For he's a jolly good fellow -- 1709

1709 Speranza for he's a jolly good fellow -- for he's a jolly good fellow -- for he's a jolly good fellow and so say all of us -- and so say all of us -- and so say all of us for he's a jolly good fellow -- for he's a jolly good fellow -- for he's a jolly good fellow and so say all of us. The tune, "For he's a jolly good fellow", was originally composed the night after the Battle of Malplaquet in 1709. It then became a French folk tune and was even later popularized by Marie Antoinette after she heard one of her maids (Claire) singing it. The melody became so popular in Paris (indeed all France) that it was used to represent the French defeat in Ludwig van Beethoven's composition "Wellington's Victory" Opus 91 written in 1813 (much later). The melody also became popular in London, England, as a harpsichord exercise, and by the 19th century it was being sung with the words "For he's a jolly good fellow", or "lady".