Choral Piece of the Day, Installment 34: Beau Soir (Beautiful Evening) by Claude Debussy, arranged for SATB Chorus and Piano: A setting of the beautiful poem by Paul Bourget, Claude Debussy's French Art Song, Beau Soir for voice and piano, was first published in 1891. My arrangement which was published in 2010 comes with an English singing translation by my wife, Ruth T. Hoffman. The ECS Publishing Group Catalog Number for this title is 7689. This arrangement remains my all time bestselling published title.
Follow the next link to see a partial PDF sample of the score, to purchase performance copies.
Follow the next link to hear a fine demo recording made by the Philovox Ensemble of Boston, Robert Schuneman, conductor.
Follow the next link to see and hear my YouTube music video for this title made using the same audio track as listed above.
Follow the next link to see a PDF score of the public domain version of Beau Soir which I used as the basis for my arrangement.
TEXT
Lorsque au soleil couchant les rivières sont roses,
Et qu’un tiède frisson court sur les champs de blé,
Un conseil d’être heureux semble sortir des choses
Et monter vers le cœur troublé;
Un conseil de goûter le charme d’être au monde,
Cependant qu’on est jeune et que le soir est beau,
Car nous nous en allons, commes s’en va cette onde...
Elle à la mer, nous au tombeau.
—Paul Bourget (1852–1935)
ENGLISH SINGING TRANSLATION
When in the setting sun small rivers seem rosy,
Then a brief shudder rustles o'er the fields of wheat,
Counsel to be happy seems to come from all things
Climbing to the troubled heart,
A counsel to taste the charm of living,
While one is young and the evening fair,
For we all pass away, as does the rolling breaker...
It to the sea, we to the tomb.
—English Singing Translation by Ruth T. Hoffman
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