4.Adieu de l'hôtesse arabe

This song reflects the widespread taste for exotic eroticism that Bizet so thoroughly indulged in his Djamileh and Les Pêcheurs de Perles. The intermittent pulsation of the accompaniment suggests the sensual Middle Eastern dancing the text describes, as does the vocal cadenza at the conclusion. The textures of both accompaniment and vocal line are almost incessantly changing, as if suggesting the hostess' attempting to cajole the traveler with every possible pleasure, as do the key changes from major to minor.

Bizet dedicated this piece to Marie Caroline Felix Carvalho, the noted soprano who created many of his heroines. (Her husband, the impresario, Leon Carvalho, encouraged and promoted Bizet throughout his career.)

© All Music Guide

12.La Chanson du fou

This song is an understated yet musically and dramatically deft depiction of madness, a distinct departure from Bizet's usual song material.

It begins with a jerky, minimal accompaniment and a short, smooth vocal line. After the first verse, the accompaniment becomes much more agitated, eventually adding disconcerting trills and embellishments, an effect taken up in the vocal part in the last line. The total effect is eerie, an impression that is emphasized rather than diminished by the song's brevity (typically around 90 seconds in performance).

© Anne Feeney, All Music Guide