After training under Adolphe Adam at the Paris Conservatoire, he worked as rehearsal accompanist at the Théâtre Lyrique and as an organist before coming to popular attention with his ballet Coppélia (1870); its title referred to a doll, depicted in the work, which comes to life. Other ballets include Sylvia (1876), and La Source (1866), which he wrote with Minkus.
Delibes also composed various operas, of which the last to be completed, the lush orientalizing Lakmé (1883), contains the famous coloratura showpiece the Bell Song ('Où va la jeune Indoue') and the Flower Duet, a barcarolle that British Airways commercials familiarized for non-operagoers in the 1990s. At the time, his operas impressed Tchaikovsky enough for the composer to rate Delibes more highly than Brahms. Judged purely as composers of operas, the modern critic would have to agree.
Delibes added the Divertissement to Adam's ballet Le Corsaire, wrote a Mass, a cantata on the theme of Algiers, operettas and occasional music for the theater, such as dances and antique airs for Victor Hugo's Le roi s'amuse, the play that Verdi turned into Rigoletto.
Delibes died in 1891, and was buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris.
The Flower Duet
Léo Delibes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
À la rose s'assemble,
Sur la rive en fleurs, riant au matin,
Viens, descendons ensemble.
Doucement glissons; De son flot charmant
Suivons le courant fuyant;
Dans l'onde frémissante,
D'une main nonchalante,
Où la source dort.
Et l'oiseau, l'oiseau chante.
Sous le dôme épais, Sous le blanc jasmin,
Ah! descendons ensemble!
Mais, je ne sais quelle crainte subite,
S'empare de moi,
Quand mon père va seul à leur ville maudite;
Je tremble, je tremble d'effroi!
Pour que le dieu Ganeça le protège,
Jusqu'à l'étang où s'ébattent joyeux
Les cygnes aux ailes de neige,
Allons cueillir les lotus bleus.
Oui, près des cygnes
Aux ailes de neige,
Allons cueillir les lotus bleus.
Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin
À la rose s'assemble,
Sur la rive en fleurs, riant au matin,
Viens, descendons ensemble.
Doucement glissons; De son flot charmant
Suivons le courant fuyant;
Dans l'onde frémissante,
D'une main nonchalante,
Viens, gagnons le bord
Où la source dort.
Et l'oiseau, l'oiseau chante.
Sous le dôme épais, Sous le blanc jasmin,
Ah! descendons ensemble!
The Flower Duet is a beautiful song sung by two characters named Lakmé and Mallika, who are both daughters of a high priest in India. In the first verse (Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin), they invite each other to come and explore the beautiful gardens together. They imagine gliding along the river and following the flow of the water, eventually reaching a peaceful spot where they can rest by the source of the river. As they journey, they hear the bird's song, presumably enjoying the same peaceful scenery.
In the second verse (Mais, je ne sais quelle crainte subite), Lakmé expresses her fear of her father going to a cursed city. She trembles with fear, but Mallika persuades her to come and gather the blue lotus flowers with her. The girls decide to pray to the god Ganesha to protect Lakmé's father before setting off to find the lotus flowers. The song ends with the repetition of the invitation to explore the garden and the lively melody of the bird's song.
Line by Line Meaning
Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin
Under the dense canopy where the white jasmine grows
À la rose s'assemble,
And intertwines with the rose
Sur la rive en fleurs, riant au matin,
On the flowery bank, laughing in the morning light
Viens, descendons ensemble.
Come, let us go down together.
Doucement glissons; De son flot charmant
Softly gliding along with its charming current
Suivons le courant fuyant;
We follow the fleeing current;
Dans l'onde frémissante,
In the shivering water,
D'une main nonchalante,
With an indifferent hand,
Viens, gagnons le bord
Come, let us reach the bank
Où la source dort.
Where the spring sleeps.
Et l'oiseau, l'oiseau chante.
And the bird, the bird sings.
Mais, je ne sais quelle crainte subite,
But I don't know what sudden fear
S'empare de moi,
Seizes me,
Quand mon père va seul à leur ville maudite;
When my father goes alone to their cursed city;
Je tremble, je tremble d'effroi!
I tremble, I tremble with fear!
Pour que le dieu Ganeça le protège,
So that the god Ganeça protects him,
Jusqu'à l'étang où s'ébattent joyeux
To the pond where the happy swans frolic
Les cygnes aux ailes de neige,
The snowy-winged swans,
Allons cueillir les lotus bleus.
Let us go and pick the blue lotus.
Oui, près des cygnes
Yes, near the swans
Aux ailes de neige,
With their wings of snow,
Allons cueillir les lotus bleus.
Let us go and pick the blue lotus.
Sous le dôme épais où le blanc jasmin
Under the dense canopy where the white jasmine grows
À la rose s'assemble,
And intertwines with the rose
Sur la rive en fleurs, riant au matin,
On the flowery bank, laughing in the morning light
Viens, descendons ensemble.
Come, let us go down together.
Doucement glissons; De son flot charmant
Softly gliding along with its charming current
Suivons le courant fuyant;
We follow the fleeing current;
Dans l'onde frémissante,
In the shivering water,
D'une main nonchalante,
With an indifferent hand,
Viens, gagnons le bord
Come, let us reach the bank
Où la source dort.
Where the spring sleeps.
Et l'oiseau, l'oiseau chante.
And the bird, the bird sings.
Sous le dôme épais, Sous le blanc jasmin,
Under the dense canopy, under the white jasmine,
Ah! descendons ensemble!
Ah! Let us go down together!
Writer(s): Paul Bateman, Delibes, E. Gondinet, P. Gille
Contributed by Noah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@KryzaLide
Absolutely wonderful !!
"Sous le dôme épais
Où le blanc jasmin
À la rose s'assemble
Sur la rive en fleurs
Riant au matin
Viens, descendons ensemble
Doucement glissons
De son flot charmant
Suivons le courant fuyant
Dans l'onde frémissante
D'une main nonchalante
Viens, gagnons le bord
Où la source dort et
L'oiseau, l'oiseau chante
Sous le dôme épais
Où le blanc jasmin
Ah, descendons
Ensemble
Sous le dôme épais
Où le blanc jasmin
À la rose s'assemble
Sur la rive en fleurs
Riant au matin
Viens, descendons ensemble
Doucement glissons
De son flot charmant
Suivons le courant fuyant
Dans l'onde frémissante
D'une main nonchalante
Viens, gagnons le bord
Où la source dort et
L'oiseau, l'oiseau chante
Sous le dôme épais
Où le blanc jasmin
Ah, descendons
Ensemble"
@alexandergayowsky8303
If they don't play this at my funeral, I'm not coming
@jacobrobin306
lol😂.. it's a beautiful piece my friend.
@loadedpipe1311
🤣🤣
@maidenekker
Same here
@Sofadog82
Seems reasonable!
@vivik959
😂😂😂
@Falindae
This man out here conducting with a PENCIL. And these gorgeous women in their Sunday comfy wear just absolutely pulling on my every heart string... Utterly divine
@p.b4287
Very beautiful. Harmony. This has the rare ability to pull my nerves straight no matter how bad times might be.
@misium
Proves you can conduct with a pencil and sing in comfy wear...
@da96103
Man conducting with a pencil? Then you have not seen Gergiev.