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 mu...(+)
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.
PARTITION