Barcarolle
A Venetian gondolier's song turned instrumental genre, rocking in compound time
Related
A barcarolle began as a song of Venetian gondoliers and became a common instrumental genre in the nineteenth century. Its mark is compound time (6/8 or 12/8) and a rocking accompaniment: the bass sinks like the hull, inner chords part the water like an oar.
Chopin's Barcarolle in F sharp major turns that motion into a large concert work, with ornate decoration in the middle; the barcarolle in Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann lets a duet ride the swell. Mendelssohn and Fauré also wrote barcarolles.
To listen, follow the left hand's repeated rowing figure, then notice how the melody stretches and closes over the water. It is not simply any piece in 6/8 — what defines the genre is steady propulsion and a singing line.
Sources
- 船歌的威尼斯渊源、六拍子摇橹音型与肖邦、奥芬巴赫等作品，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Barcarolle"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.