Fauré's En Prière has been arranged for viola solo and piano by the world-famous violist Donald McInnes, who held a professorship at the University of Southern California from 1985 to 2014 and is known in virtually every corner of the artistic world for his appearances with major orchestras, recitals, chamber music participation, and numerous master classes.

Gabriel Fauré’s En Prière, or In Prayer, is a beautifully poetic song written in 1890 and based on the text of a devotional poem by Stéphan Bordèse. Stylistically and textually, En Prière is a musical glimpse into the prayer of a sincere believer, allowing listeners to peer into ordinarily private thoughts and emotions. The delicate yet intense melodic line is supported, even sheltered, by the piano’s repetitive triplets.

Download and print the score today to gain access to this expertly edited arrangement of Fauré's En Prière for viola and piano by Donald McInnes!

Below is the original French text by Stéphan Bordèse and the English translation for this song:

Si la voix d'un enfant peut monter jusqu'à Vous,
Ô mon Père,
Écoutez de Jésus, devant Vous à genoux,
La prière!

Si Vous m'avez choisi pour enseigner vos lois
Sur la terre, Je saurai Vous servir, auguste Roi des rois,
Ô Lumière!

Sur mes lèvres, Seigneur, mettez la vérité
Salutaire,
Pour que celui qui doute, avec humilité
Vous révère!

Ne m'abandonnez pas, donnez-moi la douceur
Nécessaire,
Pour apaiser les maux, soulager la douleur,
La misère!

Révèlez Vous à moi, Seigneur en qui je crois
Et j'espère:
Pour Vous je veux souffrir et mourir sur la croix,
Au calvaire!


If the voice of a child can reach You,
O my Father,
Listen to the prayer of Jesus, on his knees before You!

If You have chosen me to teach your laws
on earth,
I will know how to serve You, noble King of kings,
O Light!

On my lips, Lord, place the salutary
truth,
In order that he who doubts should with humility
revere You!

Do not abandon me,
give me the necessary gentleness,
To ease suffering, to relieve sorrow,
the misery!

Reveal Yourself to me, Lord, in whom I believe
and hope:
For You I wish to suffer and to die on the cross,
at Calvary!

English Translation Copyright © by David K. Smythe