Clair de lune

Votre âme est un paysage choisi
Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques,
Jouant du luth et dansant, et quasi
Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques!

Tout en chantant sur le mode mineur
L'amour vainqueur et la vie opportune.
Ils n'ont pas l'air de croire à leur bonheur,
Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune,

Au calme clair de lune triste et beau,
Qui fait rêver, les oiseaux [dans]1 les arbres,
Et sangloter d'extase les jets d'eau,
Les grands jets d'eau sveltes parmi les marbres.

by Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) , "Clair de lune", from Fêtes galantes, no. 1, published 1869

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Georges Antoine (1892-1918) , "Clair de lune", published 1926.
by Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957) , "Clair de lune"
by Gustave Charpentier (1860-1956) , "Clair de lune", alternate title: "Sérénade à Watteau", 1896. [soli, chorus, orchestra]
by Claude Achille Debussy (1862-1918) , "Clair de lune", from Fêtes Galantes I, no. 2.
by Claude Achille Debussy (1862-1918) , "Clair de lune", note: a very early song
by Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921) , "Clair de lune", 1898, orchestrated 1905.
by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) , "Clair de lune", op. 46 no. 2 (1887), published 1888.
by L. Schopfer , "Clair de lune"
by Jósef Szulc (1875-1956) , "Clair de lune", op. 83 (Dix mélodies sur des poésies de Verlaine) no. 1.
by Anna Teichmüller (1861-1940) , "Clair de lune"
by Alexander Voormolen (1895-1946) , "Clair de lune", 1916, rev. 1969.

by Artur Immisch (1902-1949) , "Mondschein" [high voice and piano], from Lieder nach Texten von Paul Verlaine, no. 5.

ENG English (Peter Low)
ITA Italian (M. T. Bulciolu)
GER German (Nele Gramss)
CHI Chinese (Yen-Chiang Che)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Sheet music:

  Search sheetmusicplus.com for Sérénade à Watteau, Clair de lune, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for Sérénade à Watteau, Clair de lune, vocal/choral music

CDs:

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Books:

  The Art of the Song Recital [amazon.com]
  The Book of Lieder: The Original Texts of Over 1000 Songs [amazon.com]
  French Song Companion [amazon.com]
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Classical Vocal Repertoire