La Chanson d'Ève, Op. 95, is asong cycle byGabriel Fauré, of tenmélodies for voice andpiano. Composed during 1906–10, it is based on the collection of poetry of the same name byCharles van Lerberghe.[1] It is Fauré's longest song cycle.[2]
Fauré was introduced to van Lerberghe's poems byOctave Maus.[3] The songs were composed over the period June 1906 to January 1910.[1] "Crépuscule" came first, in June 1906;[2] its origin was as a re-setting of the music of "Mélisande's Song".[4] The latter, an 1898 setting for voice of "La Chanson de Mélisande" from Act 3 of Fauré'sPelléas et Mélisande, was his only setting of a text inEnglish.[5]
Fauré only conceived the idea of a song cycle after "Crépuscule" had been published as an independent song.[3] The composition of "Paradis" and "Prima verba" followed in September,[2] while Faure was visitingStresa andLausanne.[6] "Roses ardentes" and "L'Aube blanche" came in June 1908, and the rest was composed from July 1909.[2] Over these years, Fauré was also working on hisoperaPénélope.[7]
Fauré's settings, selected from three of the four sections of van Lerberghe's collection, are as follows:[8]
The first songs to bepremiered were "Paradis", "Prima verba" and "Crépuscule", on 18 March 1908 at theBechstein Hall, sung byJeanne Raunay. The pianist was Fauré. On 26 May 1909 at theSalle Érard, Raunay and Fauré premiered "Roses ardentes", "Comme Dieu rayonne", "L'Aube blanche" and "Eau vivante", as well as performing the three earlier songs.[1]
Raunay and Fauré premiered the complete cycle on 20 – April 1910 at the first concert of the newly formedSociété musicale indépendante.[9] This occasion also saw the premieres ofClaude Debussy'sD'un cahier d'esquisses andMaurice Ravel'sMa mère l'oye.[10] Ravel wrote to Fauré the next day that he had been extremely moved by Fauré's cycle.[11]
The complete song cycle was published by Heugel in 1911, dedicated to Jeanne Raunay.[1]
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