Beau soir

• Debussy wrote Beau soir for voice and piano using poetry by Paul Bourget. The song was written in the early 1880s and published in 1891, making it one of the composer’s earliest works.
• Beau soir is considered the best-known example of Debussy’s early impressionistic style.¹
• Musicians have long been inspired to transcribe the lyrical melody into alternative arrangements, such as for violin, cello, and even four-part choir.

English translation of the poem, “Beau soir”

1. Carol Kimball, Song: A Guide to Art Song Style and Literature (Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2005), 191.