Quand vous serez bien vieille

This sonnet is the work of the aging poet, who uses the image of the ephemeral rose to invite the woman he is courting to take advantage of his youth and beauty. This sonnet in alexandrines is a strategy of seduction addressed to Hélène de Surgères, born in 1546.
When Hélène met Pierre de Ronsard’s gaze in 1572, the old poet fell madly in love. He courts her assiduously, but the beautiful Hélène remains unmoved, perhaps because of her grief at losing her fiancé in the war, her one great love.
I chose to write for the 7-string viola da gamba for the depth of sound emitted by the instrument’s low A register. The language is deliberately simple, given the musical expression of such a distant era, but without ever lapsing into archaism. I didn’t get attached to the alexandrine rhythm, and I’d like the singer not to roll the “r”. I’d also like the interpretation of this melody to be as simple as a simple narrative.
Graciane Finzi