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Wednesday 17 June 2009
Tune of the Day: Berceuse
from Gabriel Fauré's “Dolly” Suite
The “Dolly” Suite, op. 56, is a collection of six pieces for piano four-hands by French composer Gabriel Fauré. It was written between 1894 and 1897, and is the only piano duet in Fauré's oeuvre.
Fauré wrote the pieces in honor of Hélène, nicknamed Dolly, who was the daughter of his mistress at the time, the singer Emma Bardac. The Berceuse we propose today, which is the best-known movement of the suite, was composed for Hélène's first birthday, and the remaining pieces also appeared in time for the child's subsequent birthdays and other family occasions.