Ex. 10-7: Le Colibri

No. 7 — the last song — of Chausson's Sept mélodies (Op. 2), "Le Colibri" (The Hummingbird), set to a poem by Leconte de Lisle. The set opens with "Nanny," also by Leconte de Lisle and also in this app. (Ex. 9-5: Nanny by Ernest Chausson)

The song is in an unusual 5/4 time — five beats to the bar, rare in the music of its day.

In the poem, a hummingbird flies over fragrant tropical islands and drinks so deeply from a flower that it dies of the sweetness. The poet longs for the same end — to breathe his last on his beloved's first kiss.

From the album Évocation by Sandrine Piau and Susan Manoff (2007)
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