Summary of Music Scene
Faure composed this incidental music for the first English production of Maurice Maeterlinck’s play Pelléas et Mélisande, which opened in June 1898. In this play, the gentle melody of the Sicilienne introduces the scene at the beginning of Act Two, in which Mélisande’s wedding ring slips from her finger and disappears into a well as she plays gently with Pelléas. This scene is particularly famous in the opera adaptation of “Pelléas et Mélisande” by Claude Debussy, where the “Sicilienne” is often used as the musical backdrop for this pivotal moment in Act Two. Symbolic action: The falling ring represents the loss of innocence and the foreshadowing of their doomed relationship. Musical element: The “Sicilienne” is a gentle, melancholic melody that adds to the scene’s poignant atmosphere.
Flute and piano:
Flute and piano: