L’heure exquise — Philippe Jaroussky
December 6, 2009 | 5:40 pm ShareIf you could please, spare 3 minutes in your very busy daily life and come in to listen this very sweet song I’m about to share, I will be very grateful.
I came across this song today which I am very eager to share with you the beauty of it.
“L’heure Exquise“, which translates to “The Exquisite Hour” in French, is a late 19th century French Melodie written by Reynaldo Hahn.
Don’t let the date scare you. In fact till today, there are rarely melodies as sweet as this. Simple, yes, very, but very, very sweet.
Spare 3 minutes of your time for me, will you?
L’heure Exquise
Phillip Jaroussky is a famous French countertenor, which is a male singing in the higher register resembling the female voice. He sang this song in his new album Opium, which features French melodies of the 19th Century Belle Epoque.
This song, “L’heure Exquise”, is composed by Reynaldo Hahn. He is a late Romanticism French composer who captures the essence of the La Belle Epoque. Belle Epoque is the golden era in France in the late 19th century. It was a time when an economy burst followed by the British Industrial Revolution that sent Europe to a high surge of development. Entertainment was highly sought for in this era, so does an demand for individuality.
If you listen carefully, the song is so sweet and simple, it’s as if the singer is holding to the lover so close there’s no need to shout, just simple whispers are enough to say a simple thing, “lets just enjoy the moment under the moon, this quiet night”.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
To think that Hahn wrote this when he was 15. He must be a love saint.
And Jaroussky made it even more beautiful with his wonderful voice and excellent technique.
Let’s just keep ourselves focused on the music, shall we?
The White Moon
“L’Heure Exquise” Lyrics
French Lyrics:
La lune blanche
luit dans les bois.
De chaque branche
part une voix
sous la ramée.
O bien aimé[e]…L’étang reflète,
profond miroir,
la silhouette
du saule noir
où le vent pleure.
Rêvons, c’est l’heure.Un vaste et tendre
apaisement
semble descendre
du firmament
que l’astre irise.
C’est l’heure exquise!
English Translation:
The white moon
shines in the woods.
From each branch
springs a voice
beneath the arbor.
Oh my beloved…Like a deep mirror
the pond reflects
the silhouette
of the black willow
where the wind weeps.
Let us dream! It is the hour…A vast and tender
calm
seems to descend
from a sky
made iridescent by the moon.
It is the exquisite hour!
Filed under: Music
Tags: countertenor, french, melodie
Comments (16)
franch
December 6th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
yes you are right…that is a very sweet song :)
Grey Ang
December 6th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
glad you enjoyed the song, Franch! :D
William
December 6th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Quite exquisite.
kenwooi
December 6th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
nice..
it’s quite hard to pronounce the french words.. =P
Grey Ang
December 6th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
william: yes it is!
kenwooi: yeah, i wanted to sing the song too but cannot pronounce xD
dhar
December 7th, 2009 at 10:36 am
OMG!!! i agree to, awesome song! and i haven’t seen a white moon like in the picture, in a long time!
serious_sam_hk
December 7th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
“Spare 3 minutes of your time for me, will you?”
ahemm…
that apply to those with normal internet connection…
i wonder how long will it takes for the “buffering..” sign on my screen to end??
hahhahaa
bengbeng
December 7th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
awesome song.
Hey,
Hi! :)
Gratitude
December 7th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Wow so difficult to have guys singing in the alto soprano range. Thanks for highlighting. Listening on a stressed Mon evening is especially soothing.
You have a marvelous week ahead ya! ^_^
+Ant+
Grey Ang
December 8th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
dhar: yeah! it’s always cloudy at nights and then it rains :(
serious sam: lulz, well i guess it takes some time for you then. i’m sure it’s well worth it! :D
bengbeng: hey, hi too! :D
gratitude: yurp, it’s a very soothing song, i listen to it every day now! :D
Grace
December 9th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Hello, thanks for leaving me a comment ^_^. Your blog look nice!
Joanna
December 9th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Hi there,
Thanks for dropping me such a kind comment..:)
French is already the language of romance and to embody it in such a beautiful song gives my heart flips and flops :)
P.s : You have a really nice blog :)
Grey Ang
December 9th, 2009 at 11:31 am
thanks for coming to my blog too Joanna! and thanks for the compliment, i really appreciate it! :D
yup, lately I have a really strong liking for French songs. Besides the beautiful melodies the lyrics when translated you can feel the fiery romance in them. French are totally romantics!
conancat
December 9th, 2009 at 11:35 am
grace: thanks for visiting my blog too! :D and thanks for the compliment!
Twitted by conancat
December 14th, 2009 at 6:17 am
[...] This post was Twitted by conancat [...]
Leesa Dowless
October 28th, 2010 at 1:12 am
Interesting. Been trying to learn a different language for a while so this is extremely relevant! Thanks.
Leave a reply