Gabriel Fauré was born in Pamiers, Ariège,
Midi-Pyrénées, in the south of France, the fifth son
and youngest of six children of Toussaint-Honoré
Fauré (1810–85) and Marie-Antoinette-Hélène
Lalène-Laprade (1809–87).
Fauré is regarded as one of the masters of the French
art song, or mélodie. His devotion to the mélodie
spans his career, from the ever-fresh "Le papillon et
la fleur" of 1861 to the masterly cycle L'horizon
chimérique, composed sixty years and more than a
hu...(+)
Gabriel Fauré was born in Pamiers, Ariège,
Midi-Pyrénées, in the south of France, the fifth son
and youngest of six children of Toussaint-Honoré
Fauré (1810–85) and Marie-Antoinette-Hélène
Lalène-Laprade (1809–87).
Fauré is regarded as one of the masters of the French
art song, or mélodie. His devotion to the mélodie
spans his career, from the ever-fresh "Le papillon et
la fleur" of 1861 to the masterly cycle L'horizon
chimérique, composed sixty years and more than a
hundred songs later. Fauré's songs are now core
repertoire for students and professionals, sung in
conservatories and recital halls throughout the
world.
Gabriel Fauré's "Les berceaux," Op. 23 No. 1 (written
in 1879), a setting of a poem by Sully Prudhomme, uses
a flowing melodic line in the vocal part and a
characteristic accompaniment in the piano to evoke the
movement of both ships and of cradles (berceaux),
linking the two together in motion and emotion.
The poem describes large ships rocked by the water and
cradles rocked by women: "But the day of farewells will
come, because women must weep, and curious men must
dare the lure of the horizon." But though ships carry
men away from their cradles, the ships sense, and are
momentarily held back by, the soul of the cradles.
The song opens with the lulling motion of arpeggios in
the piano bass line, underpinning a soothing, quietly
sung vocal line. At the line "But the day of farewells
will come, " a crescendo slowly builds to a forte
climax on "dare the lure of the horizon." The piano
leads the way back to the more flowing sprit of the
opening, ending the song in the tone in which it
began.
Although this piece was originally written for Piano
and Voice, I arranged it for Viola and Concert (Pedal)
Harp.
