Mélanie Bonis (b. 1858 in Paris – d. 1937 in Sarcelles, France) started with  piano lessons at a very young age. She studied with the famous César Franck and was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire in 1877, where she continued with organ and harmony studies with great success. Affairs of the heart united her with Amedee Hettich, a baritone and student at the conservatoire, with whom she wrote songs and choral works. Her quality and his connections and influence to Parisian publishers moved her career forward. However, in 1883, in line with the cultural norms of the time and her strict traditional family she was made to adopt a more feminine lifestyle and marry Albert Domange, twenty-five-years her senior with no interest in music. Around seven years and three children later, Bonis gained the support from publishers like Alphonse Leduc to compose more regularly, and started working with Hettich again, which reheated the old spark. She belonged to the Société des Compositeurs (Society of Composers), and shared her music with performers in France and Switzerland, where it was performed in salons and at student auditions. Bonis composed over 300 compositions, and her inspiration derived from Franck, Saint-Saens, and Fauré. Though she was willing to experiment with  modern techniques of the twentieth century, she remained faithful to the late-romantic style, adhering to tonality and classical form. The musical trends at the time were shifting away from romanticism, but clinging to restrictions imposed on women composers, so her music suffered neglect and fell into oblivion after her death. After WWII, her children endeavored to promote her legacy and published her work. There is now a renewed interest for the music of Mel Bonis, and this rewarding discovery for performers and audience is gaining her the recognition that she deserves.

Scenes de la Forét for Trio Flute, Horn and Piano is one of Bonis’ later chamber works: she was seventy years old when the work was published and performed (1928). It was a rework of an earlier piece of which the manuscript  got lost. The piece itself, true to its title – in translation “Scenes from the forest,” depicts the sounds of the forest through all three instruments – flute, French horn and piano, and each movement depicts a different scene. 

The first movement, Nocturne, calm, serene and lullaby-like, takes the listener to nighttime. The piano begins with a series of octaves, then the horn comes in with a two-note motive, and finally the flute joins with the melody. In the middle of the piece, the horn exchanges  some  melody motifs with the flute, to go back to the repetitive two-note pattern with the piano until the very end. 

The second movement, Á l’aube, depicts dawn and the peacefulness of the early morning. The piano starts again with continuous 16th notes that have an outline of a melody on top. The horn comes in with minor thirds resembling a wake-up call, and the flute echoes it. In the second part  the horn develops a lyrical melody while the flute comes in with rising chromatic scales, representing birds waking up to a new day. The piano part continues in descending lines and short motifs repeat, with instruments echoing each other. The ending is rather peculiar, with the flute playing a whole-tone scale up while the horn descends with  the same whole-tone scale.

The third movement, Invocation, is a prayer to Artemis, the Greek goddess of nature and hunting, and it is the only slow movement. The first section is a conversation between the horn and flute, with the horn asking questions and the flute responding. The piano provides a background of “rolled” chords, imitating a harp. In the second section, the horn takes over the melody while the flute plays triplets and the piano offers chorale-like accompaniment. Continuing to the last section, the roles reverse: the flute now asks questions while the horn responds. At the very end, the flute outlines the triplets for the last time while the horn sustains a long note, almost as a final reflection.

The fourth movement, Pour Artémis, summarizes the entire  journey the listener went on, portraying Artemis as vigorous, hunt-loving goddess in the first and third section, and as a gentle and caring creature in the calmer second and fourth section. Toward the end, the horn and flute echo the motif that the piano plays, and, interestingly enough and regardless of all the transitions during the piece, it ends with the same chord it began with. In other words, this piece is a cycle, to be repeated as many times as wanted. For the full enjoyment, imagine a forest, close your eyes, and let yourself go without fear. Bonis will lift you by her coloristic harmonies, show you some interesting turns, but will also bring you back to safe tonality.