Conclusions

Abstract

Baudelaire’s appearance in song is not a chance by-product of his reception history but an integral part of it. The 1880–1930 period covered in this book shows how Baudelaire’s poetry adapted to new musical soundscapes during an era of development in song forms across Europe. Not all agree that Baudelaire’s poetry is ‘well-suited’ to musical settings, but the reach of his poetry is extensive, and the varying levels of ‘success’ of each song confirm that song is predicated on impermanence. Baudelaire settings remain open to new interpretations and resist conformity of treatment. While there are commonalities around the extent of note-per-syllable writing, treatment of the e surnuméraire, and the setting of one musical phrase per poetic line, most features examined show limited correlation. All of the poems undergo some deformation, because composers need to prepare the surface of the text to enable their music to bond with it.