by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)
Translation Singable translation by Jos. Van de Vijver
À quoi bon entendre
Language: French (Français)
À quoi bon entendre Les oiseaux des bois ? L'oiseau le plus tendre Chante dans ta voix. Que Dieu montre ou voile Les astres des cieux ! La plus pure étoile Brille dans tes yeux. Qu'avril renouvelle Le jardin en fleur ! La fleur la plus belle Fleurit dans ton cœur. Cet [oiseau]1 de flamme, Cet astre du jour, Cette fleur de l'âme, S'appelle l'amour !
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Chabrier: "fleur"
Text Authorship:
- by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), "La Chanson des Lavandieres", appears in Ruy Blas, Act 2, Scene 1, 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 Gaetano Braga (1829 - 1907), "A quoi bon entendre", published [1862] [ high voice and piano ], from Six Mélodies de Gaetano Braga, no. 4, Éd. Flaxland [sung text not yet checked]
- by Emmanuel Chabrier (1841 - 1894), "Ruy Blas", 1866 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Léo Delibes (1836 - 1891), "Sérénade de Ruy-Blas", subtitle: "Chant des Lavandières", 1879, published 1879 [ tenor or soprano and piano ], Éd. Heugel 'Au Ménestrel', in 2 Nouvelles Sérénades. Chantée au Théâtre Français par Melle Coyon-Hervix [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Louis Diémer (1843 - 1919), "À quoi bon entendre les oiseaux des bois", 1865 [ medium voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michel Giuliani (1801 - 1867), "Ta voix, tes yeux, ton cœur", published 1852 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], from Album de dix Mélodies romances et duos par M. Giuliani, no. 2, Paris, Éd. Brandus & Cie. [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Jean Baptiste Grisart (1837 - 1904), "Stances", published [1898] [ high voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. 'Au Ménestrel' Henri Heugel [sung text not yet checked]
- by Léopold Ketten (1846 - 1932), "À quoi bon entendre" [ voice and piano ], from Dix mélodies, recueil 2, no. 1, Lausanne, Éd. Foetisch Frères [sung text not yet checked]
- by Halfdan Kjerulf (1815 - 1868), "Romance de Ruy Blas", op. 9 (Six romances françaises) no. 2 (1861) [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Victor Massé (1822 - 1884), "La chanson des Lavandieres", published 1861 [ vocal duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano with piano ], Éd. Choudens [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin (1862 - 1901), "La chanson des Lavandieres", op. 5 (Five songs) no. 2, published 1889 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Auguste Pilati (1810 - 1877), "Ruy Blas", subtitle: "Chant des Lavandières" [ soprano and piano ], Éd. A. Hélaine, Paris [sung text not yet checked]
- by Napoléon-Henri Reber (1807 - 1880), "Sous le balcon", 1869, published 1880 [ high voice and piano ], from Vingt mélodies pour chant et piano - 2ième receuil, no. 11, Éd. Richault [sung text not yet checked]
- by Gabriel Robert , "À quoi bon entendre", op. 32 (Quatre mélodies avec accompagnement de piano) no. 2, published 1911 [ high voice and piano ], Paris, Éd. Costallat [sung text not yet checked]
- by Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (1829 - 1894), "Liebeswunder", published 1879? [ voice and piano ], Leipzig, Senff; [sic] for title, found in Sitsky, Larry Anton Rubinstein: an annotated catalog of piano works and biography [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921), "À quoi bon entendre les oiseaux des bois?", 1868, published 1868 [ voice and piano ], Éd. G. Hartmann [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Charles Salvatoris , "Chant des lavandières dans Ruy Blas, drame de Victor Hugo" [ medium voice and piano ], Éd. Bernard Latte [sung text not yet checked]
- by Louis [Ludwig] Spohr (1784 - 1859), "À la bien aimée", WoO. 100 (1839) [ voice and piano ], also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Jean-Baptiste Théodore Weckerlin (1821 - 1910), "Sérénade tirée de Ruy Blas" [ high voice and piano ], from 25 Mélodies de J.B. Weckerlin, no. 24, Éd. Durand & Schoenewerck [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jacques-Michel Zoubaloff (1876 - 1941), "A quoi bon entendre" [ medium voice and piano ], from Mélodies, no. 7, Éd. Maurice Senart [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Louis [Ludwig] Spohr.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Karl Ferdinand von Dräxler-Manfred (1806 - 1879) ; composed by Felix Mendelssohn, Frank Valentin Van der Stucken.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Karl Gottlieb Reissiger.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CHI Chinese (中文) [singable] (Dr Huaixing Wang) , copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- DUT Dutch (Nederlands) [singable] (Jos. Van de Vijver) , "Serenade"
- ENG English (Emily Ezust) , no title, copyright © 2016
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Alberto Bonati) , "Para qué escuchar", copyright © 2007, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ted Perry
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 63
Serenade
Language: Dutch (Nederlands) after the French (Français)
Waarom der vooglen koren Beluistren ver en bij? Het schoonst dat ik mag hooren, Is uwe stem voor mij. En of de sterren pralen, De wolk hen duiken doet Geen ster kan schooner stralen, Dan uwer oogen gloed. Uw stem zoo zoet en klagend, Uw oog als sterrenschijn De bloemegeuren dragend Dat moet de Liefde zijn.
From the Van der Stucken score
Researcher for this page: Hanne-Joost Peeters
Text Authorship:
- Singable translation by Jos. Van de Vijver , "Serenade" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in French (Français) by Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885), "La Chanson des Lavandieres", appears in Ruy Blas, Act 2, Scene 1, first published 1838
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Hanne-Joost Peeters
This text was added to the website: 2009-02-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 56