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Kiet A. Nguyen

Professor Ann K. Boeckman

Music Theory MUTH 202

Johann-Paul Martinis Plaisir damour

Plaisir damour (The pleasures of love) is a classic romance composed by Johann-

Paul Martini (1741 1816), with its text taken from a poem by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian

(1755 1794). One of Martinis most famous works, Plaisir damour was written in five-part

rondo form.

Plaisir damour starts in the key of G major with a lighthearted eight-measure

introduction that leads seamlessly into the A section of the romance. Starting at m. 9, the A

section is a period consisting of two four-measure phrases: the first of which ends with a half

cadence in m. 12, and the second a perfect authentic cadence in m. 16, both in the original

key of G major. It establishes the contextual theme of the song: Plaisir damour ne dure

quun moment, chagrin damour dure toute la vie (The pleasures of love last but a moment,

the sorrows of love last all life through). In accordance with the uplifting lyrics about the

pleasures of love, the harmony of the first half of the section evokes a sense of happiness.

However, that of the latter half possesses some rather surprising elements, since the text

introduces sadness to the song. An example would be the elided resolution of the secondary

dominant of the V chord in m. 13 to emphasize the sorrows of love (chagrin damour). In

m. 14, the syncopated sixteenth-note chords with rests in between in the right hand are also

unexpected, which puts the stress on the turn toward sadness of the text.

After the first A section follows a moderately contrasting B section from m. 17 to m.

24, which equals the A section in length. In the B section, the composer wraps up the first

phrase with a perfect authentic cadence in the original key of G major. However, to add a
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more interesting flavor to the piece, the latter half of the section modulates to D major with

the I chord in G major being the pivot chord. To confirm the modulation, the B section

concludes in D major with a perfect authentic cadence. Once again, Martinis use of deviant

musical elements proves effective, as the sudden modulation greatly underscores the anguish

of the narrator in the text when talking the ungrateful Sylvia: Elle me quitte et prend un

autre amant (She left me and took another lover). Evident of Martinis talent of

manipulating the music to fit the text, the secondary dominant chord in m. 21 further

intensifies the frustration of the narrator.

The A section then comes back for eight measures, after which a largely different C

section takes place in m. 33. Twice as long as the previous two sections, the C section is in G

minor, which is the parallel minor of the original key. Amid the C section, the piece

modulates to the key of B-flat major, which corresponds to the happy memory the narrator

has of Sylvia in the text: Je taimerai, me rptait Sylvie (I shall love you, Sylvia told me).

In m. 40, the piece progresses from a cadential 6-4 to a V chord in place of a I chord, which

leaves an unforseen, hanging feeling to the section. At the end of the section, even though it

is conventional to cadence in the key of the section, Martini deviates from the norm by

smoothly bringing the piece from a cadential 6-4 in the key of G minor to the i chords

parallel major, creating an effective transition to the last A section of the rondo. The A

section precedes a six-measure coda that is a shortened iteration of the eight-measure

introduction, which powerfully connect the whole song into a beautifully coherent classic.