Frère Jacques: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|French children's song}}

'''Frère Jacques''' is a well-known children's song. It can be sung as a simple melody or as a [[round (music)|round]] with up to four parts.

{{For|the Eurovision Song Contest song|Frère Jacques (Anne-Marie Besse song)}}

{{use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Frère Jacques

| cover = Vielles Chansons et Rondes pour les Petits Enfants 22.jpg

| cover_size = 280px

| alt =

| caption = [[File:Vielles Chansons et Rondes pour les Petits Enfants 23.jpg|frameless|280px]]

| type = [[Nursery rhyme]]

| language = French

| English_title = "Brother John"

| written =

| published =

| writer = Traditional

| composer =

| lyricist =

}}

"'''Frère Jacques'''" ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|f|r|ɛər|ə|_|ˈ|ʒ|ɑː|k|ə}}, {{IPA|fr|fʁɛʁ(ə) ʒak|lang}}), also known in English as "'''Brother John'''", is a [[nursery rhyme]] of French origin. The rhyme is traditionally sung in a [[Round (music)|round]].

==French version==

The song is popularly believed to be French in origin, and even in the English-speaking world, it is frequently sung in French (though typically with a somewhat anglicised pronunciation).

The song is about a [[friar]] who has overslept and is urged to wake up and sound the bell for the [[matins]], the midnight or very early morning prayers for which a friar would be expected to be awake.

[[Image:Frère Jacques.png|thumb|500px|Music and lyrics to Frère Jacques]]

Frère Jacques,<br>

Frère Jacques,<br>

Dormez-vous?<br>

Dormez-vous?<br>

Sonnez les matines!<br>

Sonnez les matines!<br>

Din, dan, don.<br>

Din, dan, don.

==English versionLyrics==

<poem lang="fr" style="float:left;">&nbsp;

The English version is a slightly free translation; some details (e.g. the name of the bell ringer) are changed, presumably to better fit a rhyme:

Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,

Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?

Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!

Din, din, don. Din, din, don.<ref>[https://www.partitions-domaine-public.fr/pdf/253/Traditionnel-Frere-Jacques.html "Frère Jacques"], partitions-domaine-public.fr</ref></poem>

<poem style="margin-left:1em; float:left;">'''English translation'''

Brother Jacques, Brother Jacques,

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?

Ring/Sound [the bells for] [[matins]]! Ring [the bells for] matins!

Ding, ding, dong. Ding, ding, dong.</poem>

<poem style="margin-left:1em; float:left;">'''Traditional English lyrics'''<!-- Do not change the below translation unless you can provide a source for it or have a consensus at the Talk page supporting your change. -->

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?

Brother John, Brother John,

Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing!

Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.<ref>[https://www.partitions-domaine-public.fr/pdf/8459/Traditionnel-Brother-John.html "Brother John"], partitions-domaine-public.fr</ref></poem>{{clear|left}}

[[File:Frère Jacques.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|[[File:Frère Jacques.ogg]] melody only]]

[[File:YB4001Canon Frere Jacques.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Sheet music as a round, without repetition of each half line[[File:YB4001Canon Frere Jacques.mid]]]]

{{Listen|type=music|filename=Frère Jacques.mid|title="Frère Jacques" as a round, in C}}

{{Image frame|mode=no|content=

<score raw sound>

\header { tagline = ##f }

% LilyPond doesn't easily want to align 4 voices, some with different lengths.

Are you sleeping,<br>

% So we create a print score, using 2 voices with some chords, and a MIDI score of 4 voices.

Are you sleeping,<br>

global = { \key f \major \time 4/4 }

Brother John?<br>

firstP = \relative c'' { \global \repeat unfold 2 { \stemUp c8 d c bes a4 f } \bar "||" }

Brother John?<br>

secondP = \relative c'' { \global \repeat unfold 2 { \stemDown <a f>4 <bes g c,> <c f,>2 } }

Morning bells are ringing,<br>

thirdP = \relative c' { \global \repeat unfold 2 { \stemDown s2. f4 } }

Morning bells are ringing.<br>

Ding, dang, dong.<br>

Ding, dang, dong.

first = \relative c' { \global \repeat unfold 2 { f4\fff g a f } }

For other languages, see the article [[Translations of Frère Jacques]].

second = \relative c'' { \global \repeat unfold 2 { a4 bes c2 } }

third = \relative c'' { \global \repeat unfold 2 { c8 d c bes a4 f } }

fourth = \relative c' { \global \repeat unfold 2 { f4\pppp c f2 } }

kords = \chordmode { \repeat unfold 2 { f4 c:7 f2 } }

==Other lyrics==

The song, like many other children's songs, has had other lyrics made popular to its melody, such as "Where is Thumbkin?":

\score {

Where is Thumbkin?<br>

<<

Where is Thumbkin?<br>

\new ChordNames { \kords }

Here I am!<br>

\new Staff << \firstP \\ \secondP \\ \thirdP >>

Here I am!<br>

>>

How are you today, Sir?<br>

\layout { }

I'm very well, thank you!<br>

}

Run and hide!<br>

Run and hide!

% The MIDI part plays the 4 voices, but not the chords.

Another version replaces "run and hide" with "run away". There are several other verses in the song "Where is Thumbkin?"<ref>http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/thumbkin.htm</ref>.

\score {

<<

\new Staff \with { midiInstrument = "trumpet" } \new Voice \first

\new Staff \with { midiInstrument = "violin" } \new Voice \second

\new Staff \with { midiInstrument = "celesta" } \new Voice \third

\new Staff \with { midiInstrument = "tuba" } \new Voice \fourth

>>

\midi { \tempo 4=102 }

}

</score>

|caption=All four parts simultaneous: [[authentic cadence]]}}

The song concerns a friar's duty to ring the morning bells ({{lang|fr|matines}}). Frère Jacques has apparently overslept; it is time to ring the morning bells, and someone wakes him up with this song.<ref>{{cite book |first = David S. |last = Landes |title = The Wealth and Poverty of Nations |url = https://archive.org/details/wealthpovertyofn00land |url-access = registration |publisher = W. W. Norton |___location = New York |year = 1998 |page = [https://archive.org/details/wealthpovertyofn00land/page/48 48] |isbn = 9780393040173 }}</ref> The traditional English translation preserves the scansion, but alters the meaning such that Brother John is being awakened by the bells.

In India, English-speaking children are taught another version of this rhyme in the nursery. Perhaps it is related to the monsoon season on the Indian subcontinent:

In English, the word ''[[friar]]'' is derived from the [[Old French]] word {{lang|fro|frere}} (Modern French {{lang|fr|frère}}; "brother" in English), as French was still widely used in official circles in England during the 13th century when [[Friar#Orders|the four great orders of Friars]] started. The French word ''frère'' in turn comes from the Latin word {{lang|la|frater}} (which also means "brother").<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=friar |title = friar |work = Online Etymology Dictionary }}</ref>

The French name ''[[Jacques#Jacques as given name|Jacques]]'' would not ordinarily be translated to "John", which is "Jean" in French. The name Jacques, instead, corresponds to the English names ''James'' or ''Jacob'', which derive from the [[Latin]] ''Iacobus'' and the [[Koine Greek|Greek]] Ἰακώβος ([[Septuagint]]al Greek Ἰακώβ), referring to the [[Patriarchs (Bible)|Biblical Patriarch]] [[Jacob]] and [[James the Apostle (disambiguation)|the apostles known in English as James]].

I hear thunder,<br>

I hear thunder,<br>

Hark don't you? (oh don't you)<br>

Hark don't you? (oh don't you)<br>

Pit-a-patter raindrops,<br>

Pit-a-patter raindrops,<br>

I'm wet through,<br>

I'm wet through (so are you).

=== Theories of origin ===

==Discussion==

A possible connection between "Frère Jacques" and the 17th century [[Lithotomy|lithotomist]] [[Frère Jacques Beaulieu]] (also known as Frère Jacques Baulot<ref>[http://beaufort39.free.fr/baulot.htm Jacques Baulot], beaufort39.free.fr (in French)</ref><ref>{{cite book |title = Un célèbre lithotomiste franc-comtois: Jacques Baulot dit Frère Jacques (1651–1720) |first = E. |last = Bourdin |publisher = Besançon |year = 1917 }}</ref>), as claimed by [[Irvine Loudon]]<ref>{{cite book |title = Western Medicine |first = Irvine |last = Loudon |publisher = Oxford University Press |year = 2001 |isbn = 0-19-924813-3 }}</ref> and many others, was explored by J. P. Ganem and C. C. Carson<ref>{{cite journal |title = Frère Jacques Beaulieu: from rogue lithotomist to nursery rhyme character |last1 = Ganem |first1=J. P.|last2 = Carson |first2=C. C.|journal=[[The Journal of Urology]]|date = April 1999 |volume = 161 |issue = 4 |pages = 1067–1069 |pmid= 10081839 |doi=10.1016/s0022-5347(01)61591-x}}</ref> without finding any evidence for a connection.

The most common English translation of ''Frère Jacques'' has a distinctly different meaning than the standard French version. "Matines" corresponds to [[matins]], or morning prayers. This would imply that the subject of the verse, ''Frère Jacques'', is a [[friar]] or [[monk]]. The French verb "sonnez" is the imperative second person formal form of the verb "sonner". The infinitive "sonner" means "to sound", as in sounding a bell; for example, a bell used to call people to morning prayers. "Sonnez" would not normally be used to address one's fraternal brother, but a superior or someone with whom the singer had a more formal relationship.

Martine David and A. Marie Delrieu suggest that "Frère Jacques" might have been created to mock the [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] friars, known in France as the Jacobin order, for their sloth and comfortable lifestyles.<ref>[http://www.webdonline.com/fr/services/forums/message.asp?id=298382&msgid=4831545&poster=0&ok=0 ''Refrains d'enfants, histoire de 60 chansons populaires'', Martine David, A. Marie Delrieu, Herscher, 1988.]</ref>

This gives the verse a potentially darker tone in its most prevalent French form than in its common English version. This conjecture seems more credible because some maintain that [[nursery rhymes]] have serious themes when they are examined in detail (this might not be true, however <ref>http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm</ref>).

In a review of a book about [[Kozma Prutkov]], Richard Gregg, professor of Russian at [[Vassar College]], notes that the satirical collective pseudonym Prutkov claimed "Frère Jacques" was derived from a Russian seminary song about a "Father Theofil".<ref>{{cite journal |title = Review of ''Koz'ma Prutkov: The Art of Parody'' by [[Barbara Heldt|Barbara Heldt Monter]]|title-link=none|first = Richard |last = Gregg |journal = [[Slavic Review]] |volume = 33 |issue = 2 |date = June 1974 |pages = 401–402 |doi=10.2307/2495856|jstor = 2495856 |s2cid = 165132644 |doi-access = free }}</ref>

In this vein, some have suggested that this verse might not refer to sleep, but to the death of a friar or monk, or perhaps a member of one of the religious military orders, such as the renowned Frère [[Jacques de Molay]] of the [[Templar Knights]], who was executed in 1314<ref>http://www.goldenlotus-oto.org/knightsTemplar.htm</ref>. This claim should be probably approached with an air of caution, because there are many alternate interpretations. For example, the poet [[Jean-Luc Aotret]] has written a poem suggesting that the subject of ''Frère Jacques'' is the excommunicated Franciscan poet [[Jacopone da Todi]].<ref>http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08263a.htm</ref><ref>http://temps-pestif.over-blog.org/archive-08-22-2006.html

</ref> Also, in the Polish Wikipedia article on ''Frère Jacques'', (known as [http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panie_Janie "Panie Janie"]), it is suggested that there is a connection between ''Frère Jacques'' and the [[Way of St. James]] (it should be noted that the "correct" translation of the name "Jacques" is "James").

== Published record ==

==First Publication==

James Fuld<ref> The Book of World Famous Music Classical, Popular, and Folk, James J. Fuld, 1995, Dover Publications, Inc., ISBN: 048628445X </ref> states that the tune was first published in 1811<ref>La Cle du Caveau a l'usage de tous les Chansonniers francais, Paris, 1811</ref>, and that the words and music were published together in Paris in 1869. However, the words and music appear together in ''Recreations de l'enfance.Recueil de Rondes avec jeu et de Petites Chansons pour faire jouer, danser et chanter les enfants avec un accompagnement de piano'' by [[: Charles Lebouc]], which was published in 1860.

=== First publication ===

It is intriguing to compare ''Frère Jacques'' to the piece ''Toccate d'intavolatura, No.14, Capriccio Fra Jacopino sopra L'Aria Di Ruggiero'' composed by [[Girolamo Frescobaldi]]<ref>Frescobaldi: Harpsichord Works, composer: Jacques Arcadelt, Girolamo Frescobaldi; Performer: Louis Bagger. Audio CD (August 28, 2001) </ref>, which was first published around 1615<ref>http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/cds/tct80680.htm</ref>. One can definitely detect a resemblance between Frescobaldi's piece and the familiar ''Frère Jacques'' melody. Also, "Fra Jacopino" is one potential Italian translation for "Frère Jacques".

[[AllMusic]] states<ref>{{AllMusic|class=composition|id=mc0002381855|title=Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping), traditional children's song (a.k.a. Bruder Jakob)|author=Robert Cummings}}</ref> that the earliest version of the melody is on a French manuscript circa 1780 (manuscript 300 in the manuscript collection of the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France|Bibliothèque Nationale]] in Paris). The manuscript is titled "Recueil de Timbres de Vaudevilles", and the Bibliothèque Nationale estimates that it was written between 1775 and 1785. The "Frère Jacques" melody is labelled "Frère Blaise" in this manuscript.

Sheet music collector James Fuld (1916–2008) states that the tune was first published in 1811,<ref>La Cle du Caveau a l'usage de tous les Chansonniers francais, Paris, 1811</ref> and that the words and music were published together in Paris in 1869.<ref>{{cite book |title = The Book of World Famous Music Classical, Popular, and Folk |first = James J. |last = Fuld |date = 1995 |publisher = Dover Publications |isbn = 0-486-28445-X |url-access = registration |url = https://archive.org/details/bookofworldfamou0000fuld_f7h4 }}</ref> An earlier publication in 1825 included the words together with a description of the melody in [[solfège]], but not in musical notation.<ref>{{cite book |title=Expositions et pratique des procédés de la mnemotechniques, à l'usage des personnes qui veulent étudier la mnémotechnie en général |first=Aimé |last=Paris |___location=Paris |year=1825 |pages=502–505 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_tQAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA502}}</ref> The words and music appear together in ''Recreations de l'enfance: Recueil de Rondes avec Jeux et de Petites Chansons pour Faire Jouer, Danser et Chanter les Enfants avec un Accompagnement de Piano Très-Facile'' by [[Charles Lebouc]], which was first published in 1860 by Rouart, Lerolle & Cie. in Paris. This book was very popular and was republished several times, so many editions exist.

''Fra Jacopino'' has additional historical importance. The [[half note]] and [[quarter note]] reportedly first appeared in Frescobaldi's publication of ''Fra Jacopino''<ref>http://www.bartleby.com/61/imagepages/A4halfno.html</ref>.

French musicologist Sylvie Bouissou has found some evidence that composer [[Jean-Philippe Rameau]] had written the music. A manuscript at the [[French National Library]] contains "Frère Jacques" among 86 canons, with Rameau listed as author.<ref>[http://www.francemusique.fr/actu-musicale/frere-jacques-ete-compose-par-jean-philippe-rameau-49327 "Frère Jacques" a été composé par Jean Philippe Rameau]</ref>

==Cultural references==

It is well known that the ''Frère Jacques'' tune appears in the third [[movement (music)|movement]] of the [[Symphony No. 1 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 1]] by [[Gustav Mahler]]. Mahler uses the melody in a [[minor (music)|minor]] key instead of a [[major (music)|major]] key, thus giving the piece the character of a [[funeral march]]. However, the mode change to minor was not an invention by Mahler, as often believed, but rather the way this round was sung in the 19th and early 20th century in [[Austria]]. <ref>Reinhold Schmid: ''50 Kanons''. Vienna, n.d. [ca. 1950] (Philharmonia pocket scores No. 86)</ref> <ref>Ute Jung-Kaiser: ''Die wahren Bilder und Chiffren „tragischer Ironie“ in Mahlers „Erster“.'' In: Günther Weiß (ed.): ''Neue Mahleriana: essays in honour of Henry-Louis de LaGrange on his seventieth birthday.'' Lang, Berne etc. 1997, ISBN 3-906756-95-5. pp. 101-152</ref>

In 1926, the tune was used in a patriotic anthem written by officers of the Chinese [[Whampoa Military Academy]], "Revolution of the Citizens" ({{lang|zh|國民革命歌}}).<ref>[http://epaper.qingdaonews.com/html/lnshb/20140331/lnshb702375.html 《两只老虎》改编的民国军歌] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303100943/http://epaper.qingdaonews.com/html/lnshb/20140331/lnshb702375.html |date=2016-03-03 }} [The military song of the Republic of China adapted from "Two Tigers"], qingdaonews.com, 31 March 2014 (in Chinese)</ref>

''Frère Jacques'' has lead to many parodies. For example, [[Allan Sherman]] is noted for writing new lyrics based on typical [[American Jews|Jewish-American]] family gossip and small talk. The resulting song, [["Sarah Jackman"]] was quite famous at the time, and lead to Sherman's career in musical parody.

=== Comparison with Fra Jacopino ===

"Frère Jacques" bears resemblance to the piece ''Toccate d'intavolatura, No. 14, Capriccio Fra Jacopino sopra L'Aria Di Ruggiero'' composed by [[Girolamo Frescobaldi]],<ref>Frescobaldi: Harpsichord Works, composer: Jacques Arcadelt, Girolamo Frescobaldi; Performer: Louis Bagger. Audio CD (August 28, 2001)</ref> which was first published around 1615<ref>[http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/cds/tct80680.htm Frescobaldi: Toccate & Partite, Libro Primo], Todd M. McComb</ref>—"Fra Jacopino" is one potential Italian translation for "Frère Jacques".<ref>"Fra Jacopino" has additional historical importance. The [[half note]] and [[quarter note]] are reported at {{Cite web |url=http://bartleby.com/61/imagepages/A4halfno.html |title="Half Note", ''Bartleby.com'' |access-date=2017-12-31 |archive-date=2006-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060916174607/http://bartleby.com/61/imagepages/A4halfno.html |url-status=dead}} to have first appeared in Frescobaldi's publication of "Fra Jacopino". {{clarify|date=February 2021|reason=Page contains little text, none of which claims that Frescobaldi is the first, and an image, which is no longer, if ever, visible.}}</ref> [[Edward Kilenyi]] pointed out that "Fra Jacopino" shares the same "Frère Jacques"-like melody as "Chanson de Lambert", a French song dating from 1650, and a Hungarian folk tune.<ref>{{cite journal |title = The Theory of Hungarian Music |first = Edward |last = Kilenyi |journal=[[The Musical Quarterly]]|volume = 5 |issue = 1 |date = January 1919 |pages = 20–39 |doi=10.1093/mq/v.1.20}}</ref>

The "Frère Jacques" tune is one of the most basic [[Canon (music)|repeating canons]] along with the melody of "[[Three Blind Mice]]". It is also simple enough to have spread easily from place to place. For example, Barbara Mittler in a conference abstract points out that the melody of "Frère Jacques" is so thoroughly assimilated into [[Chinese culture]] that it might be widely regarded as a Chinese folksong in China called "[[Two Tigers (nursery rhyme)|Two Tigers]]".<ref>"From Mozart to Mao to Mozart – Western Music in Modern China", [[Barbara Mittler]], [http://www.sino.uni-heidelberg.de/conf/propaganda/intro.html Rethinking Cultural Revolution Culture], (workshop) Heidelberg, 22–24 February 2001</ref>

== Influence ==

=== Science ===

*In the fields of [[chemistry]] and [[cheminformatics]], the [[circuit rank]] of a [[molecular graph]] (the number of [[ring (chemistry)|rings]] in the [[smallest set of smallest rings]]) is sometimes referred to as the Frèrejacque number.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=May|first1=John W.|last2=Steinbeck|first2=Christoph|title=Efficient ring perception for the Chemistry Development Kit|journal=[[Journal of Cheminformatics]]|volume=6|issue=3|year=2014|page=3|doi=10.1186/1758-2946-6-3|pmid=24479757|pmc=3922685 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Downs|first1=G.M.|last2=Gillet|first2=V.J.|last3=Holliday|first3=J.D.|last4=Lynch|first4=M.F.|year=1989|title=A review of ''Ring Perception Algorithms for Chemical Graphs''|journal=[[Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling]]|volume=29|issue=3|pages=172–187|doi=10.1021/ci00063a007}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first1=Marcel|last1=Frèrejacque|title=No. 108 – Condensation d'une molecule organique|trans-title=Condenstation of an organic molecule|journal=[[Bulletin de la Société Chimique de France]]|volume=5|pages=1008–1011|year=1939}}</ref>

=== Popular culture ===

*A version of the tune appears in the third [[movement (music)|movement]] of the [[Symphony No. 1 (Mahler)|Symphony No. 1]] by [[Gustav Mahler]]. Mahler presents the melody in a [[Major and minor|minor key]] instead of a major key, thus giving the piece the character of a [[funeral march]] or [[dirge]]; however, the mode change to minor might not have been an invention by Mahler, as is often believed, but rather the way this round was sung in the 19th century and early 20th century in [[Austria]].<ref>Reinhold Schmid: ''50 Kanons''. Vienna, n.d. [ca. 1950] (Philharmonia pocket scores No. 86)</ref><ref>[[Ute Jung-Kaiser]]: "Die wahren Bilder und Chiffren 'tragischer Ironie' in Mahlers 'Erster{{'"}} In: Günther Weiß (ed.): ''Neue Mahleriana: essays in honour of [[Henry-Louis de La Grange]] on his seventieth birthday''. Lang, Berne etc. 1997, {{ISBN|3-906756-95-5}}. {{pp.|101|152}}</ref> Francesca Draughon and Raymond Knapp argue<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.echo.ucla.edu/Volume3-issue2/knapp_draughon/knapp_draughon1.html|access-date=15 July 2024|url-status=live|title=Gustav Mahler and the Crisis of Jewish Identity|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020314163210/http://www.echo.ucla.edu/volume3-issue2/knapp_draughon/knapp_draughon1.html|archive-date=2002-03-14|author1=Francesca Draughon|author2=Raymond Knapp|journal=Echo|volume=3|issue=2|date=Fall 2001|publisher=Department of Musicology at the University of California|issn=1535-1807}}</ref> that Mahler had changed the key to make "Frère Jacques" sound more "Jewish." Draughon and Knapp claim that the tune was originally sung to mock non-Catholics, such as Protestants or Jews. Mahler himself called the tune by its German name, "Bruder Martin", and made some allusions to the piece being related to a parody in the programs he wrote for the performances.<ref>[http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=composition&composition_id=2839 Symphony No. 1 in D major] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014449/http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=composition&composition_id=2839 |date=2007-09-30 }}, Composer: Gustav Mahler, Program note originally written for the following performance: [[National Symphony Orchestra]]: [[Leonard Slatkin]], conductor; Dotian Levalier, harp; Mahler's First Symphony June 7–9, 2007, [[Richard Freed]]</ref> Interpretations similar to this are quite prevalent in academia and in musical circles.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1025107 "Mahler's Music"], Dean Olsher, of [[NPR]]'s ''[[Morning Edition]]'', July 31, 1998, discusses jazz musician and composer [[Uri Caine]]'s reinterpretations of Mahler.</ref>

*[[Leonard Bernstein]] made use of the song to illustrate [[counterpoint]] in his television program ''What Makes Music Symphonic?''<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q123581697|title=What Makes Music Symphonic?|description=(1958)}}, [[Leonard Bernstein]]</ref><ref>[http://www.leonardbernstein.com/studio/element2.asp?FeatID=5&AssetID=6 ''Young People's Concerts''], [[Leonard Bernstein]], 1958</ref> (one of a series of 53 programs, the ''[[Young People's Concerts]] with the [[New York Philharmonic]]'', combining music and lectures that were televised between 1959 and 1972).

*[[The Beatles]]' 1966 song ”[[Paperback Writer]]" features the title "Frère Jacques" sung by [[John Lennon]] and [[George Harrison]] under the main melody of the last verse.<ref>{{cite book

| last=MacDonald

| first=Ian

| year=2005

| author-link=Ian MacDonald

| title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties

| page=196

| publisher=Pimlico

| ___location=London

| edition=2nd, rev.

| isbn=1-84413-828-3

}}</ref>

*The French performer known as [[Le Pétomane]] entertained live audiences in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with his own unique rendition, according to the [[BBC]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/justthejob/followyourdream/punch/j_trivia.shtml "You don’t see many of those these days"], Joker – Trivia, Follow your Dream, BBC</ref>

*[[Henri Bernstein]], a French playwright, wrote a comedic play entitled ''Frère Jacques'' (translated as ''Brother Jacques'') with [[Pierre Veber]] in 1904.<ref>''Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature'', edited by Jean-Albert Bédé, William Benbow Edgerton, Columbia University Press, 1980.{{page needed|date=February 2023}}</ref><ref>''Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature'', Merriam-Webster, Encyclopædia Britannica, {{ISBN|0-87779-042-6}}, 1995.{{page needed|date=February 2023}}</ref>

*Frère Jacques is a type of semi-soft cow's milk [[cheese]] with a mild hazelnut taste, produced by [[Benedictine]] monks from the Saint-Benoit-du-lac Abbey in [[Quebec]], [[Canada]].<ref>[http://www.st-benoit-du-lac.com/ Saint Benedict-du-Lac Abbey, Quebec, Canada] website.</ref>

*Four French singers, brothers André and Georges Bellec, François Soubeyran and Paul Tourenne formed a comedic singing group in 1944 known as [[Les Frères Jacques]], even though none of them were named "Jacques". The group name was a bit of a play on words since a common French expression, "faire le jacques", means to act like a clown. They had successful careers over the next few decades.<ref>[http://www.rfimusique.com/siteen/biographie/biographie_6224.asp Les Frères Jacques] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930035005/http://www.rfimusique.com/siteen/biographie/biographie_6224.asp |date=2007-09-30 }}, Biography, RFI Musique, March 2004</ref>

