Obscure Music Monday: Lacombe's Dialogue Sentimental
Paul Lacombe (July 11, 1837 - June 4, 1927) was a French composer and pianist. He was born in to a wealthy family, and his first music lessons were with his mother, on piano. Later on his studied harmony and counterpoint with Francois Teysseyre, who graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris. Lacombe was a great admirer of George Bizet, and began a correspondence with him, asking for compositional advice, which Bizet gave, from 1866 to 1868. They would eventually become good friends, and Bizet promoted much of Lacombe's works. Lacombe music sadly never gained widespread popularity, as he was unwilling to leave his hometown of Carcassonne for Paris.
Despite that, however, he was a prolific writer, with over 150 works to his name, including Dialogue Sentimental, a trio for harp, flute (or violin) and bassoon (or cello).
The harp starts with straightforward chords followed by the bassoon entering with a pleasant, cheerful melody that the flute picks up, and they eventually reunite, playing the original melody in unison. There's a middle section in the minor key, followed by a recap of the beginning. It is a short and sweet piece that demonstrates how well suited these instruments are together; the warmth of the bassoon, the brightness of the flute combined with the chords of the harp makes for a very pleasing listening experience!