Paroles et musique' – Verlaine's Composers

The musical imagery of Verlaine's poetry and the numerous musical settings of his poems arouse our curiosity as to his own musical tastes and talents his relationships with composers and his possible endorsement of the well known mélodies using his verses. Lepelletier and the published Correspondance inform us about Verlaine's early love of both classical music and operetta; several of his poems proclaim his Wagnerism. Verlaine collaborated with Chabrier on two opéras bouffes, later on an operetta with Sivry – all uncompleted. The absence of Verlaine's expressed approval of the numerous mélodies using his poems during his later years can be attributed to his disordered life-style and his limited acquaintance with the new music. Debussy, Chausson, and Bordes seem to have had no significant contact with the poet; Fauré, Hahn, and (possibly) Charpentier, communication but not endorsement. Yet it would be in the mélodie that Verlaine would make his major contribution to music. (AJW)