A berceuse is "a musical composition usually in 6/8 time that resembles a lullaby". Otherwise it is typically in triple meter. Tonally most berceuses are simple, often merely alternating tonic and dominant harmonies; since the intended effect is to put a baby to sleep, wild chromaticism would be somewhat out of character. Another characteristic of the berceuse, for no reason other than convention, is a tendency to stay on the "flat side"; noted examples including the berceuses by Chopin, who pioneered the form,Liszt, and Balakirev, which are all in D♭.
Frédéric Chopin's Berceuse Op. 57 (1843–44) is a lullaby to be played on piano. It consists of variations in D-flat major. At first the composer titled the work Variations, but the title was altered for publication to the current Berceuse.
It was first published by J. Meissonnier of Paris in 1844 and dedicated to Elise Gavard (1824–1900).
The music begins and ends in 6/8 time. 'Berceuse' literally means "cradle song".
The Dolly Suite, Op. 56, is a collection of pieces for piano four-hands by Gabriel Fauré. It consists of short pieces written or revised between 1893 and 1896, to mark the birthdays and other events in the life of the daughter of the composer's mistress.
An orchestral version of the suite was scored in 1906 by Henri Rabaud, and has, like the original piano duet version, received several recordings. The best-known section of the suite, the Berceuse, has been arranged for several combinations of instruments.
The suite, consisting of six short pieces, each with its own title: Berceuse, Mi-a-ou, Le jardin de Dolly, Kitty-valse, Tendresse and Le pas espagnol. The complete suite takes about fifteen minutes to perform.
Fauré wrote or revised the pieces between 1893 and 1896, for Hélène Bardac (1892–1985), known to her family as Dolly (she was later Madame Gaston de Tinan). She was the young daughter of the singer Emma Bardac, with whom Fauré had a long-running affair. He was in the practice of sending pieces of music, in manuscript, to mark Dolly's birthdays and other family occasions.
Songe aprиs songe tu me manques
Et les peines ne disparaissent pas
Et jour aprиs jour je songe
А courir trиs doucement vers toi
Mais toi tu ne me connais plus
Aprиs ce temps je t'ai vraiment perdu
Et elle se range а tes cotйs pendant que j'en oublie tes baisers
Et sans souffrir j'en ri mes regrets restent dans son lit
Et sans rire je souffre car il a eu mon dernier souffle
tort après tort je cale. Et mes larmes te ramиneront pas
Et coup aprиs coup que je donne il ne me lвchera pas
Et il ne me connaоt pas vraiment et toi tu n'me cherches pas а l'instant
Pourtant je cherche pourquoi je t'ai laisser que pour longtemps cette soirйe
Et sans souffrir j'en ri mes regrets restent dans son lit
Et sans rire je souffre car il a eu mon dernier souffle
Et sans souffrir j'en ri mes regrets restent dans son lit
Et sans rire je souffre car il a eu mon dernier souffle