Was Frère Jacques about a lazy monk? It is thought the French nursery rhyme 'Frère Jacques' is about a friar who has overslept and forgotten to ring the bells for the matins. The song dates, probably, to around 1780. Here are the lyrics to 'Frère Jacques'.
Frère Jacques English lyrics
Are you sleeping
Are you sleeping?
Brother John
Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing
Morning bells are ringing
Ding ding dong
Ding ding dong
Frère Jacques French lyrics
Frère Jacques
Frère Jacques
Dormez vous?
Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines
Sonnez les matines
Ding ding dong
Ding ding dong
What is Frère Jacques about?
The song tells ther story of a frère (or friar) who has overslept. The lyrics of the song urge Frère Jacques to wake up and sound the bell for les matines, or matins - early morning prayers. You'll note than in the original French, Jacques is urged to wake up and go and ring the bells (Sonnez les matines!), whereas in the English translation the bells are already ringing and it's time to get up. Why the change? The rhythm of the words works better that way in English...
Which classical work features the melody from Frère Jacques?
Did you know the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler's march in the third movement of his Symphony No. 1 is based on the Frère Jacques melody? The idea was to depict a procession of animals attending a hunter’s funeral.
Mahler transposes the melody from a major to a minor key. The effect is to give feel of a funeral march. Interestingly, Mahler himself may not have been the cause of this change from major to minor. Instead, it's possible that, in 19th-century Austria, the song was sung this way. Either way, Mahler would have known the tune by its German name, 'Bruder Martin'.
Main image © Getty Images