The very essence of elegance, lyricism and subtle melancholy, Gabriel Faure’s Sicilienne, Op.78 (1893) is a masterpiece of the French Romantic period. At just four minutes to perform and prioritising expressivity over virtuosity, it has become a very popular work amongst cello players of intermediate and higher levels. Despite this, Sicilienne actually started life as a theatre work, with even the cello version not being the final version of the piece.
Origins of the work
The work started life as part of a set of incidental music for an 1893 performance of a London production of Molière’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. Its genesis was fragile; Saint-Saens was originally approached to write the work but proved too busy, so instead asked Faure to complete the commission. The resulting score was never used, the promised production never materialising.
Recognising the quality of the music, in 1893 Faure arranged the work for solo cello, the version that is best known today:
Later that year he incorporated it into another theatrical project, as incidental music for Maurice Maeterlinck’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Faure’s Sicilienne, delicate and atmospheric, proved a perfect match for the symbolist play.
A further version of the work followed in 1909, where Faure incorporated the work into a four movement orchestral suite based upon the incidental music he wrote for Pelléas et Mélisande:
What is a Sicilienne?
The work’s origins lie in the Baroque ‘sicilienne’, a dance form in a slow 6/8 or 12/8 time with lilting rhythms and usually in a minor key. It is common choice for expressive arias in Baroque operas. It is loosely associated with Sicily, especially as an evocation of the pastoral nature of the island.
The music of Faure’s Sicilienne
Though Faure’s Sicilienne is very typical of the sicilienne genre as described above, it is full of subtle chromatic movements, harmonic inflections and unexpected modulations that make it very much a work of the late Romantic period. Faure always, however, prioritises classical clarity over harmonic ambiguity—his use, for example, of enriched chords (with added 6ths, 7ths and 9ths), modal mixtures (borrowing notes from related modes) and delayed resolutions give the work a dreamlike transparency that do not, however, overwhelm the texture.
The work also exhibits Faure’s abundant melodic gift, the melody with which it opens being one of his most gracious, tender and haunting. It reaches upwards before falling back, a feeling of ebb and flow that continues throughout the piece.
Clarity also extend to the work’s form, which is laid out very straightforwardly:
A SECTION (bars 1–17): Double statement of main theme in G minor on cello, then on piano at bar 10, followed by cello at bar 14. B SECTION (bars 18–33): A ‘new’ idea divided into two parts—B1 (bars 18-25), clearly derived from the opening material; and B2 (bars 26-33), declamatory fourths, again interspersed with material from A. A SECTION (bars 34-44): Opening material restated in original key. C SECTION (44-61): A dreamy middle section in Eb major drawing heavily on A material. B2 SECTION (62-69): The second part of the B section reappears. A SECTION (bars 70-end): A restatement of the opening material to bar 76, where an interrupted cadence signals the start of a coda, drawing the piece to a quiet close.
Lasting impact
Faure’s Sicilienne is one of a handful of short piece by the composer, including Pavane, Après un Réve and Cantique de Jean Racine, that have become popular not only though their appearances in the concert hall, but by their use in popular culture.
Amongst it many uses, it was heard, for example, in episode 2 of season 2 of ‘Better Call Saul’(2015–2022), where Saul’s brother Chuck plays it on the piano:
Sicilienne has also proved a popular work to adapt—there exist numerous versions of the piece, including for piano, violin, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and larger instrumental groups. At 8notes we have more than thirty versions of the piece to choose from—they are amongst our most popular arrangements.
Above all, Gabriel Faure’s Sicilienne’s owes it continued popularity to its inherent qualities—it is the epitome of proportion, poise and sophistication. Surface directness belies a work of surprising emotional depth, harmonic sophistication and melodic elegance. It stands as an eloquent symbol of Faure’s lifelong pursuit of beauty through restraint.
