L'Arlésienne Suites
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The L'Arlésienne suites are a series of musical works composed by Georges Bizet, first published in 1872. The work comprises Suite No. 1 and Suite No. 2; the latter was compiled by Ernest Guiraud after Bizet's death. Since their debut, the works have become popular musical works, often performed by professional orchestras.
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[edit] Suite number one
[edit] Background
The music was written to accompany the play of the same name written by Alphonse Daudet in the same year. Originally written as incidental music in 27 numbers and arranged for chorus and small orchestra, the piece received poor reviews at first. The numbers ranged from short solos to longer entr'actes. Despite the poor reviews, Bizet arranged his work into a suite of four movements. Now known as L'Arlésienne Suite Number One, the revised edition only utilized a full orchestra.
[edit] Movements
The four movements of the first suite were:
- I. Allegro deciso; (prelude)
- II. Minuet, Allegro giocoso (minuetto) (The ending of this movement is slightly expanded from the version in the incidental music.)
- III. Adagietto (In the incidental music, this number is preceded and followed by a melodrama that, in the suite, forms the central section of the concluding Carillon. For this purpose it is transposed up a semitone.)
- IV. Carillon - Allegro moderato (Expanded as indicated above.)
[edit] The music
The suite opens with a strong, energetic theme, which is based on the Christmas carol "March of the Kings", played by the entire orchestra. Afterwards, the theme is repeated by various sections. After reaching a climax, the theme fades away. It is followed by the theme associated with L'Innocent (the brother of Frédéri, the hero). The Prélude concludes with the theme associated with Frédéri himself. The second movement, resembles a minuet, while the third is more emotional and muted. The last movement, Carillon, features a repeating Bell-tone pattern on the Horns, mimicking a peal of church bells.
[edit] Suite number two
[edit] Background
L'Arlésienne, Suite Number Two was published four years after Bizet's death in 1879. The suite was collected by Ernest Guiraud, who compiled some of Bizet's original themes and formed the second suite. Although the work was never sanctioned by Bizet and was performed posthumously, the second suite is generally credited to Bizet since Bizet wrote the themes in the work. The suite is also written for full orchestra.
[edit] Movements
There are also four movements in the second suite.
- I. Pastorale
- II. Intermezzo
- III. Menuet
- IV. Farandole (A portion of this music is used on Playhouse Disney's Little Einsteins)
[edit] Music
The second suite begins with an introduction by the wind section, followed by the melody in the strings. The melodies are repeated by various sections throughout the first movement. In the suite, the opening section returns and concludes the piece. In the original version, the "central" section, which was a wordless chorus sung by women, ends the piece. The second movement features utilization of low tones and begins with the wind section. Guiraud adds twelve additional bars to the concluding section. The menuet, which is not from L'Arlésienne, but Bizet's 1866 opera The Fair Maid of Perth, features solos by harp, flute, and, later, saxophone (this replacing the vocal parts of the original); it is the more subdued and emotional movement. The finale, the farandole, incorporates the theme of the March of the Kings once again. This is an expanded combination of numbers 22-24 of the original incidental music, in which the farandole appears first on its own. It is afterwards briefly combined with the march.
[edit] Recordings
The suites have been recorded many times, but there are also at least two recordings of the complete incidental music for the play, one of them conducted by Michel Plasson. The Plasson recording uses a full orchestra and chorus.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notable Uses
The L'Arlesienne suite was played extensively in the episode of "The Prisoner", "Hammer Into Anvil".
[edit] References
- New York City Opera: Georges Bizet
- Classical Notes - L'Arlésienne Suite No. 1
- Suite No. 1, L'Arlésienne
- Winton Dean, Bizet (J.M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., London, 1948)
