Sur le pont d'Avignon

Pont Saint-Bénézet

Illustration on a calendar sheet from the 19th century.

Sur le pont d'Avignon in the children's book Vieilles Chansons pour les Petits Enfants from 1910

Sur le pont d'Avignon (German "On the Bridge of Avignon") is a French folk song from the 15th century, which is about the Pont Saint-Bénézet , also known as "Pont d'Avignon", in Avignon .

history

The song was originally written by the composer Pierre Certon (not recorded), who published the song under the title Sous le Pont d'Avignon in the 16th century. The version known today was written in the mid-19th century for an opera by Adolphe Adam entitled Sur le Pont d'Avignon . Since then, the song has also had this title.

Probably no one has ever danced on the bridge, just maybe under the bridge, hence in earlier times sous , because on the island of Île de la Barthelasse , which lies in the middle of the Rhone and was previously crossed by the bridge, the city's entertainment districts and fairs were located .

text

1. Sur le pont d'Avignon, On y danse, on y danse, Sur le pont d'Avignon On y danse tous en rond. Les beaux messieurs font comme ça Et puis encore comme ça. Sur le pont d'Avignon, On y danse, on y danse, Sur le pont d'Avignon On y danse tous en rond.

2. Sur le pont d'Avignon, On y danse, on y danse, Sur le pont d'Avignon On y danse tous en rond. Les belles dames font comme ça Et puis encore comme ça. Sur le pont d'Avignon, On y danse, on y danse, Sur le pont d'Avignon On y danse tous en rond.

3. Les officiers font comme ça… 4. Les bébés font comme ça… 5. Les bons amis font comme ça… 6. Les musiciens font comme ça… 7. Et les abbés font comme ça… 8. Et les gamins font comme ça… 9. Les laveuses font comme ça…

dance

In instructions for the implementation of the song as a dance, it is suggested in primary school music didactics to move to the dance during the refrain and to mimic the movements of women, men, soldiers, musicians etc. in the individual stanzas. The German-language text reads: "Do you already know Avignon, let's dance on the bridge ... The men do it like that, and then again like that ..."

Web links

Commons : Sur le pont d'Avignon  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Peter Fuchs: Our songbook for elementary school: Schalmei. Klett Verlag, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3-12-172300-6 , page 6