The Music Swann Hears, Leading Up to Vinteuil's Sonata, at the Marquise de Saint-Euverte's House Party

Rebecca Valette (Nathalie's mother) sent to me the following email:

Hi Tom,

 I noticed that at the soirée of the Marquise de Saint-Euverte, Swann listens to this flute solo:

"Swann s'était avancé, sur l'insistance de Mme de Saint-Euverte, et pour entendre un air d'Orphée qu'exécutait un flûtiste, s'était mis dans un coin où ...."

In the story, Orpheus goes to the Elysian Fields to look for Eurydice. He encounters the Blessed Spirits, then the flute plays his lament -- he does not find her there. He continues on his search, and the Spirits resume their dance without him.

Here is one version:

 

 

Thank you, Rebecca! That is gorgeous. (In the Modern Library translation, for those who would like to look up the reference, the Narrator's mention of the "air from Orfeo" is on p. 466.)

Inspired by Rebecca's research, I couldn't help myself and had to look up the "pianoforte intermezzo (Liszt's "Saint Francis preaching to the birds") which had succeeded the flute..." (ML, 466).

Here it is:

 

 

After the Liszt, the pianist plays a Chopin Prelude and a Polonaise, which are not specified.

And then, following a break, another set of music begins with the Vinteuil sonata... which is, as we know, thought to be based on Saint-Saëns' violin sonata No. 1 Op. 75. Here is a performance I found which shows the musicians as they play: