Listening 3

 

La lune blanche, from the song cycle La bonne chanson, by Gabriel Fauré

La bonne chanson, Op. 61, by Gabriel Fauré, is a song cycle of nine mélodies for voice and piano. He composed it during 1892–94; in 1898 he created a version for voice, piano and string quintet. The cycle is based on nine of the poems from the collection of the same name by Paul Verlaine. According to Fauré himself, the song cycle contains a number of musical themes which recur from song to song.

Fauré's settings are as follows:^[15]

1. "Une sainte en son auréole"
2. "Puisque l'aube grandit"
3. "La lune blanche luit dans les bois"
4. "J'allais par des chemins perfides"
5. "J'ai presque peur, en vérité"
6. "Avant que tu ne t'en ailles"
7. "Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été"
8. "N'est-ce pas?"
9. "L'hiver a cessé"