L’heure exquise

£10.00

Wieniawski’s Impressionism-inspired song L’heure exquise (The Exquisite Hour) encapsulates the composer’s nuance and sensitivity in writing for the voice. Expressive melodies are enhanced with delicate pianistic textures, amplifying Paul Verlaine’s original poem.

Description

Régine Wieniawski (1879–1932), known professionally as Poldowski, was a Belgian-born composer and the daughter of violinist Henryk Wieniawski. Before adopting her pseudonym to distinguish herself from her father’s legacy, she published music under various names, which may have contributed to her work fading into obscurity over time. Although she is best known for her art songs, particularly settings of Paul Verlaine’s poetry, she also composed instrumental works. In 1912, Sir Henry Wood premiered her orchestral Nocturne at the Proms, which highlights her significant contribution to early 20th-century music.

Wieniawski’s Impressionism-inspired song L’heure exquise (The Exquisite Hour) encapsulates the composer’s nuance and sensitivity in writing for the voice. Expressive melodies are enhanced with delicate pianistic textures, amplifying Paul Verlaine’s original poem.

La lune blanche                       The silver moonlight
Luit dans les bois ;                  Glows in the wood;
De chaque branche                 And from each branch
Part une voix                            Sounds a voice
Sous la ramée…                       Through leafy sprays…

Ô bien aimée                            O beloved

L’étang reflète                          The pool a deep,
Profond miroir                        Reflecting mirror
La silhouette                            That silhouettes
Du saule noir                           The black willow

Où le vent pleure…                 Where moans the wind…

Rêvons, c’est l’heure               It is time to dream.

Un vaste et tendre                  A vast and tender
Apaisement                             Sense of calm
Semble descendre                  Seems to descend
Du firmament                         From the starry skies
Que l’astre irise…                   Of heaven…

C’est l’heure exquise             O, wondrous hour!

Additional information

Composer

Instrumentation

Duration

4'

Difficulty

Arranged by

ISMN

979-0-708225-19-5