This piece is a commissioned work. Mel Bonis was asked to complete a cycle of songs with orchestra that Louis Bourgault Ducoudray could not fi nish before his death in 1910. As a song for tenor or soprano appeared, Le Chat sur le toit ‘at Senart; the orchestral version remained unpublished.

The vividly descriptive music with its numerous modulations is sensitive and humorous. Wavy fi gures emphasize the catlike and the vivacity of the style.