Ex. 1-9: Madrigal

Published in 1886, to a poem by Georges Vanor. The song opens with "Tes doux baisers sont des oiseaux" (Your sweet kisses are like birds) — a rondeau-form love song in which kisses flutter like silver-winged birds upon the singer's lips.

The piano prelude is marked "a capriccio" (freely), with arpeggios that evoke birds alighting. Throughout the song, the piano weaves countermelodies around the voice, as if the two are in intimate conversation.

Chaminade was one of the first women composers to achieve financial independence through publishing and performing. In 1913 she became the first female composer to receive the Légion d'honneur. The melody's beauty has made it a favourite in instrumental arrangements, especially for flute.

Track 17 from the album Mélodies de la Belle Époque by Marta Schele and Olof Hojer (2010)
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