The Mélodie: French Art Song

The Salon and the Song

The mélodie—French art song—developed differently from German Lieder. Where German songs emphasized poetry's philosophical depth, French mélodies celebrated sound, atmosphere, and suggestion.

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) perfected the mélodie: - Settings of Verlaine: "Clair de lune," "Mandoline" - Song cycles: "La Bonne Chanson," "L'Horizon chimérique" - Harmonic subtlety suggesting rather than stating - Piano as equal partner, not mere accompaniment

Henri Duparc (1848-1933) composed only 17 songs before mental illness silenced him, but each is a masterpiece: - "L'Invitation au voyage": Baudelaire's exoticism through French refinement - "Phidylé": Passionate climax within classical restraint - "La Vie antérieure": Harmonic ambiguity suggesting past lives

Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) brought Wagnerian harmony to French song: - "Poème de l'amour et de la mer": Extended cycle for voice and orchestra - "Serres chaudes": Maeterlinck's symbolism in music