Béranger's
satirical songs, for which he was imprisoned several times for
sedition, enjoyed immense popularity among the literate working class,
Liberal bourgeoisie, and leftist intellectuals for the first 50 years of
the 19th Century, and are credited with having materially contributed
to the outbreak of both the 1830 and the 1848 revolutions. As with most vernacular song-writers, Béranger wrote his
lyrics to popular traditional tunes that would be easily recognised, and
intended the songs to be sung collectively in 'goguette' singing clubs,
pubs, homes, and political meetings. A member of
the Caveau Moderne (Modern Vault) songwriting group, he was a major
influence on the Jeunes-France, nearly all of whom dedicated poems and
prints to him. That group became notorious for roaming the city
shouting out seditious songs by Béranger and other subversive
songwriters.
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