The text of Gabriel Fauré’s “En Sourdine” is taken from a poem by Paul Verlaine from his 1869 collection entitled “Fêtes galantes.” With this work, Verlaine began his departure from his Parnassian tendencies and his move toward what would ultimately be a role as a leader in the Symbolist movement. In this poem (of seven syllables to the line), the move towards Symbolism is quite apparent. Though it seems to be written from the point of view of one lover speaking to another, the emphasis is not on a dialogue of any sort. Rather, the message of the poem is the intense imagery, evocation of senses and unspoken nuances. For example, the term “half-day” (“demi-jour”), referring to that which is created by the high branches, indicates that it is not, in fact, twilight as would be expected by the atmosphere described. This is typical of the poetry of the Symbolist movement. The reference of the nightingale also implies the falling of dusk and, with the end of the night, the end of the described romance.
The text is clear in Fauré’s setting, syllabically set to a tuneful and reasonably memorable melody. Interestingly, while the poetic integrity is clearly prioritized in the setting (no repetition is added, phrases are left intact and verses, while not separated clearly, are not jumbled), the word “fondons” has been changed to “mêlons.” The declamation is fairly appropriate, both rhythmically-reflecting the rhythm of the words fairly accurately-and relating to stress-decently reflecting the unstressed nature of the French language, though with a bit of inaccuracy (for example, the first phrase seems to accent the first and fifth syllables more than the rest). The lyrical melody requires a range of just over an octave, with the final phrase including a dramatic one octave leap. The vocal lines alternate between quite long and quite short. The vocal line reflects the text rather subtly, with some stepwise motion giving tension to the atmosphere, perhaps alluding to the sensuality of the poetry. Dynamic markings given to the performer are specific and calculated, ranging from pp to f.
The accompaniment in Fauré’s “En Sourdine” provides the vocal line with harmonic support (having no real motivic independence) in the way of phrases of continuous 16th notes that tend to overlap the vocal line (which is never doubled in the accompaniment). It creates a homophonic texture which is generally somewhere on the sparse side though with an emphasis on the damper pedal. The accompaniment line is representative of rocking motion, presenting a calming mood to reflect the serenity of the poem’s stopped-in-time atmosphere. However, there doesn’t seem to be any direct text painting. Were the words not present, the music’s beauty would remain intact, but its meaning would not be clear or as strong. The piece is arranged in a ternary-like form, though the second A section has some clear departures from the first, melodically and harmonically, and therefore bears some resemblance to through-composed form.
Verlaine’s poetry, while certainly impacting and helping to shape the music of “En Sourdine,” did not have an overwhelming influence on it; in fact, the music is slightly general. If not for the frequent harmonic changes which suit the changes in the text’s ideas-marked by accidentals rather than key signatures but still creating diatonic accompaniment and a diatonic melody-the accompaniment could perhaps be paired rather fittingly with another text. This isn’t to say that the music does the poetry an injustice, however. The most compelling aspect of this piece is the way the listener is lulled into the atmosphere of Verlaine’s poetry by the musical setting. The words create a mood vividly and the music helps to make the dreamlike state real.