Descending On France 1780
Chapter 118: Without you, there would be no great revolution.

Chapter 118: Without you, there would be no great revolution.

When Beethoven spoke, many musicians had already started reading the scores, and many hummed the tune.

The tune they hummed was precisely the one Anning was most familiar with—the melody of the Marseillaise.

Beethoven had somehow managed to arrange and orchestrate the piece in just one afternoon, after merely hearing Anning hum the main melody once.

What kind of divine speed was this?

Forget it, one cannot judge a musical sage by common standards.

By this time, the singers had also started reciting the lyrics. Anning listened and couldn’t help feeling that something was off about the lyrics.

Anning remembered that the original lyrics of the Marseillaise were supposed to be about the enemy’s invasion and the freedom of the homeland being on the brink; citizens should take up arms, defend the country, and defend freedom, and the like.

The Marseillaise shouldn’t have the phrase "the great leader calls us to arms," should it?

Thus, Anning directly interrupted the actors who were reading the lyrics: "Hold on! I have an objection to these lyrics!"

Everyone stopped and turned their heads to look at Anning.

Anning said, "Don’t mention me in the lyrics, just emphasize that the ferocious enemy is about to strangle the revolution, and the citizens take up arms amid critical circumstances."

The lyricist, Elinor Omonds, twitched the corner of her mouth slightly: "But at the time of the storming of the Bastille, it was indeed you who led the masses."

—How am I supposed to explain this to you?

Anning, with a face full of confusion, continued: "I was just in that position by chance. Without me, someone else would have stood up to lead the storming of the Bastille. The key is that the outraged citizens are awake; they want to fight for freedom.

"In fact, the first person to stand on the table and call the patriots to fight was the journalist De Mulan. I was just there at the scene, and understood military affairs, so I became the military commander of the people by chance."

Considering that mentioning being hoisted by the masses would be hard for Beethoven and Omnes to accept, Anning chose such an explanation.

Beethoven turned his head to look at the lyricist: "It seems indeed we were mistaken."

Omnes said, "We thought it was you who called out with raised arm..."

"It wasn’t I, so speaking like that wouldn’t that take away the glory from De Mulan and those rising citizens? Remove me, put the focus of the lyrics on the people, emphasize the patriots.

"The lyrics should be from the perspective of a patriot who has taken the stand, calling others like him to defend freedom."

Beethoven, deeply moved, said, "The focus is the masses, the focus is the masses! Come to think of it, I’ve never written a song that praises the masses. Your words have awakened me from a dream!"

The poet also nodded his head: "When I first started writing the lyrics, I was thinking of creating a hymn, never thought that the object of praise should be the people themselves. Yes, on second thought, the revolution is great because the people, the patriots, rose up; they are the real protagonists."

Anning, after hearing their words, breathed a sigh of relief — Damn, the Marseillaise was almost turned into a song praising my deeds, that would have been a sin.

Changing the original intent of the lyrics could have possibly made it less inspiring when sung as a battle hymn in the future.

As Anning was contemplating this, the theater company’s lead male singer, Sean Pont, began applauding, and soon the lead female singer, Yue’er, also started clapping, soon after, everyone clapped forcefully while looking at Anning with adoration.

Anning was astonished: What the hell did I do now?

Sean Pont: "Your Excellency the Lionheart, how noble you are, regarding fame as nothing but dirt!"

Beethoven, clearly moved, said: "You are even greater than I imagined, and even if you stop me, I must write a hymn in your honor."

Hold on, just wait a minute!

Beethoven, in real history, seemed to have indeed written a hymn for a revolutionary of the era, that person was Napoleon.

My goodness, the Heroic Symphony was going to be written for me?

That’s not right; the Heroic Symphony was a work Beethoven wrote in his thirties, marking the full maturity of his compositional style.

Beethoven was merely a 20-year-old youth now, his compositional skills still immature; who knows what he might come up with.

Omnes said: "It shouldn’t take long to change the lyrics now."

Having said this, he turned and ran towards the direction of the dressing room, took a few steps, remembered something, turned his head, and said, "Oh, right—just throw away these lyrics, I will prepare new ones for you all immediately."

Sean Pont waved his hand: "No need, let’s familiarize ourselves with this melody first, once you have finished revising the lyrics, we can immediately start singing them."

Elinor Omonds nodded, feeling reassured before leaving.

Beethoven said, "I will play the melody for everyone!"

He stepped forward, approached the piano, lifted the lid, took a deep breath, and began to play.

The melody of the Marseillaise from another world immediately echoed through the small theater.

Through Beethoven’s hands, the music seemed to grow even more majestic, as if thousands of horses and troops were charging.

During the chorus, everyone sang together: "Forward! Forward! With the enemy’s filthy blood, let us irrigate our fields!"

Now, perhaps the whole Marseillaise, with the same lyrics as the previous era, was reduced to just this line.

After Beethoven finished playing, the theater was filled again with enthusiastic applause.

Anning heard a singing actor sigh: "What a song, truly a magnificent song! Full of power."

Beethoven bowed on stage, then turned to Anning: "How do you find it? Does my composition meet your expectations?"

Anning: "It’s more than just matching, it’s absolutely perfect! You are a remarkably talented young man!"

My goodness, I’m actually calling Beethoven a ’young man’; this feeling... is actually kind of thrilling?

Anning: "Then, I won’t disturb your rehearsal, tonight’s performance is all up to you!"

Beethoven quickly said: "You can go to the lounge where there is coffee and tea-time snacks. You can while away some time there."

"Alright." Anning said and headed towards the lounge.

**

That evening, Anning finally saw the play "Storming of the Bastille" that had recently become the talk of Paris.

Though labeled a short play, its covered timeframe was not brief; it started from the convocation of the Third Estate, with Anning’s famous scene at the very beginning: shouting at the King, "We shall not be moved unless by bayonet."

It then immediately followed with the Oath of the Tennis Court, and in the play, it was also Anning who first suggested moving to the Tennis Court to form the National Assembly.

Eventually, when the King was preparing to really use bayonets against Parliament, Anning resolutely assaulted the Bastille, leading the Patriots of Paris to decisively support the Parliament...

Watching just this play might give one the impression that Anning led the entire French Revolution, that without Anning there would have been no French Revolution.

At the end when the Patriots sang the new version of the Marseillaise, even though the new lyrics no longer mentioned Anning, anyone who had just watched the play would inevitably be enveloped by Anning’s pervasive presence.

With the play’s popularity in Paris, no wonder during the daytime on Liberty Remembrance Day the crowd was so fanatically chanting Anning’s name.

After watching the play, Anning felt inwardly despondent.

If this play continued in Paris, his fame would reach boundless heights.

So, he ran backstage to find Beethoven and other main creators: "This play of yours, it’s not in line with the facts. Let me tell you the real course of events!"

Then, Anning recounted the whole process faithfully, without any concealment.

Subsequently, Beethoven shook his head: "I know you are very modest, but this is too much; how could you have been forced to storm the Bastille? Even if you say so yourself, I cannot believe it!"

The playwright also spoke: "We’ve interviewed many eyewitnesses, and it is from their accounts that we wrote this play. Are you now suggesting those witnesses have all exaggerated their stories?"

They are exaggerating!

Sean Pont intervened to mediate: "Alright, at most we can come out after the play and make a statement, saying the drama was adapted based on many eyewitness accounts, and there may be some exaggeration. Modesty is a virtue; we should satisfy Mr. Frost’s request."

I’m not being modest... Forget it, I’m tired, let it crumble.

Anning gave up.

Anyway, I’m about to flee to Conte, so let Paris think of me what it may; it doesn’t matter anymore.