Thursday 18 January 2018
Tune of the Day: La Carmagnole
Variations for flute and bass instrument
This brilliant set of variations on “La Carmagnole” was written by Italian violinist and composer Giuseppe Maria Cambini in 1794. It was published together with a set of variations on “La Marseillaise” titled “Marche des Marseillois”.
As a song, “La Carmagnole” was created and made popular during the French Revolution, based on a dance tune of the same name that may have been brought into France by the Piedmontese. The title comes from the name of the short jacket worn by working-class militant sans-culottes, adopted from the Piedmontese peasant costume, whose name derives from the town of Carmagnola.