La Damoiselle élue

History#

Claude Debussy was interested in the symbolist movement and later took inspiration from a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé for his Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (1894). Reading an anthology of English poetry translated by Gabriel Sarrazin, “Poètes modernes d’Angleterre” (1883) gave Debussy the idea of composing a cantata on the poem “The Blessed Damozel” (1850) by Pre-Raphaelite poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Debussy had probably not seen Rossetti’s painting of the same title, but other pre-Raphaelite illustrations with a focus on “a new type of feminine beauty”. The work is dedicated to composer Paul Dukas. Debussy sent his music score to the Académie des beaux-arts as an entry for the Prix de Rome. It was published in 1892. Debussy revised his orchestration for the piece in 1902, It was the first of Debussy’s works for orchestra to be performed. Some critics, however, reproached the work as being “very sensual and decadent” (“très sensuelle et décadente”).

Synopsis#

La Damoiselle élue s’appuyait sur la barrière d’or du ciel (La Damoiselle élue leaned on the golden barrier of heaven). Du haut du paradis, une jeune fille se lamente sur l’absence de son amant. Sur Terre, ce dernier croit sentir sa présence (From the heights of paradise, a young girl laments the absence of her lover. On Earth, the latter believes he feels her presence). The performance lasts some twenty minutes. The piece is scored for soprano and mezzo-soprano soloists, alongside a female choir and orchestra of 3 flutes, 2 oboes, english horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, 2 harps, and strings.

Bibliography#

• Richard Langham Smith, “La Genèse de La Damoiselle élue”, Cahiers Debussy, 1980–1981, No 4-5.

Discography#

• Bidu Sayão and Rosalind Nadell, with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Eugene Ormandy, 1942 (Columbia).
• Madeleine Gorge and Jacqueline Joly, with the Orchestre national de la radiodiffusion française conducted by Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht, 1950.
• Victoria de los Ángeles and Carol Smith, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Munch, 1955 (RCA Victor).
• Suzanne Danco and Jeanne Deroubaix, with the Choir and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne conducted by Marcel Couraud, 1957.
• Barbara Hendricks and Jocelyne Taillon, with the Orchestre de Paris conducted by Daniel Barenboim, 1980 (Deutsche Grammophon).
• Elly Ameling and Janice Taylor, with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Edo de Waart, 1981 (Philips).
• Ileana Cotrubas and Glenda Maurice, with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gary Bertini, 1982 (Orfeo).
• Frederica von Stade and Susanne Mentzer, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa, 1984 (Columbia).
• Maria Ewing and Brigitte Balleys, with the London Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado, 1987 (Deutsche Grammophon).
• Dawn Upshaw and Paula Rasmussen, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, 1994 (Sony).
• Mireille Delunsch and Sylvie Sullé, with the Orchestre national de Lille conducted by Jean-Claude Casadesus, 1995 (Harmonia mundi).

External links#

• Partition chant et piano on the site of the bibliothèque nationale
• La Damoiselle élue on La Revue Musicale, Volume 3, Number 1, January 1903 PDF
• La Damoiselle élue lyrics
• La Damoiselle élue on Discogs
• Claude Debussy – La damoiselle élue on YouTube
• Debussy (L’) Enfant Prodigue; (La) Damoiselle Elue Gramophone
• Showing all editions for La damoiselle élue WorldCat