Dolly Suite

Gabriel Fauré assembled the Dolly Suite, six enchanting piano duets, between 1893 and 1896, from individual pieces written for a child, Regina-Hélène Bardac, whose nickname was Dolly. The treble part is simpler than the “secondo" bass part, suggesting an adult accompanying a beginner, but Fauré’s stylistic hallmarks are everywhere: streamlined songfulness, inventive textures and mesmerising harmonic twists. Dolly’s mother was Emma Bardac, an accomplished singer and society hostess who was married to a philandering banker. Fauré enjoyed a substantial extramarital love affair with her in the early 1890s. But if Dolly was Fauré’s child, as gossip suggested, no proof was forthcoming; and later, in 1904, Emma left her husband for another composer, Claude Debussy. The suite opens with “Berceuse” (“Cradle Song”), originally a gift for Dolly’s first birthday, with a constant, rocking accompaniment. The vigorous second piece’s name, “Mi-a-ou”, derives from “Messieu Aoul”, Dolly’s name for her older brother, Raoul (several of the suite’s titles were inaccurately printed for years). “Le jardin de Dolly” is a warm, gentle song without words. “Kitty-valse” is really Ketty Valse, after Dolly’s dog. “Tendresse” is as tender as its name suggests, and finally “Le pas espagnol” makes a whirling, upbeat conclusion.