Si mes vers avaient des ailes (If my verses had wings)
Music by Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947). Words by Victor Hugo (1802-1885)
Victor Hugo’s words were set to music for this beautiful French art song by child prodigy Reynaldo Hahn in 1888, when he was 14 years old. The lyrics express a tender longing to send poetry verses flying toward a loved one.
This solo piano edition from Fullscore Publishing is in the Facsimile Folio series, as it has not been re-engraved. Instead, it joins other beautifully lyrical songs arranged for solo piano in a pdf replica of an earlier published edition (Heugel, Paris, 1923).
Biography
Reynaldo Hahn (de Echenagucia) was born in Caracas (the capital of Venezuela), the youngest of nine children. His parents moved to France in his early boyhood and he lived in Paris for most of his life. At the Paris Conservatoire he studied composition with Charles Gounod and Jules Massenet, gaining early success with this song, Si mes vers avaient des ailes. He became a prominent member of fin de siècle French society, which included stage actress Sarah Bernhardt and novelist Marcel Proust, with whom he had lifelong close friendships.
He served in the French army during the First World War and took refuge in neutral Monaco during the Second World War. On returning to Paris in 1945 he was appointed director of the Paris Opéra; he died just two years later, aged 72. After his death, Hahn’s music was largely neglected until the late 20th century, which saw increasing interest and frequent performances of his songs and piano works, as well as much of his orchestral music and some of his stage works.
Hahn was a prolific composer, as well as a conductor, music critic and singer. He wrote musical comedies, operas and orchestral works (including piano and violin concertos) and is best known for more than 100 songs (‘mélodies’).
Mes vers fuiraient, doux et frêles,
Vers votre jardin si beau,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Des ailes comme l’oiseau.
My verses would fly away, soft and delicate,
Towards your lovely garden,
If my verses had wings,
Like a bird.
Ils voleraient, étincelles,
Vers votre foyer qui rit,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Des ailes comme l’esprit.
They would fly, like sparks,
Towards your hearth which laughs,
If my verses had wings,
Like the spirit.
Près de vous, purs et fidèles,
Ils accourraient nuit et jour,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Des ailes comme l’amour.
Close to you, pure and faithful,
They would hurry, night and day,
If my verses had wings,
Like love.
Original French lyrics by Victor Hugo, published in the collection Les Contemplations.
Portrait of Reynaldo Hahn (1907) by Lucie Lambert (1863-1916, aka Zoé Lucie Betty de Rothschild), Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Sheet music cover image: Les murmures de l’amour by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1889).
Recordings
Hear Si mes vers avaient des ailes (If my verses had wings) beautifully sung by Susan Graham on Spotify or YouTube, or Encarnación Vázquez on Spotify (links open in a new tab). The piece has also been recorded as a cello duet (with piano accompaniment) by Julian and Jiaxin Lloyd Webber. (on Spotify or YouTube)
Other Fullscore Publications
Sixteen carefully selected lyrical pieces (including six by women composers) arranged for solo piano are included in the printed Fullscore Publication Songs without Words, Book 1, available only from Amazon globally. Link: tinyurl.com/hs7mp85s
Other pieces for intermediate piano players are available as free pdf downloads from fullscoremusic.co.uk
