BMM 1 - Do You Hear the People Sing

 

Do you hear the people sing,
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of the people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums,
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

 

Will you join in our crusade?
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Then join in the fight
That will give you the right to be free!

 

Do you hear the people sing,
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of the people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums,
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

 

Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance?
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!

 

Do you hear the people sing,
Singing the song of angry men?
It is the music of the people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums,
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes! 

 

From Wikipedia: "Do You Hear the People Sing?" (French: À la volonté du peuple, literally To the will of the people, in the original French version) is one of the principal and most recognizable songs from the 1980 musical Les Misérables. It is sung twice in the opening and closing section of the stage musical.

 

The song, composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg (music), Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel (original French lyrics), and Herbert Kretzmer (English lyrics) is first sung in Act I by Enjolras and the other students at the ABC Cafe as they prepare themselves to launch a rebellion in the streets of Paris during the funeral procession of General Jean Maximilien Lamarque. The song is sung again in the finale as the concluding song of the musical. This second version, which immediately follows a number by Jean Valjean and others, is sung by the entire cast with revised lyrics, and becomes progressively louder and thunderous with each stanza.

 

The song is a revolutionary call for people to overcome adversity. The "barricades" referred to in the song are erected by the rebel students in the streets of Paris in the musical's second act. They are to draw the National Guard into combat and ignite a civilian uprising to overthrow the government, but their rebellion eventually fails. But in the finale this song transitions into a hymn when all anticipate a world full of peace, freedom, and liberation for all mankind.

 

My own thoughts: I never had a lot of patience for long movies, let alone musicals. Anything that lasts more than two hours makes me fidgety. 

 

That said, Les Misérables was a huge exception. When the 2012 movie came out, it held my interest from beginning to end, and it was this song in particular that convinced me to give Les Mis a try. I fell in love with the version sung by Michael Maguire, but the 2012 film version was done quite well, too. 

 

Notre Dame on Fire

The Notre Dame cathedral, dating all the way back to the Middle Ages, was caught in a terrible fire today.

It's believed to have been an accident involving the reconstruction (due to how old the building is, some renovations are necessary to keep it together), though they haven't fully ruled out arson. That didn't stop some people from pointing the finger at terrorists, or making crude jokes about religion.

Thankfully, the firefighters were able to salvage most of the building and its relics (they just barely saved the bell tower, which would have been disastrous due to those enormous bells), and nobody was hurt. Even the firefighters made it out in one piece, as far as I can tell. That's what matters more than anything.

Of course, that's not to say the damage to the building isn't appalling. The main spire and most of the roof are gone, and some of the centuries-old art and relics weren't exactly portable.

 

And the absence of bodily injury doesn't undermine the emotional injury at all. This is a huge blow to everyone: the French, the Catholics, the artists, the architects, the historians. There's something about Notre Dame for everyone to love and respect, and it's just such a big piece of our history. It's France's crown jewel.

I've dubbed this disaster "the nightmare of a million artists come true." I'm already gutted when I lose a few drawings or stories I haven't quite backed up; I can't imagine a loss the size of Notre Dame.

Still, all things considered, the outcome was nothing short of a miracle. While it's awful that this had to happen in the first place, it could have been a million times worse.

I was introduced to Notre Dame through Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, one of my all-time favorite movies. So yes, I watched a few clips today, particularly "Out There" and "God Help the Outcasts," since that's where you get a real eyeful of the cathedral; the animation is nothing short of exquisite.

I also felt the need to draw some kind of tribute. I may or may not color it later; I just wanted to make something.

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