Romance

About the Music
While exquisitely beautiful, Debussy's choral music can be challenging and difficult for even the finest high school and collegiate ensembles. Many of his chansons, however, belong in the canon of great literature in which young singers find themselves early in their study of voice. These pedagogically sound pieces have the inherent ability to teach healthy vocalism. The arranger set “Romance” with this concept in mind and to expose young singers to the intricate melodies and wonderful colors of the music of Claude Debussy.

L'âme évaporée et souffrante,
L'âme douce, l'âme odorante
Des lis divins que j'ai cueillis

Dans le jardin de ta pensée,
Où donc les vents l'ont-ils chassée,
Cette âme adorable des lis?

N'est-il plus un parfum qui reste
De la suavité céleste,
Des jours où tu m'enveloppais
D'une vapeur surnaturelle

Faite d'espoir,
d'amour fidèle,
De béatitude et de paix?

The fleeting and suffering soul,
the gentle soul,
the fragrant soul of those divine lilies

which I gathered in the garden of your thoughts,
Whither have the winds forced it,
that adorable soul of the lilies?

Is there no fragrance remaining
of the heavenly loveliness of those days
when you enveloped me
in their supernatural mist

Fashioned of hope,
of faithful love,
of blessedness and of peace?

Click here to see a sample.

Click here to listen to a recording (MP3).