A Propos
In France, the “spleen” is a melancolic state of mind without cause. It was generalised by the poet Charles Baudelaire (1821 – 1867), but it was already used before, by writers of Romanticism (nineteenth century): current then developed mainly in Germany and Britain. The relationship between spleen and melancholy comes from medicine and the concept of moods. One of those moods is black bile secreted by the spleen and associated with melancholy and misery.
For Baudelaire, the spleen becomes an essential component of existence anxiety. “Les Limbes”, the first title planned for “Les Fleurs du Mal”, was intended to « represent the unrest and melancholies of modern youth ». We see that it would be a mistake to stick to a spleen felt by Baudelaire, which would be something like the victim or the prey, while the poet seeks precisely to represent this ancient passion, from which he knows the manners (Lamartine , Musset). Baudelaire said that: “if Joy can be a moment of Beauty, it is generally one of the most vulgar ornaments”. Baudelairian melancholy consists of the loss of ideals and the inhibition of any activity.
The purpose of S-pleen here, is to provide a cross-reading of music from the most varied sources as possible, around a common theme, the spleen. This gentle melancholy that sometimes invade us… The only motivation is to stay at your side when you are in a sad mood, remembering that you can find beauty even in the rainy afternoons…
