Paysage sentimental (Sentimental Landscape)

Composer:Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

Author:Paul Bourget (1852-1935) 

Debussy composed this song during 1883, a reproductive year for vocal 

works such as Chanson Espangole (Choral), 

Invocation which he admitted for the Prix de Rome competition, and 

other works for solo and choral. It is considered as 

Debussy's early compositional  period. Many of his solo vocal works 

during the early period, approximately 1881 to 1885 

were mostly written for high voice. One of the biggest reason is the

 patron of him, Madame Vasnier, is a coloratura.  He 

composed a collection of 13 songs dedicated for her, entitled as "Chansons". It was later 

published as "The Vasnier Song Book", comprising Pantomime, En Sourdine,

Au clair de lune, Fontoches, Mandoline, Coquetterie Posthume, 

Romance, Musique, Paysage sentimental, La Romance d'Ariel, and

Regret. Some of these songs were revised by Debussy in his later years. 

Hence, there are two versions of Clair de lune which later reflects

the individuality of Debussy's compositional style.  

Debussy composed Paysage Sentimental, L.45 on a poem by one of 

his favorite poet, Paul Bourget. It is taken from Bourget's 

collection - Les aveux from which he also extracts Romance and Musique.  

The title enforces the emotion of the songs, very sentimental

not too solemn with little bitter sweet. A landscape introduced by

 the author with cold freezing weather, dark wood 

branches, falling leaves and little sunshine. A pair of couple sitting and 

kissing under a tree in the wood, and

 could only enjoy the happiness in a melancholy way. 

All things like the weather and trees seems deadly 

accept the love albeit happiness sleeps peacefully, as pale as the cold 

pond of the village.

The accompaniment introduce a light - hearted introduction, a folk-like 

melody in pentatonic. The voice joins after the 

introduction with ascending of semitone, little influences of the 

cosmopolitan music of the flavor of Russian, French and 

German. Indeed Debussy was influences by the cosmopolitan writing.

Russian influences was most probably from Mdame von Meck, one of

Debussy's patron who loves Russian music; where as 

influences of German probably comes from the Wagnerian style. 

 Debussy wrote high pitch for happy text such as

 rendait heureux and baiser then quickly descend when

 the lyrics goes melancoliquement. A new theme is introduced in the second

 stanza, and is repeated with sequence in  

semitone higher, emphasizing the deadly branches in the 

wood with withering leaves. But that doesnt affect the love where melody

 goes high again with the text "when the lips touches the lips", The same

 melody of the opening comes back in the third stanza. 

Debussy wrote similarly with bonheur on excited higher register. 

The "mysterious peaceful" need to be sung

in a relaxing way although it is quite a high pitch, closing the song 

 with turns of semitone Russian-like melody. 

Word- by- word Translation 

Le ciel d'hiver, si doux, si triste, si dormant,

The sky  winter  so sweet so  sad    so  dormant

Où    le  soleil errait    parmi des vapeurs blanches, 

where the sun    wandering  half  of vapours white 

Était pareil au doux, au profond  sentiment 

was   such   to sweet to profound feeling 

Qui nous rendait heureux mélancoliquement 

Yes we    made   happy   melancoly

Par cette après-midi de baiser sous les branches... 

for  this afternoon  of kiss  under the branches  

Branches mortes qu'auccun souffle ne remuait, 

branches  dead  no        breeze not moved

Branches noires avec quelque feuille fanée, 

branches black  with some    leaves fade

Ah! que   ta bouches c'est à  ma bouche donée 

Ah! what your mouth   this is my mouth  give

Plus tendrement encore dans ce  grand bois  muet, 

more tender     yet    on  this big   wood  silent

Et dans cette langueur de la  mort de l'année! 

and in  this  langour  of the dead of year

La  mort de tout, sinon    de  toi  que  j'aime tant, 

the dead of all  otherwise that you that i like as

Et  sinon     du  bonheur dont mon âme est comblée,

and otherwise of  happy   whose my soul is filled

Bonheur qui  dort  au fond  de cette âme isolée,

happy  which sleep to deep  to  this soul isolated  

Mystérieux, paisible   et frais comme l'étang 

mysterious   peaceful and cool  as    pond

Qui pâlissait au fond de la pâle vallée.

that pale     to deep to the pale valley 

(English Translation) 

The winter sky, so sweet, so sad, so slumbrous,
where the sun wandered among pale mists,
was like the sweet, deep feeling
that made us happy in a melancholy way
on that afternoon of kisses under the branches,
 
dead branches not stirred by any breeze,
black branches with a few withered leaves.
Ah, how your lips were given to my lips
more tenderly still in this great, mute woods
and in this languor of the year's death,
 
the death of everything except that I love you,
and except for the happiness filling my soul,
happiness that rests deep in this isolated soul,
mysterious, peaceful and cool, like the pond
that grew pale at the bottom of the pale valley. 

(Translated by John Glenn Paton) 

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Dormant:

-describes something that is not active or growing,

but which has the ability to be active at a later time

Vapors:

-gas or extremely small drops of liquid which result 

from the heating of a liquid or solid 

Also view:

Biography of Debussy 

Complete work lists of Debussy