Au Clair de la Lune

The first known printing of the melody is in the 1811 edition of La Clé du Caveau (Paris). p. 22; BN and JF. Adrien Boieldieu's Les Voitures Versées, performed in St. Petersburg on April 26, 1808, included this melody to other words; as far as is known, the opera was first published about 1820 by Boieldieu Jeune, Paris, the year of its performance in that city--copy at NYPL (melody at p. 185). Ignaz Moscheles' Fantaisie et Variations on the melody, op. 50, were published by Schlesinger, Berlin, in 1821-1822, at LC; and Camille Pleyel's Variations on this air "Chantée dans l'Opéra des Voitures Versées" were published by Ignace Pleyel & Fils, Paris, probably about the same time, at BN.
The first known printing of the words (and the melody) is in Chants et Chansons Populaires de la France, Deuxième Série ([Paris], 1843), on an unnumbered page, the 33rd of 42 songs; BN, BM, LC, NYPL and JF; the Introduction states that this is the first publication of Au Clair de la Lune. It is likely that this general collection was originally published in separate installments commencing about Feb. 26, 1842, and Au Clair de la Lune may have therefore been first published in an earlier installment, but no copy of any such earlier installment has been found. See the only located separate issue at BN (Vmh 2640), particularly the back cover.
The song is sometimes said to have been composed by Lully, but no confirmation of this has been found. Simone Wallon, at BN, wrote the author that the melody is probably from the eighteenth century. Coirault says that the song was called (En) Roulant Ma Brouette in the last quarter d the eighteenth century, but the author has not been able to find a copy of this song under this title printed at any time.
(James J. Fuld, The Book of World-Famous Music, 4th ed., Dover, 1995, pp. 114-115)

Two recordings are at the Virtual Gramophone site [(2) has a different melody].

(1)
Performer: Eva Gauthier, mezzo-soprano with piano
Title: Au clair de la lune ; Il pleut, il pleut, bergere ; Promenade en bateau ; Fais dodo, Colas
Recorded: [21 Jun 1918] , [Camden, NJ] by Victor Talking Machine
Released [Jan 1919]

(2)
Performer: L. Loiseau
Title: Au clair de la lune
Recorded: Montreal QC by E. Berliner
Released [ca 26 oct 1904]

~Masato