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"Sur le pont d'Avignon" (pronounced [syʁ lə pɔ̃ daviɲɔ̃]) ("On the Bridge of Avignon") is a French song about a dance performed on the Pont d'Avignon (officially Pont Saint-Bénézet) that dates back to the 15th century. The dance actually took place under the bridge and not on the bridge (sous le Pont d'Avignon, not sur).^[1]^[2]

Dance description

The dance starts out with everyone in pairs, dancing around each other.
When the chorus is done dancers must stop in front of their partners, and traditionally the male will bow on the first part then tip his hat on the second.
When the chorus begins again the dancers repeat step one.
When this stops, so does the dance. The girl curtsies to one side, then the other.
For the first part, dancers repeat step one, and if they have an audience, turn on their heels and bow to them.

Lyrics

Chorus
Sur le pont d'Avignon
l'on y danse, l'on y danse.
Sur le pont d'Avignon
l'on y danse tous en rond.

1. Les beaux messieurs font comme ça,
et puis encore comme ça.
Chorus
2. Les belles dames font comme ça, ... Chorus
3. Les filles font comme ça, ... Chorus
4. Les musiciens font comme ça, ... Chorus

On the bridge of Avignon
they are dancing there, they are dancing there.
On the bridge of Avignon
all dance in circles there.

The fine gentlemen go like this (bow)
and then again like this.
Chorus
The beautiful ladies go like this (curtsy) ...
The young girls go like this (salute) ...
The musicians go like this (they all bow to women) ...

Any number of verses may be invented, depicting other professions or various characters.

Melody

$% Arrangment by Jean-Baptiste Weckerlin [[:fr:s:Sur le pont d’Avignon (Weckerlin 1870)]] % who uses slightly different words for the verse \header { tagline = ##f } \layout { indent = 0 \context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" } \context { \Voice \remove "Dynamic_engraver" } } global = { \key g \major \time 2/4 } chorvoice = \relative c' { \global \set midiInstrument = "flute" \autoBeamOff \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4=100 g'8^>\f g g4 | a8^> a a4 | b8. c16 d8 g, | fis8. g16 a8 d, | g8^> g g4 | a8^> a a4 | b8. c16 d8 g, | a fis g r8 \bar "||" } versevoice = \relative c' { \set midiInstrument = "flute" g'8. g16 g8 g | \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4=50 a4^> g8 r8 | \tempo 4=100 g8. g16 g8 g | \tempo 4=50 a4^> g8 r8 \bar "||" \tempo 4=100 } chorlyrics = \lyricmode { Sur le pont d’A -- vi -- gnon, l’on y dan -- se, l’on y dan -- se. Sur le pont d’A -- vi -- gnon, l’on y dan -- se tous en rond. } verselyrics = \lyricmode { Les mes -- sieurs font comme ça, les da -- mes font comme ça. } chorright = \relative c'' { \global \set midiInstrument = "vibraphone" \mark \markup "Allegretto" <g d b>8\pp <g d b> <g d b> r8 | <a fis d> <a fis d> <a fis d> r8 | << { b8. c16 d8 g, | fis8. g16 a8 d, } \\ { d4~ d8 s8 | d4~ d8 s8 } >> | <g d b>8 <g d b> <g d b> r8 | <a fis d> <a fis d> <a fis d> r8 | << { b8. c16 d8 g, } \\ { d4~ d8 s8 } >> | <a' e c>8 <fis d c> <g d b>^"Fine" r8 \bar "||" } verseright = \relative c' { \set midiInstrument = "vibraphone" <g' d>8. <g d>16 <g d>8 <g d> | <a e>4^> <g d>8 r8 | <g bes,>8. <g bes,>16 <g bes,>8 <g bes,> | <a c,>4^>^"D.C. al fine" <g bes,>8 r8 \bar "||" } chorleft = \relative c { \global \set midiInstrument = "vibraphone" g8\p d' g r8 | d, a' d r8 | g8. a16 b8 r8 | << { a8. b16 c8 } \\ { d,4~ d8 } >> r8 | e,8 b' e r8 | d, a' d r8 | g8. a16 b8 r8 | c, d g r8 \bar "||" } verseleft = \relative c { \set midiInstrument = "vibraphone" b'8. b16 b8 b8 | c4-> (b8) r8 | <ees, g>8. <ees g>16 <ees g>8 <ees g> | <ees fis!>4-> (<ees g>8) r8 \bar "||" } voicepart = \new Staff { \clef treble \chorvoice \versevoice } \addlyrics { \chorlyrics \verselyrics } pianopart = \new ChoirStaff %{ PianoStaff %} << \new Staff { \clef treble \chorright \verseright } \addlyrics { \chorlyrics \verselyrics } \new Staff { \clef bass \chorleft \verseleft } >> \score { << % \voicepart % activating this line will create a separate vocal staff above. \pianopart >> \layout { } } \score { { << { \chorvoice \versevoice } \\ { \chorright \verseright } \\ { \chorleft \verseleft } >> << \chorvoice \\ \chorright \\ \chorleft >> } \midi { \context { \Score midiChannelMapping = #'instrument } \context { \Staff \remove "Staff_performer" } \context { \Voice \consists "Staff_performer" } } }$

Source^[3]

In other media

In 1951, the National Film Board of Canada produced the 5-minute animated film Sur le pont d'Avignon, in which extravagantly dressed marionettes pantomime the song.^[4]

In 1992, a cartoon titled The Real Story of... Sur le pont d'Avignon was produced by CINAR and France Animation, featuring the song and a ghost story revolving around a clockmaker and an enchanted organ.^[5]^[6]