This edition was prepared by Philip Legge — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Chanson de Mephistopheles: Histoire d'une puce (#5 from 'Faust')
Staff Notation • Secular, Oratorios
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Chanson de Mephistopheles: Histoire d'une puce (#5 from 'Faust') by Hector Berlioz — Lyrics
Une puce gentille
Chez un prince logeait.
Comme sa propre fille,
Le brave homme l’aimait,
Et l’histoire l’assure,
A son tailleur un jour
Lui fit prendre mesure
Pour un habit de cour.
L’animal, plein de joie
Des qu’il se vit paré
D’or de velours de soie,
Et de croix décoré,
Fit venir de province
Ses frères et ses sœurs
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About Chanson de Mephistopheles: Histoire d'une puce (#5 from 'Faust')
This French secular chorus for TTB voices tells a humorous story with a moral. It depicts a flea living with a prince, who treats it like his own daughter and commissions courtly attire for it. The flea, delighted with its finery, invites its relatives to join the court, leading to a comical scene where courtiers scratch themselves all day. The text satirizes courtly life, concluding with the advice to crush any flea that bites us. Berlioz’s setting captures the light-hearted, mischievous spirit of this cautionary tale with energetic choral writing.
