“Marseillaise” was a song composed and written by Rouget de Lisle. The composition of this song was requested by the mayor of Strasbourg, who wanted a song to encourage the army to defend their territory. The song became famous in the territory and was a tool used in the realization of the French revolution. The song comprised phrases that encouraged brevity. “International” was also a song written in France in June 1871 by Eugene Pontier. The words were later transformed into music by Pierre de Geyter in 1888. The song melody was originally intended to be the same as the “Marseillaise”, but a new melody was formulated to be distinct (Wiesner 74).
The two songs had various similarities in their composition and style. When it came to the area of composition, France was the country where the message of the two songs was widely adopted. The message in the two songs was “pooling” together –resources and strength -to fight for the common good. Another aspect that brought similarities to both songs was the original language used in their composition. French was used before being translated to other languages.
The popularity of the two songs amongst the masses saw them being adopted by various countries. The songs have been used as national anthems and by movements that want to bring revolutions to the status quo. Despite the above argument, the songs differed in various aspects and content. “Marseillaise” called upon the army to defend the territory which was under threat. On the other hand, “International” was an awake up call to the workers to rise up for their rights. In this case, the” Marseillaise” encourages the army against external aggressors while “International” addresses the citizens against fellow citizens.
Works cited
Wiesner, Merry. et al. Discovering the Western Past, Volume I: A Look at the Evidence: To 1789. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print.