French Folk Song

LE BON ROI DAGOBERT

By: Deo Indra
Title: Le bon roi Dagobert
Composer: Charles Ferlus
First publication: 1869
Piece style: Romantic

GENERAL INFORMATION
It acts as a children song to summarize and simplify the story of King
Dagobert I in France. The song itself is not about the actual King Dagobert,
but more to talk about times during the French Revolution. Although its not
directed on King Dagobert, the characters mentioned in the song were real
characters such as King Dagobert, and Saint Eloy who was the Bishop of
Noyon that became the chief counselor.
ROLE OF THE SONG
This traditional song was a phenomenal song that has been passed on from
generation to generation. Although the first recording of this song is around
the 1800s, the people of France still sing this song as it is a childhood song.
After the recordings on 1800, they have also made more recordings of this
song but with different singers. This song was part of French heritage.
IMPORTANCE AS TRADITIONAL
SONG
This is a good example of a traditional folk song because it has morals on the
song and the song was made a long time ago. This traditional song also proved
to be a song that still exists although the eras have changed. It remained to the
hearts of citizens of France until this day because this song have been a part
of their lives, and is one good example as one of their children songs.
WHY IT IS A GOOD TRADITIONAL
SONG
Exactly when and exactly where this song will be sung is unidentified but
those who sing it are probably parents or teachers who sing it to the children
or students so they can remember it. This song was probably known to
everybody who are old enough.
PLACE OF THE SONG
LYRICS
Le bon roi Dagobert
Avait sa culotte l'envers
Le grand saint Eloi lui dit :
"O mon roi, votre majest
Est mal culotte"
"C'est vrai, lui dit le roi,
Je vais la remettre l'endroit.
Le bon roi Dagobert
Chassait dans la plaine d'Anvers
Le grand saint Eloi lui dit :
"O mon roi, votre majest
Est bien essouffle"
"C'est vrai, lui dit le roi,
Un lapin courait aprs moi."
"C'est vrai, lui dit le roi,
Un lapin courait aprs moi."
"C'est vrai, lui dit le roi,
Un lapin courait aprs moi."
Le bon roi Dagobert
Voulait s'embarquer sur la mer

Le grand saint Eloi lui dit :
"O mon roi Votre majest
Se fera noyer"
"C'est vrai, lui dit le roi,
On pourra crier : le roi boit !"
Le bon roi Dagobert
Mangeait en glouton du dessert
Le grand saint Eloi lui dit :
"O mon roi vous tes gourmand
Ne mangez pas tant"
"C'est vrai, lui dit le roi,
Je ne le suis pas tant que toi"
Le bon roi Dagobert
Avait un grand sabre de fer
Le grand saint Eloi lui dit :
"O mon roi, votre majest
Pourrait se blesser"
"C'est vrai lui dit le roi,
Qu'on me donne un sabre de bois."
Le bon roi Dagobert
Se battait tort travers
Le grand saint Eloi lui dit
"O mon roi, votre majest
Se fera tuer"
"C'est vrai, lui dit le roi
Viens vite te mettre devant moi"
Le bon roi Dagobert
Craignait fort d'aller en enfer
Le grand saint Eloi lui dit :
"O mon roi, je crois bien, ma foi
Qu' vous irez tout droit"
"C'est vrai lui dit le roi,
Ne peux-tu pas prier pour moi ?"
Quand Dagobert mourut
Le diable aussitt accourut
Le grand saint Eloi lui dit :
"O mon roi, Satan va passer
Faut vous confesser"
"Hlas, lui dit le roi,
Ne pourrais-tu mourir pour moi ?"
The good King Dagobert
Had his breeches inside out.
The great Saint Eloy told him,
"Oh my king, your Majesty
Has his breeches inside out."
"Indeed," the king told him,
"I'm going to put them right side out."
The good King Dagobert
Was hunting in the Antwerp plain.
The great Saint Eloy told him,
"Oh my king, your Majesty
Is out of breath."
"Indeed," the king told him,
"A rabbit was running after me.
The good King Dagobert
Wanted to sail on the sea.
The great Saint Eloy told him,
"Oh my king, your Majesty
Will drown."
"Indeed," the king told him,
TRANSLATION
"They might yell, 'The king drinks!'
The good King Dagobert
Was greedily eating his dessert.
The great Saint Eloy told him,
"Oh my king, you're greedy,
Don't eat so much."
"Indeed," the king told him,
"I'm not as greedy as you are.
The good King Dagobert
Was writing verses the wrong way.
The great Saint Eloy told him,
"Oh my king, let fools
Write songs."
"Indeed," the king told him,
"You will write them for me."
The good King Dagobert
Had a big iron saber.
The great Saint Eloy told him,
"Oh my king, your Majesty
Could get hurt."

