perfomers: Claire Lefilliâtre, Brice Duisit, Isabelle Druet

group: Le Poème Harmonique

conductor: Vincent Dumestre

 

Related blogs:

“C’est mon ami,” composed by Marie-Antoinette

“Plaisir d’amour,” sung by Kathleen Battle

Photo credit: Wikipedia  

 

Marie-Antoinette, by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun

“Ma Rose”

(please click on the picture to enlarge it) 

On the 13th of August 2012, I posted a blog on “Plaisir d’amour,” sung by Marian Anderson: “Plaisir d’amour,” sung by Kathleen Battle.  New information surfaced when I wrote about “Le Roi a fait battre tambour.”  As a result we need an update. 

The Dates: circa…

Marian Anderson’s rendition of Plaisir d’amour remains delightful, but it is different.  As for the date given by above, 1785, it may be the date “Plaisir d’amour” was first performed, but it may be safer to write c. 1785.  According to my earlier post, the lyrics, or poem, were written in 1780, now c. 1780, by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian.   But the lyrics were not set to music until 1784 or c. 1784, by Jean Paul Égide Martini.

From Paul Aegidius Schwarzendorf to J. P. É. Martini

Composer Jean Paul Égide Martini, also known as Martini Il Tedesco, was born in Freystadt, Bavaria and his birth-name is Johann Paul Aegidius Schwarzendorf (31 August 1741 – 10 February 1816).  Martini changed his name when he arrived in France.  Martini Il Tedesco or Il Tedesco Martini would mean the German Martini.

The Revival of Ancient Music

However, what I should underline is the current revival of Baroque music and ancient music, interpreted using the instruments of that era in music, the seventeenth century or 1600 to 1730/50.  Eras in music overlap and going from era to era does not necessarily mean progress.  The same is true of eras in the fine arts.

The leader in the revival of Baroque or early music is Jordi Savall i Bernadet (born January 14, 1942, in Igualada, Spain), known as Jordi Savall.  I became aware of his effort when I saw Alain Corneau‘s Tous les matins du monde.[ii]  a 1991 film about composers Sainte-Colombe and Marin Marais, 17th-century French musicians.

The music Savall adapted and performed for Alain Corneau‘s film earned him a César (a French Oscar) from the French film industry in 1992 and the soundtrack to this film sold more than a million copies worldwide (Wikipedia).  There is a song entitled Sur tous les chemins du monde.

Poème Harmonique’s Vincent Dumestre is also engaged in a revival, but he seems to be focussing on songs.  He is recording old songs as they were performed when they were composed.  It is in this respect that Claire Lefilliâtre‘s rendition differs from Marian Anderson’s and vice versa.

Plaisir d’amour

• The words, or lyrics, based on a poem by Jean de Florian (1755–1794), were written in 1780, now c. 1780;
• The text was set to music by Jean Paul Égide Martini in 1784, now c. 1784;
• In 1859, Hector Berlioz (1803–1869), a Romantic composer, arranged the piece for orchestra

Lyrics for Plaisir d’amour

Refrain:

Plaisir d’amour ne dure qu’un moment.

Chagrin d’amour dure toute la vie.

The pleasure of love lasts only a moment.

The pain of love lasts a lifetime.

 

1)

J’ai tout quitté pour l’ingrate Sylvie.

Elle me quitte pour prendre un autre amant.

I left everything for the ungrateful Sylvia.

She is leaving me for another lover.

Refrain 

 

2)