Victor Hugo's poem À la France (1872) is a poetic response to the defeat and upheaval that followed the Franco-Prussian War and the end of the Second French Empire. The sword (Le Glaive) symbolises a period of transition between conflict and renewal, and is an antithesis to pessimism: Hugo evokes hope, renewal and solidarity.
In 1915, during World War I, Marcel Dupré took up this message and transformed it into the symphonic poem Le Glaive, Op. 3 for voice and orchestra.
For this edition, Tobias A. Frank has transcribed the orchestral part for two hands at the piano.
The first edition contains a foreword and work information in German, English and French.