"Indeed," the king told him,
"Let them give me a wooden saber.
The good King Dagobert
Was fighting wildly.
The great Saint Eloy told him,
"Oh my king, your Majesty
Will get killed."
"Indeed," the king told him,
"Come quickly and stand before me.
The good King Dagobert
Greatly feared going to hell.
The great Saint Eloy told him,
"Oh my king, I believe, by my faith,
That you'll go right there."
"Indeed," the king told him,
"Can't you pray for me?
As soon as Dagobert died
The devil came running.
The great Saint Eloy told him,
"Oh my king, Satan's coming soon,

You have to confess."
"Alas," the king told him,
"Couldn't you die for me?"
This song was telling the story/plot of the first King Dagoberts life into a
song. This song had moral of saying to not always think that we are right, and
other peoples opinion is wrong. People should not be egoistic and take time
to listen to other people. Like in this song, where King Dagobert did not
follow the advices of Saint Eloy and in the end Dagobert was taken away by
Satan.
MEANING OF LYRICS
Family Instruments: Percussion and Brass
Instruments: Trumpet, piano and tambourine
How so?: The use of the trumpet was only at the beginning to introduce the
song. The piano was the main instrument playing the melody of the song
while the tambourine was just to keep the beat of the song.
INSTRUMENTS/INSTRUMENT
FAMILIES
Melody: The melody of the song is singable and flowing because the tune
repeats itself at times.
Tempo: This particular piece has the tempo of Andante and it does not change
throughout the whole song. Accelerando and Ritardando did not occur at all.
Harmony: This piece was in major because the sounds can be distinguished.
The instruments that were playing are piano, trumpet, and tambourine. All
instruments played a simple tune.
Meter: The meter that is in this particular song is complex duple because the
beat had different variety and pattern instead of one single type of beat.
Rhythm: The rhythm of the song is repeated quite a lot of times and has no
different ones. The rhythm of this song is simple.
MUSIC ELEMENTS
Dynamics: The appropriate dynamics for this song would be mezzo forte
because the song wasnt loud and wasnt soft either. Since there is no middle
volume in dynamics, the song was almost loud and that is why it is mezzo forte.
Timbre: For this version of the song, I can hear three instruments playing. All
three of them belong to the family of percussion. The instruments were
piano, trumpet, and tambourine.
Texture: This song has a texture of monophonic because there is only one singer
with one melody.
Text setting: The text setting is syllabic because each syllable only gets one note
for itself.

MUSIC ELEMENTS CONT.
How does these affect the song?
These music elements that are included in the song affects the music by
making the song have natural flows and can be sung by many people.
Which elements seemed to be most important?
Some of the most important elements were the rhythm and the melody of the
song. This is because these elements made most of the structure of the song.
Why do you think those elements are emphasized?
Since it is a children song, they wanted to make the song easier to sing and
memorize although there arent any chorus but verses. If this happens, the
children can know the song and have it in memory quicker.
MUSIC ELEMENTS CONT. 2
"Le bon roi Dagobert, Op.60 (Ferlus, Charles)." - IMSLP/Petrucci Music
Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
<http://imslp.org/wiki/Le_bon_roi_Dagobert,_Op.60_(Ferlus,_Charles)>
Parlomes, Monique. "Good King Dagobert." Mama Lisa's World of Children
and International Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2977&c=22>.
"Le bon roi Dagobert." YouTube. YouTube, 10 May 2010. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqKjdSjNgRU>.
"24 Best-Loved French Folk Songs." Smithsonian Folkways . N.p., n.d. Web.
20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.folkways.si.edu/andre-claveau-and-mathe-
altery/24-best-loved-french-folk-songs/world/music/album/smithsonian>.


CITATION