~~~~~~Composer biography~~~~~ Reynaldo Hahn’s life is extremely well documented, so we won’t give information beyond what we’ve written in the program notes below. If you would like to learn more about Hahn, his English Wikipedia page is an excellent starting point: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynaldo_Hahn ~~~~~Program notes~~~~~ Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947) was a Venezuelan-French composer. Born in Caracas to a German father and French mother, Hahn moved to Paris at the age of 3 with his family, and he lived in France for most of his life. At the age of 11, Hahn entered the Paris Conservatory's preparatory school, and at 13, he composed the mélodie “Si mes vers avaient des ailes,” with text from a poem by Victor Hugo. The leading French newspaper Le Figaro printed the sheet music of "Si mes vers avaient des ailes" in an 1890 issue, stating that “[we] feel we must reproduce this graceful piece which obviously denotes a delicate and original musician." (Note: a mélodie is a genre of French song with piano accompaniment. These songs are usually set to French poetry. Reynaldo Hahn, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Henri Duparc were some of the mélodie’s notable exponents.) “Si mes vers avaient des ailes” (If my verses had wings) is most commonly sung in E major. The song begins with an arpeggiated piano accompaniment, which features throughout. The singer’s loving melody has a rising and falling contour, as if mirroring the verses that “would fly, soft and gentle / To your beautiful garden” and “like sparks / To your smiling fireplace.” Some highlights in it are the lines leading to the words “rit” and “jour" (0:45 and 1:18), as well as the ending, in which the singer's voice melts away. *Note: These program notes are the result of many hours of reading, listening, writing, and editing. Please do not reproduce them without crediting us. ~~~~~Sources~~~~~ 1. Reynaldo Hahn. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynaldo_Hahn 2. French text and English translation by Richard Stokes of “Si mes vers avaient des ailes.” www.oxfordlieder.co.uk/song/4067
~~~~~~Composer biography~~~~~
Reynaldo Hahn’s life is extremely well documented, so we won’t give information beyond what we’ve written in the program notes below. If you would like to learn more about Hahn, his English Wikipedia page is an excellent starting point: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynaldo_Hahn
~~~~~Program notes~~~~~
Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947) was a Venezuelan-French composer. Born in Caracas to a German father and French mother, Hahn moved to Paris at the age of 3 with his family, and he lived in France for most of his life. At the age of 11, Hahn entered the Paris Conservatory's preparatory school, and at 13, he composed the mélodie “Si mes vers avaient des ailes,” with text from a poem by Victor Hugo. The leading French newspaper Le Figaro printed the sheet music of "Si mes vers avaient des ailes" in an 1890 issue, stating that “[we] feel we must reproduce this graceful piece which obviously denotes a delicate and original musician."
(Note: a mélodie is a genre of French song with piano accompaniment. These songs are usually set to French poetry. Reynaldo Hahn, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Henri Duparc were some of the mélodie’s notable exponents.)
“Si mes vers avaient des ailes” (If my verses had wings) is most commonly sung in E major. The song begins with an arpeggiated piano accompaniment, which features throughout. The singer’s loving melody has a rising and falling contour, as if mirroring the verses that “would fly, soft and gentle / To your beautiful garden” and “like sparks / To your smiling fireplace.” Some highlights in it are the lines leading to the words “rit” and “jour" (0:45 and 1:18), as well as the ending, in which the singer's voice melts away.
*Note: These program notes are the result of many hours of reading, listening, writing, and editing. Please do not reproduce them without crediting us.
~~~~~Sources~~~~~
1. Reynaldo Hahn. Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynaldo_Hahn
2. French text and English translation by Richard Stokes of “Si mes vers avaient des ailes.” www.oxfordlieder.co.uk/song/4067
So beautiful song
Paradise...
Una MARAVILLA !!! . GRACIAS amigo por compartírnosla ! .
¡De nada! ¡Gracias por su comentario!
Beautiful song! Im planning on singing it this semester. Thank you for the program notes.
0:11
Is this French?
Yes
Ce inseamna sa fii AGRAMAT mai draga - vezi ca nu e vb de aripile "viermilor sai [intestinali, eventual]" ci ale VERSURILOR SALE -