Mon bras pressait ta taille frêle

 

     Mon bras pressait ta taille frêle - (2009)    

Victor Hugo

for medium voice and piano


 

Mon bras pressait ta taille frêle
Et souple comme le roseau;
Ton sein palpitait comme l'aile
D'un jeune oiseau!

Longtemps muets, nous contemplâmes
Le ciel où s'éteignait le jour.
Que se passait-il dans nos âmes?
Amour! Amour!

Comme un ange qui se dévoile,
Tu me regardais, dans ma nuit,
Avec ton beau regard d'étoile,
Qui m'éblouit.

[ 3 pages, circa 2' 25" ]


Victor Hugo

 

This sweet poem has been set numerous times, for it reflects many possible readings for the "speaker" of the text. For an English translation of this text, please see the page on Emily Ezust's fine site .

 

 

The harmonic gesture beginning at measure five spreads higher and lower in the outside voices, the bass line falling by half steps, and the third of the chords remains unresolved. This gesture, originally of five measures length, repeats throughout in varying tonal regions, shifting each time and extending its length. The first stanza begins on E minor, then E flat minor and then D minor, such that the longer arches also reflect the falling bass line as the melodic shapes alter to conform.

 

 

The second stanza of the poem begins another set of similar harmonic relations, this time beginning with B minor falling thence to B flat minor and so on.

 

 

The last strophe begins on A minor, dropping in the following arch to G sharp minor, with a subtle alteration in the progression as D major 6 colors the image of night and the "star-filled gaze" of the beloved as the vocal line rises to its highest point. The setting ends with additional repetitions of the simple word, "love."

 

 

 

The score for Mon bras pressait ta taille frêle is available as a free PDF download, though any major commercial performance or recording of the work is prohibited without prior arrangement with the composer. Click on the graphic below for this piano-vocal score.

 

Mon bras pressait ta taille frêle