GABRIEL FAURÉ - Dolly Suite, Op. 56 (1893-1896)
The 1890s marked a turning point in Fauré’s life and career. Early in the decade, the married man fell in love with Emma Bardac, occasioning so much inspiration in composing. The much loved Dolly was created during this period of time. Dedicated to Bardac’s cheerful daughter Hélène (nicknamed “Dolly”), the six pieces that make up the suite reflect Dolly’s development. First performed in 1898 by Alfred Cortot and Edouard Risler, this suite has long been one of the concert favourites. In response to its popularity, Cortot arranged it for solo piano in 1899, and Henri Rabaud orchestrated it in 1906. The orchestral version was even transformed into a ballet.
Although Fauré dedicated the entire work to Dolly, No. 1 Berceuse was an old work composed in 1864 during his studies. Originally, this tender little piece, entitled La Chanson dans le jardin, was written for Suzanne Garnier. Upon Dolly’s birth almost three decades later, Fauré made several changes to create the current Berceuse for Dolly’s first birthday. The next three pieces were also written for celebrating different occasions: her second birthday, New Year 1895, and her fourth birthday.
The title of No. 2 Mi-a-ou was initially Messieu Aoul - Dolly’s way of pronouncing Monsieur Raoul, her brother Raoul. Simplifying it was probably due to commercial reasons. To portray how Dolly learnt to speak, the textures of primo and secondo parts are highly different. The primo contains plenty of leap motions and agile high notes, while the secondo has stepwise harmonic motion. The writing style of the primo also adds energy to Mi-a-ou, perhaps reflecting the 13-year-old Raoul’s character.
Similar to Berceuse, Fauré referred to other music again in No. 3 Le Jardin de Dolly. It contains a phrase from his first violin sonata which he wrote many years earlier. The use of counterpoint might have given a sense of reminiscence and nostalgia, but in fact, Fauré intended to portray the garden of the Bardac family as seen in the ever-changing harmonies, interesting modulations, and interaction between the lines. No. 4 Kitty-Valse which comes next is another lively portrait, this time of their family dog Ketty jumping and spinning around.
Unlike the previous pieces, No. 5 Tendresse and No. 6 Le Pas espagnol were not written for any special events. Instead, they were composed and added in 1896. Tendresse goes back to the lyricism of Le Jardin de Dolly, but the language becomes more complicated here. Its chromaticism and uncommon harmonic moves foreshadow music of French impressionist composers such as Ravel.
The suite ends with No. 6 Le Pas espagnol, inspired by a bronze equestrian statue that Dolly loved. Like other French composers at that time, Fauré had fascination with Spanish culture as seen in the exhilarating grand finale. Its momentum, rhythm, passion, fire, and the imitation of castanets in the opening motif have all added Spanish colour to the music.