bien chanté
French composer
Definition
Well sung. Franck's melodic writing is rooted in the French vocal tradition — long phrases, natural rise and fall, and an expressive peak that is arrived at gradually and released naturally.
Interpretive Guidance
Bien chanté requires the pianist to think of every melodic line as a voice: where does it breathe? Where is the apex? In the Aria of the Prélude, Aria et Final, the melody must float above the accompaniment with a warm, unbroken legato. Change pedal at harmonic rhythm, not at every melodic note, to sustain the singing line.