Chanson Triste [composer’s transcription, E-flat]

French composer Henri Duparc (1848-1933) is known largely for the thirteen songs included in this collection, eight for which he wrote orchestral accompaniment. Chanson Triste (Op. 2/4) was originally one of a collection of five mélodies written by Duparc, though three were later destroyed for not meeting the composer’s standards. (The other surviving song from that collection was Soupir.) With a poem by Dr. Henri Cazalis (under the pseudonym Jean Lahor), Duparc creates a song full of melancholy, suitable to the text. The song was set with orchestral accompaniment by the composer in 1912. The original version for high voice in E-flat and a version in C for medium voice, (transposed by Pierre de Bréville) are both available from the publisher. Instrumentation: 2.0.0.0:4.0.0.0: Hp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo High Voice. The song with the original piano accompaniment can be found in the LudwigMasters publication Complete Songs (M133091).