Ex. 2-13: Spleen

No. 3 from Fauré's "4 Mélodies" (Op. 51, 1888). The poem is Verlaine's "Il pleure dans mon cœur" (It weeps in my heart) — sadness without cause, like rain falling on a town.

The piano maintains a steady staccato throughout, suggesting rain. Debussy also set this poem, but in a more speech-like style. The song ends with a quiet seven-bar piano postlude.

Track 6 from the album Fiançailles pour rire by Natalie Dessay and Philippe Cassard (2015)
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