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Avril est de retour, La première des roses, De ses lèvres mi-closes, Rit au premier beau jour, La terre bien heureuse S'ouvre et s'épanouit ; Tout aime, tout jouit. Hélas ! j'ai dans le cœur une tristesse affreuse. Les buveurs en gaîté, Dans leurs chansons vermeilles, Célèbrent sous les treilles Le vin et la beauté ; La musique joyeuse, Avec leur rire clair S'éparpille dans l'air. Hélas ! j'ai dans le cœur une tristesse affreuse. En [déshabillés blancs]1 Les jeunes demoiselles S'en vont sous les tonnelles Au bras de leur [galants]2 ; La lune langoureuse Argente leurs baisers Longuement appuyés, Hélas ! j'ai dans le cœur une tristesse affreuse. Moi, je n'aime plus rien, Ni l'homme, ni la femme, Ni mon corps, ni mon âme, Pas même mon vieux chien. Allez dire qu'on creuse, Sous le pâle gazon Une fosse sans nom. Hélas ! j'ai dans le cœur une tristesse affreuse.
F. Bonoldi sets stanzas 1-2, 4
P. Fiévet sets stanzas 1, 3-4
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)See also Albert Grimault's Angoisse !.
1 Fauré: "déshabillé blanc"2 Fauré: "galant"
Text Authorship:
- by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Tristesse", written 1838, appears in La Comédie de la Mort, Paris, Éd. Desessart, first published 1838 [author's text checked 1 time 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 François (Francesco) Bonoldi (d. 1893), "Tristesse", published [1855?], stanzas 1-2,4 [ baritone and piano ], Paris, Éd. Bonoldi Frères [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis-Albert Bourgault-Ducoudray (1840 - 1910), "Tristesse", published 1893 [ contralto or bass and piano ], Paris, Léon Grus [sung text not yet checked]
- by Vincenzo Capecelatro (1815 - 1874), "Tristesse", subtitle: "Romance", published [1839] [ high voice and piano ], from Echo de Sorrente, no. 9, Paris, Éd. Troupenas & Ruc [sung text not yet checked]
- by Auguste Charles Cœdès (1840 - 1884), "Tristesse", published 1875 [ soprano and piano ], from Soirées d'automne, no. 14, Paris, A. Leduc [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustave Collignon , "Tristesse", published 1893 [ high voice and piano ], from 3 Mélodies pour chant sur des poésies de Th. Gautier, no. 2, Paris, Locatelli & Cie [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924), "Tristesse", op. 6 no. 2 (1873), published 1876 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Paul Fiévet (1892 - 1980), "Tristesse", 1919, published 1927, stanzas 1,3-4 [ medium voice and piano ], Éd. Buffet Crampon & Cie, Évette & Schaeffer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ange Flégier (1846 - 1927), "Tristesse", subtitle: "Lamento", published 1893 [ medium voice and piano ], Paris, E. Gallet [sung text not yet checked]
- by Édouard Garnier (1821 - 1887), "Tristesse", published 1854 [ baritone and piano ], from Larmes et Sourires - 24 Morceaux de chant, no. 8, Paris, Benacci-Peschier [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustave Herloz , "Tristesse", published 1869 [ voice and piano ], Toulouse, Martin Bessière [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Xavier Désiré, Marquis Richard d'Ivry (1829 - 1903), "Tristesse", published 1852, Paris, Richault [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gustave Kéfer (b. 1855), "Tristesse" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léon Charles François Kreutzer (1817 - 1868), "Chanson d'avril", published 1847 [ voice and piano ], from 26 mélodies pour chant et piano, no. 18, Paris, Richault [sung text not yet checked]
- by Alfred Mutel (1820 - 1892), "Hélas ! - Tristesse", published 1863 [ voice and piano ], from 60 Mélodies avec accompagnement de piano (1883-1886), 1er volume, no. 24, Paris, E. & A. Girod [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ferdinand Raynal , "Tristesse", published 1878 [ medium voice and piano ], Bordeaux, Emile Marchand [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Rosticher (1863 - ?), "Tristesse", op. 12 (1887) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jozef Troch , "Tristesse affreuse", 1845, published 1845 [ voice and piano ], from Les echos de la dendre: Album de chant 1845, no. 2, Bruges [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Viardot (1857 - 1941), "Tristesse", published 1889 [ voice and piano ], Baden-Baden, Sommermeyer [sung text not yet checked]
- by Pauline Viardot-García (1821 - 1910), "Tristesse", mentioned in Bibliographie et littérature by Charles de Lovenjoul (lost, or possibly an error; does not have a VWV number) [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Peter Low) , "Sadness", copyright © 2000, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 144
Abril ha tornat, la primera de les roses, amb els seus llavis mig closos, riu al primer bell jorn, la terra ben feliç s’obre i s’esbadella; tot estima, tot gaudeix. Ai las! Jo tinc al cor una terrible tristor. Els joiosos bevedors, amb llurs acolorides cançons, sota els emparrats celebren el vi i la beutat; l’alegre música, amb llurs clares rialles, s’escampa per l’aire. Ai las! Jo tinc al cor una terrible tristor. Amb exigus vestits blancs les joves donzelles se’n van sota les glorietes de bracet amb llurs galants; la lluna llangorosa argenta llurs besades llargament sostingudes. Ai las! Jo tinc al cor una terrible tristor. Jo, ja no estimo res, ni l’home, ni la dona, ni el meu cos, ni la meva ànima, ni tan sols els meu vell gos. Aneu a dir que cavin sota la pàl·lida herba una tomba sense nom. Ai las! Jo tinc al cor una terrible tristor.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translations of title(s):
"Chanson d'avril" = "Cançó d'abril"
"Hélas ! - Tristesse" = "Ai las! - Tristor"
"Tristesse
" = "Tristor"
"Tristesse affreuse" = "Terrible tristor"
Text Authorship:
- Translation from French (Français) to Catalan (Català) copyright © 2023 by Salvador Pila, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Pierre-Jules-Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), "Tristesse", written 1838, appears in La Comédie de la Mort, Paris, Éd. Desessart, first published 1838
This text was added to the website: 2023-04-02
Line count: 32
Word count: 154