Ex. 4-9: Barcarolle

No. 3 from Fauré's "Trois mélodies" (Op. 7), composed on 19 October 1873 and dedicated to Pauline Viardot. The poem is by Marc Monnier (1827–1885). Originally published separately by Choudens in 1877, the three songs were grouped as Op. 7 in 1878.

A gondolier proudly sings that the lagoon is his castle, the Lido (a Venice island) is his garden, the moonlight is his curtain, and his lover's dark eyes are his lantern. True to the barcarolle tradition, the music sways in 6/8 time. This is Fauré's earliest work in the barcarolle form — it came before all thirteen of his famous piano barcarolles (from 1881). He did not actually visit Venice until 1891. The other two songs from Op. 7 are also in this app. (Ex. 6-7: Après un rêve by Gabriel Fauré, Ex. 3-7: Hymne by Gabriel Fauré)

Fauré frequented Viardot's salon from 1872, introduced by Saint-Saëns. He fell in love with Pauline's daughter Marianne; they were engaged in July 1877 but she broke it off that November. During this period, Fauré dedicated key works to different members of the family — this song to Pauline, "Au bord de l'eau" to Marianne (Ex. 9-11: Au bord de l'eau by Gabriel Fauré), and the Violin Sonata No. 1 to her son Paul. Pauline Viardot's own music is also in this app. (Ex. 14-7: Hai Luli! by Pauline Viardot)

Track 3 from the album Fauré: The Complete Songs 1 by John Mark Ainsley and Graham Johnson (2005)
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