Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!

Subject: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: KathyW
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 09:21 PM

I'm looking for a song, perhaps someone can help.

Reading "Two Years Before the Mast" by Richard Dana, I found a reference to French sailors singing a song that Dana describes as "a spirited thing called 'Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!'"

Does anyone know what song this might be? It seems that there is a song called "Sentinelle, prenez garde à vous!" in a comic opera by Michael Balfe, "Les Quatre Fils Aymon" (also performed in English as "The Castle Aymon" or "The Four Brothers") but that opera apparently was first performed in 1844 and Dana's book is about a voyage that began in 1834.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 29 Feb 12 - 09:36 PM

I haven't time to do much at the moment (I'm just waiting for something to finish, then I'm off to bed - 02:30 uk), but this book: Bibliographie musicale ...(p125) from 1822 has Sentinelle.. - couplets avec accompagnement de piano. So there was at least one song with that title predating 1834.

Mick

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Monique
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 02:13 AM

Les quatre fils Aymon at the BNF. I couldn't find a sheet music so far.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: KathyW
Date: 01 Mar 12 - 09:17 PM

That 1822 song reference is a useful lead! It is at least plausible that it is the right song.

I know of many online collections of scans of old English-language songs, I wonder if there are any of French songs?

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 12:09 AM

http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/napoleon/search/printsdetail.php?ID=15&doctype=Prints&sitelanguage=english

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 12:25 AM

Chantey lover may want to seA this:

http://www.yellowzeppelin.net/twoyears/twoyearsmain.html

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: KathyW
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:06 AM

Regarding the "Two Years Before The Mast" information on yellowzeppelin.net-- Actually, that's my own website. :-)

I'm glad you found it interesting!

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:11 AM

There is a thing that some writers do to 'prove' to themselves whether other writers are 'cribbing' from them, and I cannot recall the word for it. They put a phrase in their work--or a title--of something that doesn't exist. If they find it quoted, they know the people doing the quotes are fullovit. This may be one of them.

I do hope someone can tell me the word (term).

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:19 AM

That's yours? It's GREAT! No kidding.

The book was one of my favourites as a youth, and I still like it now. Wow. You ma'am, are something else.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: KathyW
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:27 AM

I don't think Dana inserted an imaginary song title to prove people were cribbing from him. "Sentinelles, prenez garde à vous," is a French watchman's cry and as such is not an unusual phrase. It's more likely that (1) it isn't the name of the song, it's just part of it that Dana remembered or (2) the song is sufficiently obscure that it is hard to find so long after the fact.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: KathyW
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:29 AM

And thanks for your kind words about the web page. I found it helped me to take notes as I was reading, and once I did, I figured I might as well post it....

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:30 AM

Given that and your knowledge, I will spend time looking. May I ask whether you know any other lines--phrases--from the song?

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:33 AM

O, ma'am, your page is great. Actually I 'bookmarked' it so I could re-read it. (I skimmed it first time 'round.)

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: KathyW
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:35 AM

All I've got is what Dana wrote: a spirited thing called "Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!" And it can't be the one from the 1844 opera because the events in the book took place much earlier.

Needless to say, "Oh No, We Never Mention Him" was much easier to track down... :-)

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:37 AM

Dana wrote it?

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: KathyW
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:41 AM

I'm looking for the song Dana mentions in his book, "Two Years Before The Mast," as follows:

"After these national tributes had been paid, the Austrian gave us a very pretty little love-song, and the Frenchmen sang a spirited thing called "Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!" and then followed the melange which might have been expected."

The voyage was two years long and began in 1834. That's all I know.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 01:45 AM

'"Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!" and then followed the melange'

That indicates it was part of a larger 'work', no?

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: GUEST,Robin H
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 06:00 AM

I don't know if it has anything to do with it, but I have found a reference (from another comic opera) from 1829. In the book Revue de la musique dramatique en France by Félix Crozet (try Google Books), it says (page 289 - translation mine, sorry in advance for any clumsiness):

Pierre et Catherine, one act comic opera, music by Ad. Adam, performed on february 1829.
This was the first opera by Adolphe Adam. (...) The introduction: Sentinelle, prenez garde à vous, is well composed, and the chorus is well presented. (...)

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 03:59 PM

Not the first comic opera by Adolphe Adam. His first was the operette (light opera) Le Mal du pays ou La Bateliere de Brientz, 28 Dec. 1827.
In 1829, Pierre et Catherine was performed at the Opera-Comique, Salle Feydea in February; he provided incidental music for Isaure, a drama, in October 1829.

He was prolific; a long list of his works (vaudeville, opera comique, incidental music), 1824-1856, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_operas_by_Adam

Biography in Groves.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 04:50 PM

From the opera comique, Pierre et Catherine-
Couplets
Ulrich (a character in the opera)
Dans cett' chaumière
Est mon trésor,
Celle qui m'est chère
Y repose encor.
Et de ma belle
J' suis si jaloux,
Qui j' garde celle
Dont j' s'rai j'époux.

Chœur
Sentinell', sentinelle;
Prenez garde à vous!
*
Second Chorus
Elle est l'idole
D' tous les soldats,
Moi j'en raffolle,
Je n' m'em cache pas;
Mais de ma belle
J' suis si jaloux,
Que j' garde celle
Dont'j s'rai l'epoux

Chœur

Sentilell', sentinelle
Prenez garde à vous.

The soldiers, Pierre, etc., join in:
..........
Pierre sings:
Avec tant d'amis de sa belle,
Il est permis d'&@233;tre jaloux;
Sentinell', sentinelle,
Prenez garde à vous.

Dialogue between the characters.

Look up Pierre et Catherine: opera-comique en un acte- Google Books.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 04:56 PM

*Didn't have my HTML on the desk. I hope my accents from memory were correct.
Correction, Pierre sings, second line- Il est permis d'étre jaloux;

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Jeri
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 05:24 PM

Picky me: I believe it's "d'être".

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 06:30 PM

Should have been être = être

Mick

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 07:05 PM

I found other songs with the title, but none that fit.
I wonder if someone took those lines and the tune from the opera and filled out lyrics to make a complete song.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: KathyW
Date: 02 Mar 12 - 09:14 PM

Wow, guys, this is very helpful. Thank you! There's no proving that the song from the Adam opera is the right one, but it is certainly possible.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 03 Mar 12 - 03:02 PM

A large number of cds have material by Adolphe Adam (Mostly Gisele, Cantique de Noel, one of his comic operas (but not Pierre et Catherine), and some overtures and selected songs, but did not find one with "Sentinelle! Prenez......."

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: KathyW
Date: 05 Mar 12 - 06:32 PM

Upon further searching, it turns out that the Library of Congress has the score for "Pierre et Catherine" on microfilm, so I'm going to request a copy of the song. Thanks again to everyone who helped me with this.

Subject: RE: Sentinelle! O prenez garde a vous!
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 06 Mar 12 - 02:37 PM

The text for the comic opera is online, as noted above. It would be interesting if you find sheet music for the song that differs from the libretto.