musical chairs

The rules

The principle is known, but let us briefly recall the rules of the game of musical chairs.
This game involves a group of participants walking in a circle around a number of chairs.
A song or music is playing in the background.
When the music stops playing unexpectedly, participants must quickly find an empty chair to sit on.
However, there is always one chair less than the number of participants. Each turn, someone is therefore eliminated from the game.
The game continues like this until only one participant remains. He is then declared the winner.

Why musical chairs?

The exact origins of musical chairs are not clearly defined. But the game has a long history probably dating back centuries.

For some, it might have roots in 18th-century European court games, where dancing was often associated with playful activities.
For others, this game dates back to the Middle Ages.
This could be interpreted as an allegory to the knights who set out in large numbers on the crusades towards Jerusalem, but who perished one after the other during their journey before reaching their goal.
In the end, only a few of them reached their destination.
This is why this game in other languages ​​is called “journey to Jerusalem” (especially in German: Reise nach Jerusalem).

Other sources would determine its origin in antiquity. It would be similar to a game called “musicales” which was played by the Greeks and Romans.
This one which consisted of going in a circle around a seat which was removed at each turn, leaving a person standing without a seat to sit on.

Musical chairs, a sport?

Over the centuries, the game evolved and became known as “musical chairs” during the 20th century.
Popularized by birthday parties and family reunions, it has also become a common game in schools and summer camps.

There are many variations of the game of musical chairs.
For example, “blind” musical chairs where players must move by feeling their way in the dark.
Or the “upside down” musical chair where players have to stand on the chairs instead of sitting down.
There are also games similar to musical chairs such as “Hot Potato” or “hot potato” in French.
Players pass an object (such as a ball or paper bag) to each other to the music, and whoever is holding the object when the music stops is eliminated.

Finally, the game of musical chairs can be used for professional activities such as team building or team motivation activities.
It is also popular at student parties to liven up the evening.
We could even go so far as to call it a “sport”. Indeed, a certain number of musical chairs competitions are organized around the world.

Musical chairs, a political practice

The term “musical chairs” is also used in a pejorative manner.
It is an expression used to describe procedures for assigning positions to candidates when their number exceeds the number of available positions.
This can be illustrated, for example, by the allocation of ministerial positions to politicians during a government reshuffle.
Furthermore, the use of this term suggests that the number of moves in and out is often limited, and that individuals who previously held positions simply change responsibilities.

Musical chairs in popular culture

There are few sourced references to the use of musical chairs in the arts.
We can still cite the film “Let the big salaries raise their finger!”, a film by Denys Granier-Deferre, released in 1982 which uses this game as a dramatic spring.
Indeed, the director depicts a party that at first glance resembles a “team building” session but which ends with a session of musical chairs aimed at identifying the four victims of economic dismissal.
A variant far from the original game…

If you know of other works that illustrate or use the game of musical chairs, do not hesitate to leave us a comment.