La Fille au Roy Louis - French Song

[faryafaraji]

Vocals and arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a reworking of the original I uploaded in 2021 to correct historical inacurracies and technical errors.

This is a song which likely dates to the 1600's, and seems to be about Saint-Louis, the Crusader king of France who lived in the 13th century. It depicts the fictional love story between his daughter and the dashing knight Déon—the song is an example of the romanticized view of the Middle-Ages as seen through the eyes of Louis XIV's France. The melody has nowadays been popularised with the song "Le Roi Louis, " which repurposes the melody and changes the lyrics to a call for Crusade during the Middle-Ages, that version however is a very modern one, and the lyrics heard here are the original.

With the arrangement, I tried my best to emulate the style of Late Renaissance to Early Baroque music. Music in the era from the Late Middle Ages to the Baroque period saw the Western European rise of polyphony—the simultaneous presence of two or more melodic lines playing at once, which emerged out of early, simple harmonisations of religious chant; said harmonisation called the Organum. The Organum eventually gave way to complex polyphony, which became the obsession of European music from the 1300's up to Mozart's era, where the complexity of polyphony died down and emphasis was put more on individual melodic lines accompanied by harmonic support; in other words, most of today's Western music, which tends to be a melody accompanied with chords.

The 1600's however were the era of Baroque and polyphonic music, and this piece is perfect to exemplify the use of polyphony at the time: the simple melody is repeated throughout all nine minutes of the piece, but other, parallel melodic lines, either vocal or instrumental, run concurrently with it at different times in the music, giving that repeated melodic line a distinct sound and flavour as the piece progresses.

Lyrics in Middle-French :
Le Roi Louis est sur son pont
Tenant sa fille en son giron
Elle se voudrait bien marier
Au beau Déon, franc chevalier

Ma fille, n'aimez jamais Déon
Car c'est un chevalier félon;
C'est le plus pauvre chevalier,
Qui n'a pas vaillant six deniers.

-J'aime Déon, je l'aimerai,
J'aime Déon pour sa beauté,
Plus que ma mère et mes parents,
Et vous mon père, qui m'aimez tant.

-Ma fille, il faut changer d'amour,
Ou vous entrerez dans la tour.
-J'aime mieux rester dans la tour,
Mon père que de changer d'amour.

-Et vite, où sont mes estafiers,
Mes geôliers, mes guichetiers,
Qu'on mette ma fille en la tour :
Elle n'y verra jamais le jour.

Elle y fut bien 7 ans passés
Sans que personne la vint trouver
Au bout de la Septieme année,
Son père vint la visiter

Bonjour ma fille comment vous va
Helas mon pere il va bien mal
L’ai un coté mangé aux vers
Et les deux pieds pourris aux fers

Mon pere avez vous de l’argent
5 à 6 sous tant seulement
C’est pour donner au geolier
Qu’il m’y desserre un peu les pieds

Oui da ma fille nous en avons
Et des milles et des millions
Nous en avons a vous donner
Si vos amours vous les changez

-Avant que changer mes amours,
J'aime mieux mourir dans la tour.
-Eh bien ma fille, vous y mourrez,
De guérison point vous n'aurez.

Le beau Déon, passant par là,
Un mot de lettre lui jeta;
Il y avait dessus écrit:
"Belle, ne le mettez en oubli";

Faites-vous morte ensevelir,
Que l'on vous porte à Saint-Denis;
En terre laissez-vous porter,
Point enterrer ne vous lairrai.

La belle n'y a pas manqué,
Dans le moment a trépassé;
Elle s'est laissé ensevelir,
On l'a portée à Saint-Denis.

Le roi va derrière en pleurant,
Les prêtres vont devant chantant:
Quatre-vingts prêtres, trente abbés,
Autant d'évêques couronnés.

Le beau Déon passant par là:
-Arrêtez, prêtres, halte-là!
C'est m'amie que vous emportez,
Ah! laissez-moi la regarder!

Il tira son couteau d'or fin
Et décousit le drap de lin:
En l'embrassant, fit un soupir,
La belle lui fit un sourire

Ah! voyez quelle trahison
De ma fille et du beau Déon!
Il les faut pourtant marier,
Et qu'il n'en soit jamais parlé.

Sonnez trompettes et violons,
Ma fille aura le beau Déon.
Fillette qu'a envie d'aimer,
Père ne peut l'en empêcher!

Quatre ou cinq de ces jeunes abbés
Se mirent à dire, tout haut riant :
Nous sommes venus pour l'enterrer,
Et nous allons la marier!

[pompeypazova]

Monsieur Farya


Je tenais à vous dire que votre musique est tout simplement fantastique. Elle m'inspire énormément et j'apprécie chaque morceau que vous créez. Je vous envoie mes salutations les plus chaleureuses depuis la Serbie🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸

[yara_amanary]

bro your eternal persuit for authentic representation of historical music changed you

[brianbouquet]

I'm French and I'm very honored that you take interest in our history and our songs. This is glorious. Thank you so much.

