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C'était en avril un dimanche Oui, un dimanche, J'étais heureux. Vous aviez une [jolie]1 robe blanche Et deux gentils brins de pervenche. Oui, de pervenche; Dans [vos]2 cheveux [brins de pervenche. Nous étions assis sur la mousse. Oui, sur la mousse; Et sans parler nous regardions l'herbe, L'herbe qui pousse, et la feuille verte, Et l'ombre douce, oui, l'ombre douce, Et l'eau couler. Un oiseau chantait sur une branche, Oui, sur la branche. Puis, il s'est tu, j'ai pris dans ma main Ta main blanche, C'était en avril un dimanche, Oui, un dimanche, t'en souviens tu ?]3
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 omitted by Chaminade.
2 Chaminade: "le"
3 omitted by Chaminade
Authorship:
- by Édouard Jules Henri Pailleron (1834 - 1899), "Chanson", appears in Avril, Chansons et poèmes, first published 1864 [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ella Adaïewsky (1846 - 1926), "Chanson du printemps" [ voice and piano ], unpublished ; lost ; misattributed to Musset [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfredo-Antonio-Maria Barbirolli (1871 - 1931), "T’en souviens-tu ?" [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Hachette [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cécile Chaminade (1857 - 1944), "C'était en avril", published 1900 [ high voice and piano ], Éd. Enoch [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Jean Baptiste Grisart (1837 - 1904), "Chanson", published [1898] [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Henri Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jan Kleczyński (1837 - 1895), "T'en souviens-tu ?", published 1870 [ high voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. G. Flaxland [sung text not yet checked]
- by Sergei Vasil'yevich Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943), "C'était en avril", 1891, published 1947 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Mathilde, Baroness Willy de Rothschild (1832 - 1924), "C'etait en avril" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by James Freeman Clarke (1810 - 1888) , "A reminiscence" ; composed by Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , copyright © 2017
Research team for this text: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor] , Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2008-06-11
Line count: 19
Word count: 97
It was a Sunday in April Yes, a Sunday; I was happy. You wore a pretty white dress And two sweet sprigs of periwinkle. Yes, of periwinkle; In your hair were sprigs of periwinkle. We sat upon the moss Yes, on the moss; And without speaking we looked at the grass, The grass that was growing, and the green leaves, And the gentle shade, yes, the gentle shade, And the flowing water. A bird sang upon a branch, Yes, upon a branch. Then it fell silent, and I took in my hand Your white hand; It was a Sunday in April, Yes, a Sunday - do you remember?
About the headline (FAQ)
Translated titles
"Chanson du printemps" = "Song of spring"
"T’en souviens-tu ?" = "Do you remember?"
"C'était en avril" = "It was in April"
Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2017 by Emily Ezust
Emily Ezust permits her translations to be reproduced without prior permission for printed (not online) programs to free-admission concerts only, provided the following credit is given:
Translation copyright © by Emily Ezust,
from the LiederNet Archive -- https://www.lieder.net/For any other purpose, please write to the e-mail address below to request permission and discuss possible fees.
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Édouard Jules Henri Pailleron (1834 - 1899), "Chanson", appears in Avril, Chansons et poèmes, first published 1864
This text was added to the website: 2017-01-19
Line count: 19
Word count: 108