Le bachelier de Salamaque
In Salamanca, serenaders were prohibited by law from disturbing the peace. Thus the young man of this poem carries his guitar through the streets with furtive steps — while, unknown to him, the admiral's daughter whom he loves laughs at him from her vantage point in her house. The song, which is propelled by a driving piano ostinato except for the brief section dealing with the young man's love, is witty and mature.

Sarabande
Beautiful imagery of a garden recalls Roussel's use of the same setting in Le festin de l'araignee, although here the garden symbolizes the emotions between two lovers making love in the grass, while a fountain dances a sarabande.

Roussel also wrote an orchestral accompaniment for these two songs.

No more Chinese music [in Le bachelier] but a clever and sprightly pastiche of Spanish music. [Pierre Bernac]

He makes no bones about characterization — the piano part in "Le Bachelier de Salamanque" is admirably cynical guitar music in spirit, though pianistic in manner. [Norman Demuth]

The context [of Sarabande] is personal and mysterious, and there is an oriental delicacy in the way Roussel evokes the flutter of dove's feathers into a pool, or the slow drift of chestnut blossoms onto bare flesh. [Roger Vignoles and Peter Reed]

Roussel's setting of these free, poetic verses [Sarabande] is, in my opinion his most beautiful melodie. He gives perfect expression to the lovely spring night, when a young lover addresses his beloved in an exquisite garden, surrounded by marble fountains and white turtle doves. [Pierre Bernac]

This discreetly voluptuous text [of Sarabande] provides the inspiration for one of Roussel's most beautiful songs. Poem, melody, harmony, form and texture are indissoluby integrated and communicate an emotion whose depth and intensity are not disguised by the restraint of its utterance. Every aspect of the setting merits close attention. [Basil Deane]

How can one resist the delicate, biting nuances, so fine and personal in tone, of Bachelier de Salamanque, or the subtle voluptuousness of Sarabande, or the vivacity, spirit and sensibility of Coeur en peril, which one cannot disassociate with the incredible interpretations of Pierre Bernac? [Robert Bernard]

L'Heure du retour
This poem about a voyager who has seen marvels is tinged with an ironically wistful, recurring refrain about this being the time to return home — Roussel's favorite leave-taking theme in reverse, so to speak. No matter the marvels being recalled, the lure of home is always there. This song is marked by a continuously flowing piano accompaniment that is unique in Roussel's mélodies; sometimes it moves with the voice, other times it proceeds with a poetic hestitancy. The work is also unusual amongst the later songs in its length — as long, for example, as any three of the Odes anacreontiques.

Coeur en peril
A young man makes witty allusions to high and mighty women, such as the Infanta of Portugal and the Princess of Trebizond, whom he cares nothing about. His heart is in peril only from one mocking, thoughtless young woman. This urbane and sophisticated love song is driven by a bouncy piano accompaniment that underscores the impression that this is a love founded on wit and refinement, rather than passion.

Here's the beginning of Coeur en peril (65K WAV file).

How can one resist the delicate, biting nuances, so fine and personal in tone, of Bachelier de Salamanque, or the subtle voluptuousness of Sarabande, or the vivacity, spirit and sensibility of Coeur en peril, which one cannot disassociate with the incredible interpretations of Pierre Bernac? [Robert Bernard]

Opus 50... brings together an undoubtedly witty but rather shallow piece, Coeur en péril, and a less well known but extremely beautiful one, L'Heure du retour, comprised of three quatrains interspersed with a simple but highly moving refrain. [Dom Angelico Surchamp]

[Coeur en peril] is a sprightly little melodie which, though less interesting musically than Sarabande can make an effective end to a group by Roussel. [Pierre Bernac]

Coeur en peril, with its brio and rueful self-mockery, is one of the composer's simplest and most immediately attractive settings. [Basil Deane]