Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix
Encyclopedia
"Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" is a popular mezzo-soprano
aria from Camille Saint-Saëns
's opera Samson and Delilah
, known in English as "Softly awakes my heart", or more literally "My heart opens itself to your voice". It is sung by Delilah
in act 2 as she attempts to seduce Samson
into revealing the secret of his strength.
, have sung Samson's final words – changed as above, rising to a high B-flat. A performance takes between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 minutes.
The aria is notated in D-flat major with time signature
s of 3/4 for the verse and common time (4/4) for the refrain
("Ah! réponds"); the tempo
indication is andantino (=66) for the verses and un poco più lento (a little slower) for the refrain. The vocal range
extends from B-flat4 to G5, with a tessitura
from E-flat4 to E-flat5.
The instrumentation
calls for flute
, oboe
, clarinet
, horns
, harp
and strings
. All instrument lines, except the harp, make intensive use of divisi (cellos play in four divisi). The orchestral accompaniment consists mainly of reiterated
notes for the first verse and of falling chromatic
lines for the second verse; the refrain is accompanied by ascending broken chords
.
The melisma
tic setting of the lyrics present a particular challenge for the performance of this aria as it requires legato
singing over a wide range.
.
Julie Andrews
and Italian-American tenor Sergio Franchi
sang this aria in duet on the 17 February 1973 ABC TV broadcast of The Julie Andrews Hour
.
Pop singer Klaus Nomi
would often end his concerts with a countertenor
rendition of this piece; such a version was used as the closing credits music for the 1982 concert compilation film Urgh! A Music War
.
Japanese classical crossover singer Kanon
recorded this song with English lyrics on her 2004 album Hymn of Grace under the title "Anata no Koe ni Kokoro wa Hiraku" (which has the same meaning as "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix").
A montage of the last two lines of this aria has been recorded by English alternative rock
band Muse
, and is included in the track titled "I Belong to You (+Mon cœur s'ouvre a ta voix)" of their 2009 album The Resistance
.
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
aria from Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
's opera Samson and Delilah
Samson and Delilah (opera)
Samson and Delilah , Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire...
, known in English as "Softly awakes my heart", or more literally "My heart opens itself to your voice". It is sung by Delilah
Delilah
Delilah appears only in the Hebrew bible Book of Judges 16, where she is the "woman in the valley of Sorek" whom Samson loved, and who was his downfall...
in act 2 as she attempts to seduce Samson
Samson
Samson, Shimshon ; Shamshoun or Sampson is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh ....
into revealing the secret of his strength.
Music
In the opera, Delilah is responding to Samson's words "Dalila! Dalila! Je t'aime!" (Delilah! Delilah! I love you!) which he repeats between the first and second verses of her aria; these interjections are omitted in recital performances or sometimes sung to the changed words "Samson! Samson! Je t'aime!"; Samson's part in the final 22 bars of the stage aria where he joins Delilah in a duet is also omitted in a recital, although some performers, notably Marilyn HorneMarilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages....
, have sung Samson's final words – changed as above, rising to a high B-flat. A performance takes between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 minutes.
The aria is notated in D-flat major with time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s of 3/4 for the verse and common time (4/4) for the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
("Ah! réponds"); the tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
indication is andantino (=66) for the verses and un poco più lento (a little slower) for the refrain. The vocal range
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
extends from B-flat4 to G5, with a tessitura
Tessitura
In music, the term tessitura generally describes the most musically acceptable and comfortable range for a given singer or, less frequently, musical instrument; the range in which a given type of voice presents its best-sounding texture or timbre...
from E-flat4 to E-flat5.
The instrumentation
Instrumentation (music)
In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
calls for flute
Western concert flute
The Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
, oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
, harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
. All instrument lines, except the harp, make intensive use of divisi (cellos play in four divisi). The orchestral accompaniment consists mainly of reiterated
Tremolo
Tremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...
notes for the first verse and of falling chromatic
Chromaticism
Chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. Chromaticism is in contrast or addition to tonality or diatonicism...
lines for the second verse; the refrain is accompanied by ascending broken chords
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
.
The melisma
Melisma
Melisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.-History:Music of ancient cultures used...
tic setting of the lyrics present a particular challenge for the performance of this aria as it requires legato
Legato
In musical notation the Italian word legato indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, in transitioning from note to note, there should be no intervening silence...
singing over a wide range.
Lyrics
| Original French | English translation | Singable English | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
comme s'ouvrent les fleurs aux baisers de l'aurore! Mais, ô mon bienaimé, pour mieux sécher mes pleurs, que ta voix parle encore! Dis-moi qu'à Dalila tu reviens pour jamais. Redis à ma tendresse les serments d'autrefois, ces serments que j'aimais! |
Verse-moi, verse-moi l'ivresse! :> | Verse-moi, verse-moi l'ivresse! :> | Like the flowers open To the kisses of the dawn! But, oh my beloved, To better dry my tears, Let your voice speak again! Tell me that you are returning To Delilah forever! Repeat to my tenderness The promises of old times, Those promises that I loved! |
Fill me with ecstasy! :> | Fill me with ecstasy! :> | Wakes with joy, like the flow'r At the sun's bright returning! But O, my dearest one, That grief may lose its pow'r, Say 'tis mine, thy heart's yearning! Oh, bide here at my side! Promise ne'er thou'lt depart! Once more those vows so loving Let me hear from thy heart! Breathe that mine still thou art! |
Join in all my soul expresses! :> | Join in all my soul expresses! :> |
In modern music
The aria's melody appears in the song "Night", written by John Lehman and Ron Miller and performed in 1960 by Jackie WilsonJackie Wilson
Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
.
Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
and Italian-American tenor Sergio Franchi
Sergio Franchi
Sergio Franchi was an Italian tenor.Franchi was born in Cremona, Italy. His father wanted him to become an electrical engineer, so he studied both music and engineering simultaneously. The family moved to South Africa in 1952, where Sergio worked part-time as a draftsman, while continuing to study...
sang this aria in duet on the 17 February 1973 ABC TV broadcast of The Julie Andrews Hour
The Julie Andrews Hour
The Julie Andrews Hour is a television variety series starring Julie Andrews that was produced by ATV and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It aired on the ABC network in the United States....
.
Pop singer Klaus Nomi
Klaus Nomi
Klaus Sperber , better known as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona....
would often end his concerts with a countertenor
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
rendition of this piece; such a version was used as the closing credits music for the 1982 concert compilation film Urgh! A Music War
Urgh! A Music War
Urgh! A Music War is a British film released in 1982 featuring performances by punk rock, New Wave, and post-punk acts, filmed in 1980. Among the artists featured in the movie are Magazine, The Go-Go's, The Fleshtones, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, XTC, Devo, The Cramps, Oingo Boingo, Dead...
.
Japanese classical crossover singer Kanon
Kanon (singer)
Kanon is a Japanese singer and song-writer born in Tokyo, Japan on March 9, 1980. She is signed to Sony Music Japan International.Her latest mini album, My Road ~ Songs for Guin Saga was released on August 26, 2009. Her fifth album planned to be released on March 31, 2011 as she stated on her blog....
recorded this song with English lyrics on her 2004 album Hymn of Grace under the title "Anata no Koe ni Kokoro wa Hiraku" (which has the same meaning as "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix").
A montage of the last two lines of this aria has been recorded by English alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, and is included in the track titled "I Belong to You (+Mon cœur s'ouvre a ta voix)" of their 2009 album The Resistance
The Resistance (album)
The Resistance is the fifth studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released in Europe on 14 September 2009, and in North America on 15 September 2009....
.
External links
- Audio file: "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" sung by Louise HomerLouise HomerLouise Homer was an American operatic contralto who had an active international career in concert halls and opera houses from 1895 until her retirement in 1932. After a brief stint as a vaudeville entertainer in New England, she made her professional opera debut in France in 1898...
. Recorded October 11, 1909.