Once more: Bal des Maréchaux, 6 January 1805
A long, long time ago I promised to translate the long newspaper report of the ball given by the marshals during the coronation festivals, the one where poor Mortier had to dance. @maggiec70 and everybody else who reads French can of course better enjoy the original text - without my stupid remarks, but with an astonishing amount of long s’s (ſ).
Journal Politique de Mannheim, No. 14, Monday 14 January 1805
The Journal officiel has an account of the ball given on the 6th to Her Majesty the Empress, as follows:
»Yesterday the Marshals of the Empire gave Her Majesty the Empress a celebration for which she had kindly agreed to accept the honour. They had chosen the hall of the Opera. The most brilliant events succeed one another there, the most pompous spectacles are displayed, it is the theatre of enchantments, the temple of prestiges; the eye is accustomed to all the magic the art of the decorator can produce; but it was reserved for the feast given by the marshals to produce in this place of wonders a new surprise, to provide effects which were unknown, to spread a charm which had not yet been experienced, and finally to place reality above even the illusions of the stage.«
[Insert images of fourteen different marshals, all reading the morning paper to their respective wives and nodding approvingly. »I guess that means they liked it.«]
»The room was laid out as for ball days, but it was hardly recognisable. All the boxes were beautifully draped, and each row in a different manner.«
Event organisers, sighing: Yes, indeed. That was the only thing we could do when it became clear the gentleman would not agree on a common concept. We barely managed to avoid a brawl.
»Elegant colonnades and rich candelabras separated them. At each of them a wreath of flowers descended on the heads of the women who were to appear there; garlands and festoons united the wreaths between them; here the drapery was fastened with stars; there the imperial eagle unfolded its wings on a vast cordon; on another row, helmets, shields, and flags decorated the front of the boxes [...]«
Event organisers: Well, we did manage to talk Lannes out of decorating his boxes with cannons, so there’s that.
»[…] everywhere the initials of Napoleon and Josephine offered themselves to one’s eyes. A starlit sky replaced the ceiling. The dazzling brilliance of the chandeliers and the women's diamonds was reflected in the mirrors artfully arranged in most of the boxes. Below the orchestra floor were full-length mirrors that extended the lines of the seated women as far as the eye could see.«
Event organisers: He also provided us with most of the mirrors.
»All the boxes were occupied by foreign or French persons, called by name to be placed there. Two armchairs were prepared for their Majesties, at the extreme end of the room. Near and behind them were reserved seats for the princes and princesses, the grand officers and the ladies of their court.«
Lannes: I voted to place those at an even greater distance, outside the hall. I was overruled.
»In two parallel lines and along the whole length of the hall, were placed some of the invited ladies; the men circulated behind their seats; a wide and long square, reserved for the quadrilles, remained free. At nine o'clock, their Imperial Highnesses Princesses Louis and Caroline were announced; they entered through a side door, followed by their ladies. The assembly rose; a moment later the Empress was announced, welcomed with the loudest applause, followed by her ladies, accompanied by two marshals of the Empire, she took her place in one of the armchairs prepared for her. In the name of the Emperor, there was a military drum salute, […]«
Event organisators: We just could not talk them out of that.
»[…] the orchestra gave a fanfare, and the loudest cheers erupted from all sides. The Emperor, followed by the princes, his brothers, the arch-chancellor and the arch-treasurer, one of the colonels-general of his guard and the aide-de-camp on duty, was led to his place by the Marshals of the Empire.«
Marshals: We were not sure if he would find it on his own, and we really wanted to have him out of the way so we could properly party.
»The concert began with a beautiful war song, [...]«
Event organisers: Well, as we already said...
»[...], performed by Monsieur Etienne, its author, that of the Preux de Charlemagne. Several pieces by the bards were then performed. They were not new to anyone, and yet they could never have been better appreciated than on this occasion, for they were sung not by the artists of the Opéra, who are most successful as actors, but by those whose beautiful voice and excellent method are constantly admired, Messrs Laïs, Chérin and Roland. These numbers caused a great sensation, although no one thought it proper to applaud; but a deep emotion was generally felt when Laïs, Chérin and Roland sang, a capella, the forever famous aria Charmante Gabrielle. The Vivat, vivat, performed on the day of the coronation and already famous, ended the concert. The Emperor then expressed to Messieurs les maréchaux how the organisation of the celebration given to the Empress seemed to him to be perfect in every respect, [...]«
Josephine: Not that anybody cared to ask my opinion, of course. You know, the opinion of the person this party was dedicated to.
»[...] and two quadrilles were formed. After a second contredance, formed of a greater number of quadrilles, the waltzes began.«
Marshals: That was the last time we caught sight of Davout.
»Meanwhile, the Emperor had descended into the ballroom and was successively addressing all the women he found on his way.«
Napoleon: Is that British cotton you’re wearing? Are those jewels real or fake? Don't you feel that this neckline is a bit daring at your age?
»While conversing with each of them, he went around the room twice. The ball then became extremely lively. There were few women who did not take part in it; all of them, with the richness of their finery, had been able to combine the elegance and delicacy of ball costume. The splendour of their charms, their grace in dancing, the richness of the French uniforms, the variety arising from the foreign uniforms and the adorned costumes, the eagerness of the dancers, the tumultuous movements of the waltzes formed a scene difficult to describe. Movement was free everywhere, and most of the people in the boxes had descended and poured into the hall. The number of people invited had been calculated skilfully enough to ensure that there was attendance everywhere and a crowd nowhere.«
Berthier: Yeah, about inviting too many people … let’s just say somebody was able to give the boys some hints on that.
»Around midnight, Their Majesties retired.«
Everybody: Finally! Party time!
»The ball lasted until nearly six o'clock in the morning.«
Event organisers: And we would like to emphasise that not a single marshal tried to extinguish the candles by pistol shots.
»This incomplete notice cannot be finished without recalling that Messieurs the aides-de-camp of the marshals of the Empire did the honours and supervised all the details with that exquisite politeness, that urbanity and that gallantry which is everywhere the characteristic of soldiers distinguished by their services and the undisputed prerogative of the French military.«
As a matter of fact, one of those aides, Soult’s aide-de-camp Auguste Petiet, was charged with preventing the public from entering the foyer where the marshals gathered to greet the emperor on his arrival, and comments in his memoirs that he found this job
quite unpleasant. I had placed two grenadiers of the Guard at each door of the foyer, and yet I was obliged to appear often to prevent the emperor's aides-de-camp, state councillors and other characters from breaking the rules.
Yes, Napoleon’s aides, state councilors and other shady folks clearly are the worst! I guess he did have more fun once he had seen Mortier dancing.
