En sourdine

Calmes dans le demi-jour
Que les branches hautes font,
Pénétrons bien notre amour
De ce silence profond.

[Fondons]1 nos âmes, nos coeurs
Et nos sens extasiés,
Parmi les vagues langueurs
Des pins et des arbousiers.

Ferme tes yeux à demi,
Croise tes bras sur ton sein,
Et de ton coeur endormi
Chasse à jamais tout dessein.

Laissons-nous persuader
Au souffle berceur et doux
Qui vient, à tes pieds, rider
Les ondes des gazons roux.

Et quand, solennel, le soir
Des chênes noirs tombera
Voix de notre désespoir,
Le rossignol chantera.

by Paul Verlaine (1844-1896) , "En sourdine", from Fêtes galantes, no. 21, 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 John Alden Carpenter (1876-1951) , "En sourdine"
by Reine Colaço Osorio-Swaab (1881-1971) , "En sourdine", 1932.
by Claude Achille Debussy (1862-1918) , "En sourdine", from Fêtes Galantes I, no. 1.
by Claude Achille Debussy (1862-1918) , "Calme dans le demi-jour", published 1944.
by Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921) , "En sourdine", 1910.
by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) , "En sourdine", op. 58 no. 2 (1891), published 1891, from Cinq mélodies "De Venise", no. 2.
by Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947) , "En sourdine", from Chansons grises, no. 4.
by (Joseph) Sylvio Lazzari (1857-1944) , "En sourdine", 1892, from À l'Absente, no. 2.
by Charles Martin Tornov Loeffler (1861-1935) , "Rêverie en sourdine" [viola, piano, and voice]
by Irena Regina Poldowski, née Wieniawski (1880-1932) , "En sourdine", published 1911, from Trois mélodies sur des poésies de Paul Verlaine, no. 3.
by Jósef Szulc (1875-1956) , "En sourdine", op. 83 (Dix mélodies sur des poésies de Verlaine) no. 9.
by Bernard Wagenaar (1894-1971) , "En sourdine", published 1926, from Three songs, no. 1, also set in English

by C. F. Karthaus , "Breiten, schattenden Zweige"
by F. E. Simon , "Breiten, schattenden Zweige"

ENG English (Emily Ezust)
ITA Italian (M. T. Bulciolu)
GER German (Elaine Marie Ortiz-Arandes) (Julie Nezami-Tavi)
ENG English (Laura Claycomb) (Peter Grunberg)

Added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.

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Sheet music:

  Search sheetmusicplus.com for En sourdine, Rêverie en sourdine, Calme dans le demi-jour, Art song , Lieder, chansons, or works for solo voice
  Search musicroom.com for En sourdine, Rêverie en sourdine, Calme dans le demi-jour, vocal/choral music

CDs:

  Search amazon.com for En sourdine, Rêverie en sourdine, Calme dans le demi-jour, art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for En sourdine, Rêverie en sourdine, Calme dans le demi-jour, art song, Lieder, or chansons

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]
  Search amazon.com for art song, Lieder, or chansons
  Search amazon.ca for art song, lieder, or chansons

Classical Vocal Repertoire