Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. It was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the First French Republic declared war against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de Guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" ("War Song for the Army of the Rhine").
The French National Convention adopted it as the First Republic's anthem in 1795. The song acquired its nickname after being sung in Paris by Fédérés (volunteers) from Marseille marching to the capital. Its evocative melody and lyrics have led to its widespread use as a song of revolution and its incorporation into many pieces of classical and popular music.
In 2013, the Italian violinist Guido Rimonda pointed out that the incipit of Giovanni Battista Viotti's "Tema e variazioni in Do maggiore" strongly resembles the anthem. This incipit was first thought to have been published before "La Marseillaise", but that appears to be a misconception, as Viotti published several variations on "La Marseillaise" in 1795 and wrote as a note "I have never composed the quartets below" (Je n'ai jamais composé les quatuors ci dessous).
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