Dolly (Fauré)
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The Dolly Suite, op. 56, is a collection of pieces for piano four-hands by Gabriel Fauré. The only piano duet in Fauré's oeuvre, the suite was written between 1894 and 1897. Its six pieces take a total of fifteen minutes to perform.
Fauré wrote the pieces in honor of Hélène, nicknamed Dolly, who was the daughter of his mistress at the time, the singer Emma Bardac. The Berceuse was composed for Hélène's first birthday, and the remaining pieces also appeared in time for the child's subsequent birthdays and other family occasions. Their titles agreed with the "intimate" character of the work; the Kitty of the fourth piece was a corruption of Ketty, the name of Bardac's dog, while Mi-a-ou came from Monsieur Aoul, which was what Hélène called her brother Raoul.
The premiere was given by Alfred Cortot and Édouard Risler in 1898. Henri Rabaud also orchestrated the work in a symphonic version which received its first public performance in 1906.
The best known movement is the berceuse, which was the theme music for the long-running BBC Home Service programme Listen with Mother; there are numerous arrangements of the berceuse for other instruments and ensembles; an example is the arrangement for piano and glockenspiel played by Evelyn Glennie.
