Following the war with the Barbary Pirates in 1805, when Lieutenant
P.N. O'Bannon and his small force of Marines participated in the capture of
Derne and hoisted the American flag for the first time over a fortress of
the Old World, the Colors of the Corps was inscribed with the words:
"To the Shores of Tripoli." After the Marines had participated in
the capture and occupation of Mexico City and the Castle of Chapultepec,
otherwise known as the "Halls of Montezuma," the words on the
Colors were changed to read: "From the Shores of Tripoli to the Halls
of Montezuma." Following the close of the Mexican War came the first
verse of the Marines' Hymn, written, according to tradition, by a Marine on
duty in Mexico. For the sake of euphony, the unknown author transposed the
phrases in the motto on the Colors so that the first two lines of the Hymn
would read: "From the Halls of Montezuma, To the Shores of
Tripoli."
A serious attempt to trace the tune of the Marines' Hymn to its
source is revealed in correspondence between Colonel A.S. McLemore, USMC,
and Walter F. Smith, second leader of the Marine Band. Colonel McLemore
wrote: "Major Richard Wallach, USMC, says that in 1878, when he was in
Paris, France, the aria to which the Marines' Hymn is now sung was a very
popular one." The name of the opera and a part of the chorus was
secured from Major Wallach and forwarded to Mr. Smith, who replied:
"Major Wallach is to be congratulated upon a wonderfully accurate
musical memory, for the aria of the Marine Hymn is certainly to be found in
the opera, 'Genevieve de Brabant'...The melody is not in the exact form of
the Marine Hymn, but is undoubtedly the aria from which it was taken. I am
informed, however, by one of the members of the band, who has a Spanish
wife, that the aria was one familiar to her childhood and it may, therefore,
be a Spanish folk song."
In a letter to Major Harold F. Wirgman, USMC, dated October 21,
1936, John Philip Sousa wrote: "The melody of the 'Halls of
Montezuma'is taken from Offenbach's comic opera, 'Genevieve de Brabant' and
is sung by two gendarmes." Most people believe that the aria of the
Marines' Hymn was, in fact, taken from "Genevieve de Brabant," an
opera-bouffe (a farcical form of opera, generally termed musical comedy)
composed by Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880), and presented at the Theatre de
Bouffes Parisiens, Paris, on November 19, 1859.
Offenbach was born in Cologne, Germany, June 21, 1819 and died
October 5, 1880. He studied music from an early age and in 1838 entered the
Paris Conservatoire as a student. In 1834 he was admitted as a
violoncellist to the Opera Comique and soon attained much popularity with
Parisien audiences. He became conductor of the Theatre Francais in 1847 and
subsequently leased the Theatre Comte, which he reopened as the
Bouffes-Parisiens. Most of his operas are classed as comic (light and
fanciful) and include numerous popular productions, many of which still hold
a high place in European and American countries.
Genevieve de Brabant was the wife of Count Siegfried of Brabant.
Brabant, a district in the central lowlands of Holland and Belgium, formerly
constituted an independent duchy. The southern portions were inhabited by
Walloons, a class of people now occupying the southeastern part of Belgium,
especially the provinces of Liege, Arlon and Namur.
Every campaign the Marines have taken part in gives birth to an
unofficial verse. For example, the following from Iceland:
"Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in ev'ry clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job--
The United States Marines.
"Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines."
Ex-Gunnery Sergeant H.L. Tallman, veteran observer in Marine Corps
Aviation who participated in many combat missions with Marine Corps Aviation
over the Western Front in World War I, first proposed the change at a
meeting of the First Marine Aviation Force Veterans Association in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Many interesting stories have been associated with the Marines'
Hymn. One of the best was published in the Stars and Stripes, the
official newspaper of the AEF, under date of August 16, 1918.
"A wounded officer from among the gallant French lancers had
just been carried into a Yankee field hospital to have his dressing changed.
He was full of compliments and curiosity about the dashing contingent that
fought at his regiment's left.
'A lot of them are mounted troops by this time', he explained, 'for
when our men would be shot from their horses, these youngsters would give
one running jump and gallop ahead as cavalry. I believe they are soldiers
from Montezuma. At least, when they advanced this morning, they were all
singing "From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of
Tripoli."
The Marines' Hymn has been sung and played in all of the four
corners of the earth and today is recognized as one of the foremost service
songs.
Reference Section, History and Museums Division, February 1996
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