 | Fauré, Gabriel - "En Sourdine" for English Horn & Harp Op. 58 No. 2 English Horn & Harp |
Vidéo :
![]()
![]()
| Composer : | Fauré, Gabriel (1845 - 1924) | ||||
| Instrumentation : | English Horn & Harp | ||||
| Style : | Romantic | ||||
| Arranger : Publisher : | MAGATAGAN, MICHAEL (1960 - ) | ||||
| Copyright : | Public Domain | ||||
| Added by magataganm, 14 Dec 2022 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. Sheet central : | Mandoline; En sourdine; Green; À Clymène; C'est l'extase (2 sheet music) | | |||
Log-in to comment
