Complete Songs, Vol. 2 (Medium Voice): Voice & Piano

This Peters edition addresses a real pedagogical need: singers and coaches have worked from unreliable texts for far too long. The critical apparatus and editorial choices here are grounded in manuscript study and collaboration with professional musicians, making this the most trustworthy Fauré available. Volume 2 balances repertoire staples (Les Roses d'Ispahan, Clair de lune) with genuinely rewarding discoveries, and the inclusion of duets and the four-voice Madrigal expands programming possibilities beyond solo recital contexts.

Fauré's songs are quiet acts of transformation. A melody can seem simple until you hear what the piano does beneath it, or until you sit with the harmonic surprise at the end of a phrase. There is tenderness here, but also restraint; passion expressed through understatement rather than display. The duets and Madrigal add moments of gentle ensemble warmth to what is otherwise an intimate, introspective journey through decades of poetic and musical refinement.

This volume suits experienced amateur singers and serious students of song repertoire, as well as voice teachers building recital programs around French art song. Pianists will find this an essential reference for understanding the complete Fauré output and for coaching singers in authentic interpretations.

• Approach the harmonic language as integral to the text setting rather than decorative. Fauré often shifts tonality to mirror emotional or poetic turns; honor those shifts through your phrasing and dynamic shaping.
• Use the original keys provided in this edition. Transpositions exist for good reason, but understanding Fauré's registral and harmonic choices in his chosen key deepens interpretation.
• Shape phrases by the syntax of the French text. Fauré's melodic contours follow the natural inflection of language; overexplaining the line will bury the song.
• Coordinate with your pianist on the independence of the accompaniment. The piano part is often its own voice, not merely support; allow it space to breathe and lead in passages where it carries the song's emotional momentum.

Build a recital entirely from this volume to trace Fauré's stylistic evolution and the breadth of his imagination. Alternatively, select individual songs to anchor a French song program spanning the 19th century, or use the duets and Madrigal to open or close a recital with ensemble lightness. The variety here makes it equally valuable for thematic programs (art song and modernism, settings of specific poets, vocal music and the piano) or chronological surveys.

• Interpreting French diction and prosody in melodic context
• Understanding harmonic language and tonal ambiguity in late 19th and early 20th century music
• Balancing independence between voice and piano parts
• Performing chamber music for voices (duets and four-voice ensemble)
• Reading and trusting a critical edition as a performance resource