There are the usual three songs to this set by Debussy. The texts he chose are by one of his favorite poets, Tristan Lhermite (1601-55). The first of the items here, "Auprès de cette grotte sombre" (Close to this dark grotto) is actually the same song as "La grotte," from the 1904 collection, Trois Chanson de France. In some listings of Debussy's works the title is also given as "La grotte in Le Promenoir des deux amants."

The style of these songs is fairly simple, for Debussy. But his simplicity almost invariably involves subtlety and elegance, both of which are in evidence here. Perhaps it was the subject matter and imagery in the poems which tamed any urge toward daring in his style in these songs: the grotto and water in the first are followed by the gentle wind in the second, "Crois mon conseil" (Take my advice) and traditional feelings of love and thoughts of a shipwreck in the last, "Je tremble en voyant ton visage" (I tremble at the sight of your face). The music is pleasant, even beautiful in all three songs, and the accompaniment is deftly conceived.

All in all, these are well-crafted songs but not among the composer's finest efforts in the vocal genre.

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