Les Heures claires

Composed between April 13 and August 13, 1909, the cycle Les Heures claires − the title of Émile Verhaeren’s collection − depicts a series of moments marked by joy and serenity. If a few shadows appear, it is always to show how they turn into light through ever-renewed surges of tenderness and trust.

This song cycle has the rather rare distinction of being written jointly by two composers in close sympathy: Raoul Pugno, a renowned pianist, then 57, and Nadia Boulanger, his 22-year-old pupil. It is telling that, as they embarked on this collaboration, they chose a cycle of poems devoted to married love, among the finest in the French language, finely wrought and by turns intimate and lyrical in inspiration. The poet draws from nature images that reflect his fervor; whether he evokes the silence of the night, the purity of the sky, or the flight of birds, they are always metaphors of love. This flowering of images culminates in the seventh song, where roses appear as kisses: “Roses d’ardeur muette et de volonté douce.”

The vocal and instrumental writing reflects two complementary aspects that may correspond to the respective contributions of Raoul Pugno and Nadia Boulanger. On the one hand, an ardent lyricism and a melodic generosity that unfold fully in moments of exaltation. On the other, a free and refined harmonic language, at times modal, and close attention to prosody, so as to preserve an endlessly renewed palette of colors. The piano writing favors ostinato figures over which beautiful expressive lines emerge here and there, never doubling the vocal part. The keys are chosen with care and a keen sense of tonal ethos, from F-sharp major, for a mood of joyful, ardent radiance (V. C’était en juin…), to D-flat major, for intimate writing of contemplative religiosity (VI. Ta bonté).

© Heugel 1910

The score is out of print but available on the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) website

© Anthony Girard