Vincent d'Indy (March 27, 1851 - Dec. 2, 1931) was a French composer and teacher born in to an aristocratic family. He took piano lessons from his grandmother at a young age, and studied harmony at 14 from Albert Lavignac. He enlisted in the National Guard during the Franco-Prussian War when he was 19, but came back to music as soon as the fighting was over. He became a student at the Paris Conservatory, and later on became dissatisfied with the standard of teaching there, and with Charles Bordes and Alexandre Guilmant, founded the Schola Cantorum de Paris in 1894. d'Indy would teach there, and at the Paris Conservatory, until his death.

d'Indy's body of work spans various genres/instrumentations; he wrote a great deal for the piano, voice and piano, and had a fairly sizeable output of orchestral music as well, including Souvenirs, a symphonic poem. He completed this work in 1906, and dedicated it to his beloved wife Isabelle, who had died earlier in the year, and intended to keep the work to himself, save one performance at the National Society of Music, but soon after his friends convinced him to publish the work.

Inspired by his love for his wife, he wrote this work after reflecting on his marriage of 30 years, and of their shared adventures in the French mountains. This piece is based on, and grows from the motif d'Indy wrote for his beloved (four notes, E, D, A and C) that starts first in he flute, and then on to the English horn. and then throughout the piece is it quoted by various sections of the orchestra. After a plaintive beginning section, the work blossoms out to an exciting, moving section, with the beloved theme scattered about. The adventurous journey begins to change after a while though, with the third note of the theme being lowered, as a premonition of his wife's death, which is later signified by 12 notes in the harp. After a silence, the strings come back in on the first melody, and the beloved motif is played again, as if believing in and affirming life after death.

Here are some recordings of this beautiful work for you to enjoy!

Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra