"Cadet Rousselle" was a popular French song that satirized a French bailiff by the name of Guillaume Rousselle, widely known as Cadet Rousselle.
The man
Guillaume Rousselle was born in Orgelet, Jura on April 30, 1743, and died in Auxerre on January 28, 1807. In his 1945 book on Cadet Rousselle, Pierre Pinsseau details Rousselle's life in Auxerre beginning with his 1783 arrival in the town. The circumstances and exact date of Guillaume Rousselle's arrival in Auxerre are unknown, but it is believed to be 1763, one year after the death of his father. His first jobs included work as a domestic servant and lackey and later he worked as a bailiff's clerk. On March 15, 1780, he petitioned the Lieutenant General of the Bailiwick of Auxerre for the position of head bailiff of the Bailiwick and Courts of Auxerre. His eligibility for this position was confirmed by his Majesty on March 8, 1780, which shows that he had been living in the town for several years. His appointment in 1780 as a Court bailiff provided sufficient income to allow the purchase of a small house, which had an old porch on top of which he added a construction in the shape of a narrow loggia. He was seen as a jovial bon vivant, a little eccentric, but he enjoyed the sympathy of his fellow citizens. In Auxerre, he was seen as "good revolutionary", perhaps a little too much so. After a stint in prison between 1794 and 1795, he carefully limited his activities to his official duties as bailiff. In his 1874 novel Ninety-Three, Victor Hugo has Danton mock Robespierre for monopolizing the floor at the Convention for two hours:
The song
In 1792, Gaspard de Chenu, a writer of spiritual and satirical songs, wrote the song "Cadet Rousselle" to the tune of a song about Jean de Nivelle. The song spread beyond the limits of the city when volunteers from Auxerre introduced it to the Armée du Nord. It later spread through all levels of society. In 1919 John Ireland, Arnold Bax, Frank Bridge and Eugene Goossens wrote Variations on "Cadet Roussel" as an encore piece for voice and piano. In 1930 Goossens arranged this composite work for small orchestra, publishing it as his Op. 40. Cadet Rouselle was also used by Tchaikovsky in his ballet The Nutcracker, along with other children's songs.
The film
Cadet Rousselle was the title of a 1954 French film by André Hunebelle. It is a freely interpreted film that based itself on the song and the recurrence of the number 3 in many aspects of the character's adventures.
Lyrics of the song ''Cadet Rousselle'', by Gaspard de Chenu
