Sicilienne

First page of the score for piano and violoncello. The cello part is notated in both the bass clef and the C clef

Sicilienne is the title of an impressionistic piece of music by Gabriel Fauré from 1893. In the composer's catalog raisonné it bears the opus number 78. It was originally intended as part of a piece of music for the ballet comedy Der Bürger als Edelmann ( Le bourgeois gentilhomme ) by Molière , but in addition it didn't come. Instead, it is included in Fauré's incidental music for Maurice Maeterlinck's Pelléas et Mélisande . In 1898 he arranged the piece as chamber music for piano and violoncello , but numerous other transcriptions and arrangements were made. Fauré dedicated his work to the English cellist William Henry Squire (1871–1963), the Sicilienne is still a popular and often performed performance piece.

Musical structure

The feminine French term Sicilienne refers to a phrase used in baroque music , the Siciliano , for which a swaying rhythm is characteristic. Similar to this, Fauré's piece has a lovely melancholy melodic sequence of notes. The work is set in the key of G minor . The composer specifies the metronome number = 50 as the tempo for the sliding, not too fast, continuous 6/8 time , so the dotted quarter note should be played in 50 beats per minute ( andantino ). The tone strength begins with a ( piano, weak-soft ). Fauré rarely sets a dynamic accent with a ( forte, strong-loud ) in this consistently soft and reserved music. The piece consists of three parts; the first extends over 43 bars, followed by an interlude over 18 bars in E flat major . The Sicilienne ends after a further 25 bars with a resumption of the opening melody in G minor and a ( pianissimo ) very gentle G minor final chord.

Edits

Fauré himself used the piece in an orchestrated version in 1898 as the third movement for his Suite Pelléas et Mélisande , op. 80, with the flute as the melody-carrying instrument and the harp as the rhythmic accompaniment being the dominant instruments of the orchestra. The best known is the version for violoncello and piano. In addition, the Sicilienne has made numerous arrangements for a wide variety of instruments. Interpretations for violin or flute with piano accompaniment are widespread. But the combination of flute and harp can also come very close to the impressionistic character of the music. The Turkish guitarist Emre Sabuncuoğlu presented an interpretation for solo guitar .

Individual evidence and audio samples

1. ↑ Woodstra, Chris; Brennan, Gerald; Schrott, Allen (Ed.): Sicilienne, for cello & piano, op.78 . All Music Guide to Classical Music. London 2006, p. 432
2. ^ Jacques Hamelle (Ed.): Gabriel Fauré, Sicilienne pour Violoncelle et Piano , Notenblatt, Paris 1898
3. ^ Orchester du Capitole de Toulouse, conductor: Michel Plasson
4. ^ Gautier Capuçon, violoncello and Michel Dalberto. piano
5. ↑ Franziska Kannewischer-Fisch, flute and Magdalena Zimmerer, harp
6. ^ Emre Sabuncuoğlu, guitar

Web links

• Sheet music for Faurés Sicilienne at the IMSLP Petrucci Music Library