Gabriel Fauré

Dolly op. 56

Dolly Suite is a collection of sound gifts that Fauré gave to little Dolly (Hélène Bardac, daughter of the mezzo-soprano Emma Bardac) on special occasions. Childlike scenes like Ketty-Valse, Le jardin de Dolly and Tendresse are put into music. In the 19th century, the phenomenon of childhood was set to music in many different ways. Fauré's collection Dolly Suite ranks among a vast number of compositions for children, such as Schumann's Kinderszenen, Bizet's Jeux d'enfants or Debussy's Children's Corner - compositions dealing with childhood as an ideal although they are on no account easy works which can be played by children. Unlike that of Fauré: Dolly Suite unites artistic interest and child-oriented realization. The pieces can be played by teacher and pupil or by two pupils of different performance levels. The primo part can be easily mastered after one to two years of piano lessons, providing tonally varied character pieces and thus offering an entertaining approach to piano duet playing.