a comparative analysis of louis durey and francis poulenc's settings ...

51
La Carpe—Durey
This ethereal glimpse into the life of a carp is effectively portrayed as triste (sad)
as the piece indicates. Durey’s setting of “La Carpe” seems to mourn the long life of a
carp. The first three measures set the mood, the accompaniment giving a feel of
disconsolateness at a p dynamic. Already, the listener can envision the murky waters in
which the carp dwells.
As the sixteenth notes in minor thirds are introduced in measure four, along with
the vocal line, the carp begins its movement. The G minor chord gives a feeling of
unsettledness. The first line of poetry crescendos to an early climax at the singer’s outcry
of the word Carpes in the fifth measure. The E-flat augmented chord in the
accompaniment complements the exclamatory forte in the vocal line. The singer marvels
at the carp’s long life and ponders its lonely existence as the rest of the line descends and
begins to decrescendo. As the vocal line softens, the accompaniment begins a sweeping
sixteenth note figure in measure six giving way to the ascending staccato sequence at a
pianissimo dynamic in measures seven through ten.
Fig. 12 “La Carpe,” mm. 5-6
The piece adopts an especially tender tone as the singer poses the question Est-ce
que la mort vous oublie (Has death forgotten you) in measures 11-12. The
accompaniment, at this point, is less busy, and plays ascending seventh-chords, starting