Apparition

Composer: Claude Debussy (182-1918)

Author: Stephane Mallarme (1842-1898) 

Apparition was written in 1884, another early composition by Debussy.

 It was written for Madame Vasnier, a coloratura. Hence,

lighter tone colour might be expected to sing this song. Some how this songs is different from

 the previous. Instead of just pure light voice, it requires greater 

vocal technique with symbolic literature. 

Debussy first met Stephane Mallarme on 8th Feb 1884. 

He was likely influenced by the symbolic poems

as he almost spent most of the time with poets than musicians. He set a symbolic 

poem by Stephane Mallarme to a song.  The title "apparition"suggested 

a vague subject, hard to imagine or to see. It depicts a dead 

soul which often show the sadness and dark side of 

our emotions. This songs was rather full of sentiments, passionate and 

longing, which leads the songs to the climax where the text repeats the title twice

on a high C.

The vocal line joins in in the second bar not 

long after a brief introduction by the piano accompaniment. It creates

subtle ringing atmosphere where the vocal lines almost repeating same note

without leaping widely until few bars later. It suggests a stillness 

night with sad atmosphere, pictures of vague dream-like view which is 

almost untrue in reality-- the sad moon, crying seraphims around the petals 

with their bows in their fingers, vapours...

Abruptly, music changes into rich texture in G flat Major where the vocal

line appears in high register. It was indeed emotional that it was the

day when they first kissed, a very memorable day and moment which she long and 

dream for. Her dream was almost torturing, affecting the tonality- a minor

mode in the next phrase, leading to a first- wave-climax, protraying some kind of dramatic 

emotion-- "drowning in the sad perfume without regret and disappointment". 

It changes again unexpectedly into  Major mode in C with leaping melodies but calm, 

still and soft in dynamics. It gradually builds to the climax as her eyes was revited 

while she was walking on the path on that evening, the sun shines through a vague object -- 

 the apparition, an object likely as the feature and figure of her beloved that appears

in front of her own eyes. It depicts a mixtures of excitement, touch and painful emotions. Alas

the main tune comes back again in same key- G flat when she finally saw fairy-like with a 

hat of light which once appeared in her dream. 

A sudden PP in the dynamic suggest a quick change when she realized it was all over-

"passed" with the word "Passait" on a leaping A, passed through her careless hand

and the music goes tenderly calm again with few smooth modulations, suggesting the 

scenes of disappearing perfume and starry vapours all around.  

Word-by-word English Translation 

La lune s'attristait. Des séraphins en pleurs

The moon  sad        of seraphim    in cry

Rêvant, l'archet aux doigts, dans le calme des fleurs

dreamin  bow     of   finger  on the clam  of   flowers           

Vaporeuses, tiraient de mourantes violes 

vapour       drew        dying    viols

De blancs sanglots glissant sur l'azur des  corolles. 

the white  sobs     slide   on    azur  of   corolla  

C'était le jour béni   de ton premier baiser. 

it was the day blessed of your  first kiss 

Ma songerie aimant à me martyriser 

my  dream   magnet to my  martyr 

S'enivrait savamment du parfum de tristesse 

intoxicate carefully of perfume the sad  

Que même sans    regret et sans     déboire laisse 

the same without regret and without disappointment leash

La cueillaison d'un Rêve au coeur qui l'accueille. 

the     ?        a dream of heart that hosts

J'errais donc, l'oeil rivé    sur le pavé     vieilli 

I wandered so    eye revited  on the pavement age

Quand avec du soleil aux cheveux, dans la rue 

when with  of sun   of    hair    on the street 

Et dans le soir, tu m'es en riant apparue 

and in the evening you me  laughter appeared

Et j'ai  cru voir la  fée  au chapeau de clarté 

and i am row  see the fairy to  hat  of clarity

Qui jadis sur mes beaux sommeils d'enfant gâté 

that  one on  my  beauty sleeps  childhood spoiled

Passait, laissant toujours de ses mains mal fermées 

passed    leaving always   of its hand  bad closed

Neiger de blancs bouquets d'étoiles parfumées.

snow   of  white   bouquet  starry perfume 

(English Translation) 

The moon was saddened. Seraphims in tears
dreaming, bows at their fingers, in the calm of filmy flowers
Threw dying violas of white sobs 
sliding over the blue of corollas.
It was the blessed day of your first kiss;
My reverie, loving to torture me, 
wisely imbibed its perfume of sadness
That even without regret and without setback
leaves the gathering of a dream within the heart that gathered it.
I wandered then, my eye riveted on the aged cobblestones.
When, with light in your hair, in the street
and in the evening, you appeared to me smiling
and I thought I had seen the fairy with a hat of light
who passed in my sweet dreams as a spoiled child,
always dropping from her carelessly closed hand
a snow of white bouquets of perfumed stars. 

(Translated by Laura Claycomb, Peter Grunberg)

---------------------------------------------

Viols:

-16th/ 17th centuries instruments.(viol da gamba)

Corolla:

-all of the petals of a flower as a group

Martyr: 

-a person who suffers very much or is killed 

because of their political or religious beliefs,

and is often admired because of it 

Leash:
-a piece of rope, chain, etc. tied to an animal, 

especially to a dog at its collar when taking it for a walk

Apparition

- A soul of a dead person appearing in a form which can be seen 

Revited

-not be able to be stop looking at something because it is so

interesting or frightening

Reverie

- Dream-like thought