Songs

Je demande à l'oiseau

by Amy Beach

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Je demande à l'oiseau'. Recorded live at the Oxford Song 2022 Spring Festival by TallWall Media. 

Text

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Je demande à l'oiseau
French source: Armand Silvestre

Je demande à l'oiseau qui passe
Sur les arbres, sans s'y poser,
Qu'il t'apporte, à travers l'espace,
La caresse de mon baiser.

Je demande à la brise pleine
De l'âme mourante des fleurs,
De prendre un peu de ton haleine
Pour en venir sécher mes pleurs.

Je demande au soleil de flamme,
Qui boit la sève et fait les vins,
Qu'il aspire toute mon âme,
Et la verse à tes pieds divins !

Composer

Amy Beach

The composer and pianist Amy Beach (1867-1944) is recognised as a leading figure in American music, the first woman to gain success with large-scale musical forms. She came from a prosperous family in New Hampshire. Her mother Clara Cheney was a…

Poet

Armand Silvestre

Paul-Armand Silvestre, French poet and conteur, was born in Paris. He studied at the École polytechnique with the intention of entering the army, but in 1870 he entered the department of finance. He had a successful official career, was decorated…

Performances

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