulu guerre :Toi, li Français, c'est kif kif le bon Dieu. Plus loin : :Moi suis content voir Paris : J'suis content, c'est bézef bonno :A couper cabêche aux sales Pruscots :car eux, du tout, pas gentils :As pas peur, as pas peur, Sidi :Si Pruscots venir, moi coupe kiki. During these four years of war, he did not cease to compose warlike songs (''La Dernière victime'', ''La Voix des mourants'', ''La Vision sanglante'', ''Debout les Morts !'', etc.), he would never be mobilised and thus never know the horrors of the front. On the other hand, on the stage of the Olympia, he was wounded in the head singing warlike songs. At the end of the war in 1918, for his good and loyal services, he received the Croix de Guerre.

Disgrace

After the war, Montéhus faced a rather long period of disgrace. He ceased to enroll in the

Popular Front A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...

. He would attempt to redeem himself in 1923 by composing '' La Butte Rouge'' (The Red Mound), which makes reference to the Mound of Bapeaume, theatre of violent battles at the Somme during the offensive of the summer of 1916 (and not, contrary to a common error, the

, strongly evoked in the work of de Montéhus). In this song, he takes on those responsible for the carnage:

..car les bandits qui sont cause des guerres
n'en meurent jamais, on ne tue qu'les innocents.

Support for the Popular Front

During the 1930s, he was a member of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO). At the advent of the Popular Front, at the age of 64, Montéhus was again at the forefront with ''Le décor va changer'', ''Vas-Y Léon !''",''Anthologie de la chanson française année 1936'' ''Le Cri des grévistes'', ''L'Espoir d'un gueux'', songs in which he supported the

and Léon Blum.

Under the Vichy Regime

Montéhus was not sent to a concentration camp, but he was forced to wear the yellow star from 1942 until the

Liberation of France The liberation of France in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany inv ...

. In 1944, he wrote the ''Chant des Gaullistes'' (Song of the Gaullists).

After the Liberation

He received the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

from

Paul Ramadier Paul Ramadier (17 March 1888 in La Rochelle – 14 October 1961 in Rodez) was a French statesman. Biography The son of a psychiatrist, Ramadier graduated in law from the University of Toulouse and started his profession as a lawyer in Par ...

en 1947. All but forgotten, supported only by his family, he died in 1952 in Paris.

Citations

Gloire au 17ème – 1907

:Salut, salut à vous, :Braves soldats du 17ème ; :Salut, braves pioupious, :Chacun vous admire et vous aime ; :Salut, salut à vous, :À votre geste magnifique ; :Vous auriez, en tirant sur nous, :Assassiné la République.

Lettres d'un socialo – 1914

:Certes cela est pénible :Quand on a le cœur sensible :De voir tomber les copains :Mais quand on est sous les armes :On n'doit pas verser de larmes :On accepte le destin.

La Butte Rouge – 1919

:La Butt’ Rouge, c’est son nom, l’baptême s’fit un matin :Où tous ceux qui montaient roulaient dans le ravin. :Aujourd’hui y’a des vignes, il y pousse du raisin. :Qui boira ce vin là, boira l’sang des copains.

References

Book

Rémy Wermester : "Montéhus La lutte en chantant" Editions Elzévir (November 2012) : In the same time, biography, bibliography of the writer under historic ground from "La Belle Epoque" to "Trente Glorieuses".

Bibliography

Marc Robine : « ''Montéhus, Le chansonnier humanitaire. Enregistrements originaux 1905–1936'' » EPM, Paris.

External links

Chansons de Montéhus
(''La Butte rouge'', ''La jeune garde'', ''Les mains blanche'', ...)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montehus 1872 births 1952 deaths Musicians from Paris 19th-century French Jews French Freemasons French Section of the Workers' International politicians French male singers Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour