Romances mises en musique par S[a] M[ajesté] L[a] R[eine] H[ortense]
This collection received a very small print run as it was only given to close friends and relatives as a mark of Hortense's friendship and respect. Daughter of Josephine de Beauharnais and schooled at the institution run by Mme Campan, Hortense was a highly gifted student of the arts and from an early age developed a taste for music and singing.
All but one of these romances were written by Hortense ; the exception, “Le Beau Dunois” – better known as “En partant pour la Syrie” – was the work of Comte Alexandre de Laborde (1774-1842), an archaeologist, traveller and friend of Hortense, who figured prominently within her circle of close friends. The provenance of the score is less certain, however, and debate rages over the author's identity. Was it Hortense herself who wrote it, as is commonly believed and maintained by her son, the future Napoleon III, in his memoirs? Or was it the work of a certain Louis-François-Philippe Drouet (1792-1855), a flautist at the Dutch court and husband of Hortense, as argued by the musicologist Arthur Pougin?
This romance was exceptionally successful during its time, as popular in the salons as it was in the streets, where it would more commonly be played on the barrel organ. During the Second Empire period, Napoleon III made it his semi-official national anthem.
The twelve music plates are richly illustrated with prints in the Troubadour style on each score's facing page. These designs proved extremely popular at the time, particularly at Malmaison, the Empress Josephine's private residence which Hortense visited regularly. The prints in question were based on drawings by Lancelot-Théodore Comte Turpin de Crissé (1782-1859), not only a genre and history painter but a writer too, who began his career during the Empire period. He benefitted from the empress' protection, became a member of her private circle of friends and later served as her chamberlain after her marriage was annulled.
The colour portrait of Hortense that features in the frontispiece is a print of a drawing by the painter and portraitist Jean-Baptiste Isabey (1767-1855), who was also a member of Josephine's court.