*The demonstrators in [[Tiananmen Square Massacre|Tiananmen Square]] chanted political slogans to the tune of "Frère Jacques".<ref>"Comrade [[Jiang Zemin]] does indeed seem a proper choice", Jasper Becker, ''[[London Review of Books]]'', Vol. 23 No. 10, 24 May 2001</ref>

*There is a strong oral tradition among children in China, Vietnam and other places in Asia of passing on songs with their own lyrics, sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques".<ref>"Eating the mosquito: Transmission of a Chinese children's folksong", David Seubert, ''[[CHINOPERL Papers]]'', vol. 16 1992. pp. 133–143. {{ISSN|0193-7774}}</ref>

*Frère Jacques is the name of a chain of franchised French restaurants in the UK<ref>[http://www.frerejacques.co.uk/ "About Frères Jacques"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007155739/http://www.frerejacques.co.uk/ |date=2007-10-07 }}, Frères Jacques Restaurant-Bar-Cafe, a UK franchised restaurant chain (depuis 1994)</ref> and the name of a French restaurant in the Murray Hill section of New York City.<ref>[http://www.frerejacquesnyc.com/ Hello and Welcome to the Frère Jacques Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217144140/http://www.frerejacquesnyc.com/ |date=2008-02-17 }}, Frère Jacques Restaurant, Murray Hill section of [[New York City]]</ref> Les Frères Jacques is the name of a French restaurant in Dublin.<ref>[http://www.10best.com/Dublin/Restaurants/Fine_Dining/index.html?businessID=15427 Les Frères Jacques, Dublin, Ireland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050516014600/http://www.10best.com/Dublin/Restaurants/Fine_Dining/index.html?businessID=15427 |date=2005-05-16 }} restaurant review</ref>

*[[Ron Haselden]], a British artist living in the French town of Brizard, in [[Brittany]], has produced an interactive multimedia piece featuring "Frère Jacques" in collaboration with [[Peter Cusack (musician)|Peter Cusack]].<ref>''Frère Jacques et autres pièces à Francis: Expositions. 1997. Saint-Fons'' [[Ron Haselden]], [[Saint-Fons]], Centre d'Arts Plastiques, 1997, {{ISBN|2-9509357-2-9}}</ref>

*The [[Historical Chinese anthems|Chinese song]] "Dadao lie qiang" ("Cut down the great powers", or rather: "Let's beat together the great powers", also known as 'The "Revolution of the Citizens" Song') celebrates the cooperation in China in the 1920s of [[Mao Zedong]]'s [[Chinese Communist Party]] and the [[Kuomintang]] against warlords and imperialist powers, and is sung to the tune of "Frère Jacques".<ref>''Une utilisation insolite de la musique de l'Autre'', Pom pom pom pom: Musiques et caetera Neuchatel: Musee d'Ethnographie 1997 pp. 227–241.</ref>

* [[K-pop]] group [[Nmixx]] interpolates the rhyme into their 2023 song "[[Young, Dumb, Stupid]]".<ref>{{cite web|work=[[NME]]|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/nmixx-pre-release-song-expergo-young-dumb-stupid-video-3412370|title=NMIXX share joyful music video for new song 'Young, Dumb, Stupid'|author=Gladys Yeo|date=13 March 2023|access-date=26 March 2023}}</ref>

* [[The Beach Boys]]' song "[[Surf's Up (song)|Surf's Up]]" references the English version of "Frère Jacques', both lyrically and melodically, in the song's line, "Are you sleeping, brother John?"<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Beach Boys: Surf's Up |url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-beach-boys/surfs-up |website=www.songfacts.com}}</ref>

== References ==

{{Reflist|30em}}

<references/>

==External links==

{{Commons category}}

*[http://demonsaumonde.free.fr/frere.jacques/index.html A "Frère Jacques" interactive and multilingual collection on video]

*[http://www.traditional-songs.com/frere_jacques.php Multiple versions of the song with sheet music]

*[https://ingeb.org/Lieder/bruderja.html Text in many languages, melody], ingeb.org

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