When Gabriel Fauré was a boy, Berlioz had just written
La damnation de Faust and Henry David Thoreau was
writing Walden. By the time of his death, Stravinsky
had written The Rite of Spring and World War I had
ended in the devastation of Europe. In this dramatic
period in history, Fauré strove to bring together the
best of traditional and progressive music and, in the
process, created some of the most exquisite works in
the French repertoire. He was one of the most advanced
figures in French musical circles and influenced a
generation of composers world-wide.
Fauré was the youngest child of a school headmaster and
spent many hours playing the harmonium in the chapel
next to his father's school. Fauré's father enrolled
the 9-year-old as a boarder at the École Niedermeyer in
Paris, where he remained for 11 years, learning church
music, organ, piano, harmony, counterpoint, and
literature. In 1861, Saint-Saëns joined the school and
introduced Fauré and other students to the works of
more contemporary composers such as Schumann, Liszt,
and Wagner. Fauré's earliest songs and piano pieces
date from this period, just before his graduation in
1865, which he achieved with awards in almost every
subject. For the next several years, he took on various
organist positions, served for a time in the Imperial
Guard, and taught. In 1871 he and his friends --
d'Indy, Lalo, Duparc, and Chabrier -- formed the
Société Nationale de Musique, and soon after,
Saint-Saëns introduced him to the salon of Pauline
Viardot and Parisian musical high society.
"En Sourdine" Opus 58 No. 2: A striking contrast to the
light atmosphere of a social gathering, “En Sourdine”
describes in hushed tones the deep connection between
lovers. Beginning with long, sustained notes in the
vocal line above arpeggiated chords in the piano, Fauré
describes the stolen afternoon of lovers with his
masterful use of shifting harmonies and the quiet low
register of the voice. Short counter-melodies arise out
of the piano, interacting with the voice in a seamless
comment that describes the languorous afternoon and the
coming of evening.
With “En Sourdine” translated as “Muted,” the singer
enters the more personal sphere of the love song. There
is a deep peacefulness and tenderness in the poetry and
in the structure of the melodic line. The text is
subtle; in true Verlaine fashion, it offers hints
rather than pointing directly at the story within. In
order to fully embody the song one needs a vivid
imagination to fill in the blanks. The last line of the
poem: “Voix de notre désespoir, le rossignol chantera
(Voice of our despair, the nightingale will sing),”
begs the questions, why is the nightingale‟s song
so sweet, and why does it signal the voice of despair?
Penetrating these lines, each singer for herself, can
explore the core of the Verlaine‟s and
Fauré‟s intentions.
Source: AllMusic
(https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gabriel-faur%C3%A9-mn0
000654108/biography)
Although originally composed for Voice (Soprano) and
Piano, I created this arrangement of "En Sourdine" (Op.
58 No. 2) for English Horn & Concert (Pedal) Harp. |
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