Text by Edouard Guinand. “On the Beach” expresses the loss of a loved one, possibly at sea, and the effect it has on the one left behind. The text represents the feelings of the poet including inconsolable sorrow and eternal torment. Chaminade’s family history included sailors and one of her homes was near the sea.73 She incorporates many elements that depict the sea in the music including: rolled chords in the accompaniment and the rise and fall of the vocal line to represent the waves of the sea. She also uses octave leaps in the vocal line to emphasize the cresting of the waves