[Lardenoy]

Magnifique... j'ai beaucoup chanté cette ballade, jeune homme, vers 1980... j'avais découvert une version interprétée par Yvon Guilcher et Jean François Dutertre (+), chanteurs du futur groupe de folk " Mélusine". ( disque " Ballades Françaises, Le Bourdon . Le Chant du monde 1975).
Ma rêveuse jeunesse.. Cette balade, comme celle du Roi Renaud fut collectée en Valois par le cher Gérard de Nerval : les Filles du Feu, ( Sylvie surtout), Chansons et Légendes du Valois, (publiées vers 1850) montrent l'attachement de l génération romantique aux vestiges de la "chanson populaire " encore transmise à Senlis ou à Chantilly (40 kms de Paris) dans les années de jeunesse de Gérard de Nerval, vers 1820, 1830...
Né à Compiègne ( Oise), je suis très sensible à votre belle interprétation qui me rappelle des promenades de jeunesse au château de Pierrefonds, à Mortefontaine, Senlis ou Montepilloy, berceaux de la "France" ( Île de France), source de l'Art Gothique qui s'épanouit à Saint Denis, Noyon, Laon ou Soissons..

[Radonatorr]

Beautiful work! I'm still waiting for "William Wallace - Epic Scottish Music" tho

[hirsn]

Фарья, очень чувственно и душевно. Много версий песни слушал, твоя – самая лучшая)

[werscyld]

Lyrics in English:

King Louis is at the ready,
Holding his daughter on his lap.
She would like to wed
The handsome Déon, a free knight.

—Daughter, love Déon no more,
For he is a faithless knight:
He is the meanest knight,
Who has not a scant six pence.

—I love Déon; I will love him.
I love Déon for his beauty,
More than my mother and my parents,
And you, Father, who love me so much.

—Daughter, you must change your love,
Or you shall go into the tower.
—I would rather stay in the tower,
Father, than change my love.

—Quick! Where are my guards,
My gaolers, my turnkeys?
Have them put my daughter into the tower:
There she shall no longer see the day.

She spent seven years there
Without anybody coming to find her.
At the end of the seventh year,
Her father came to visit her.

—Good day, Daughter, how is it going for you?
—Alas, Father, it is going very badly.
I have one side eaten by the worms
And both feet rotten from the irons.

Father, have you any money?
Five or six shillings only.
It is to give to the gaoler,
To have him loosen my feet a little.

—Yes, Daughter, we have some,
Even thousands and millions.
We have some to give you,
If you would change your loves.

—Before changing my loves,
I would rather die in the tower.
—Well, Daughter, there you shall die:
You shall have no remedy.

The handsome Déon, passing by,
Threw her a letter.
Thereupon he had written:
‘Beautiful, do not forget it:

‘Make yourself dead, to be enshrouded;
Have them carry you to Saint-Denis.
Let them carry you into the ground:
I will not let you be buried.’

The beauty did not fail.
She passed away in that moment;
She let herself be enshrouded.
They carried her to Saint-Denis.

The king goes behind, weeping;
The priests go before, chanting:
Eighty priests, thirty abbots,
As many crowned bishops.

The handsome Déon passing by:
—Stop, Priests, halt there!
It is my friend that you are carrying.
Ah! Let me look at her!

He drew his knife of fine gold
And unpicked the linen sheet.
Kissing her, he gave a sigh;
The beauty gave him a smile.

—Ah! See what treachery
From my daughter and the handsome Déon!
Yet they must wed,
And may it no more be spoken of.

Sound trumpets and violins:
My daughter shall have the handsome Déon.
Little daughter that longs to love,
Father cannot hinder her.

Four or five of these young abbots
Began to say, laughing out loud:
—We came to bury her,
And we are going to marry her.

Translation by Alejandro Selin
CC BY 4.0

[rafaelbastos]

A Farya Upload a day, keeps historical innacuracy away.

[carlabuchman]

Merci Farya pour cette magnifique chanson

[ZuhaibAhmad-hrwc]

I'm from Pakistan, and i love exploring different music and songs around the world. Though i don't understand all the languages, i like the music and culture.

[alastor]

Je me suis toujours demandé pourquoi le Roy est aussi méchant envers sa fille dans cette chanson, probablement pour marquer les esprits et dépeindre une romantique histoire d'amour... Ce qui a son effet! Merci Farya d'être revenu sur cette œuvre pour le bonheur de nos oreilles x)

[aetheldan]

Wasn’t expecting a new La fille au roi Louis, but I love it. Great work

[AKcedricdu]

In those dark Times, thank you, for all Ur work

[Kestrel-]

Yes! I love this song and had noticed that it had disappeared from my playlist. So glad you uploaded a new version.

[tinercistalin]

This is one of the your under appreciated songs that i love. The flute gave more rural vibes but the more ✨heavenly ✨ voice and that harp thing is gone. Its a very nice suprise !!

[ivehadenough]

Hei, just want to say you're amazing Farya!
I have heard a lot of the songs you, your fantastic mother and whoever else helps put out for free, for everyone to listen.
I'm amazed you always write about the story of the song and include what instruments used for different songs and so on.. and the amount of uploads are amazing! It really shows how much you know and care about different cultures, music, history and your passion for what you are doing! I feel I can't compliment you enough❤
Thank you from my heart for the peace you give me with the knowledge you share and calmness from the music.
I wish you and your loved ones the best🌿 Namaste 🪷

[GustaveIer]

J’adorais l’ancienne version, j’aime encore plus celle là !

[Senka-xyie]

It will perfectly fit into the background music of the game about France of the 16s

[Marijnzor]

Comparing this Renaissance era polyphonic style with Jean-François Dutertre's rendition of La Blanche Biche that you shared in your recent video about medieval music offers such a fun way to experience the change in harmonic and textural styles that happened in the 1500-1600's

Both songs being amazing in their own right, but both so very different