Sonatine Verlaine for flute and piano
1 Qui fait rêver les oiseaux
2 triste et beau
3 Et sangloter d’extase les jets d’eau
One of the great blessings of working in a vibrant musical community like St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City is that we have a knack for attracting gifted and generous musicians to our community. Dr. Carol Dale is one of the excellent examples of this. She is a gifted flutist and a genuinely kind person with a host of extraordinary gifts. She is also very giving of her time and helps to keep our music program afloat.
I have enjoyed playing music with Carol for a few years now, and as is often the case, I like to respond to that by writing something for people that I appreciate musically. I have been wanting to hear some music that I call, “square French music.” I mean by that, I think, music with easily defined phrases with French and jazz harmonies that has a sometimes inexact and undefinable mood.
I have recently taken to titling movements from little snippets from poems that I read. In this case, the titles come from Paul Verlaine’s “Clair de Lune.”
Clair de lune
Votre âme est un paysage choisi
Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques
Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi
Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques.
Tout en chantant sur le mode mineur
L'amour vainqueur et la vie opportune, Ils n'ont pas l'air de croire à leur bonheur
Et leur chanson se mêle au clair de lune, Au calme clair de lune triste et beau, Qui fait rêver les oiseaux dans les arbres
Et sangloter d'extase les jets d'eau, Les grands jets d'eau sveltes parmi les marbres.
kk Kansas City, 2024