This edition was prepared by Philip Legge — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
La Captive, orientale
Staff Notation • Secular, Chansons
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
Solo Alto · Philip Legge
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La Captive, orientale by Hector Berlioz — Lyrics
Si je n’étais captive,
J’aimerais ce pays,
Et cette mer plaintive,
Et ces champs de maïs,
Et ces astres sans nombre,
Si, le long du mur sombre,
N’étincelait dans l’ombre
Le sabre des spahis.
Je ne suis pas Tartare,
Pour qu’un eunuque noir
M’accorde ma guitare,
Me tienne mon miroir.
Bien loin de ces Sodomes,
Au pays dont nous sommes,
Avec les jeunes hommes
On peut parler le soir.
Pourtant j’aime une rive,
Où jamais des hivers
Le souffle froid n’arrive
Par les vitraux ouverts.
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About La Captive, orientale
This is a solo alto setting of a French text by Berlioz. It is a secular song, one of several such works from his output. The music conveys a sense of longing and exoticism, reflecting the text's themes of captivity and distant homelands. The alto voice is used to express the poignant reflections of the captive woman, contrasting her present confinement with memories of her native land and the sensual beauty of her surroundings, even amidst the threat of soldiers. The song captures a mood of melancholic introspection, tinged with a sensuous appreciation for nature and a wistful desire for freedom.
