Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer… Read Full Bio ↴Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, often seen as a transitional figure between the Romantic period and Impressionism. In contrast with his harmonic and melodic style, which pushed the bounds for his time, Fauré’s rhythmic motives tended to be subtle and repetitive, with little to break the flow of the line, although he did utilize subtle large scale syncopations, similar to those found in the works of Johannes Brahms. Aaron Copland referred to him as the ‘French Brahms’.
Fauré’s piano works often use arpeggiated figures with the melody interspersed between the two hands, and include finger substitutions natural for organists. These aspects make them daunting for some pianists, but they are nonetheless central works.
Fauré was born in Pamiers, Ariège, Midi-Pyrénées, France, to Toussaint-Honoré Fauré and Marie-Antoinette-Hélène Lalène-Laprade. Fauré was sent to live with a foster-nurse for four years. At the age of nine he was sent to study at the École Niedermeyer, a school which prepared church organists and choir directors in Paris, and continued there for eleven years. He studied with several prominent French musicians, including Camille Saint-Saëns, who introduced him to the music of several contemporary composers, including Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt.
In 1870, Fauré enlisted in the army and took part in the action to raise the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. During the Paris Commune he stayed at Rambouillet and in Switzerland, where he taught at the transported École Niedermeyer. When he returned to Paris in October of 1871, he was appointed assistant organist at Saint-Sulpice as accompanist to the choir, and became a regular at Saint-Saëns' salon. Here he met many prominent Parisian musicians and with those he met there and at the salon of Pauline Garcia-Viardot he formed the Société Nationale de Musique.
In 1874, Fauré stopped working at Saint-Sulpice and began to fill in at the Église de la Madeleine for Saint-Saëns during his many absences. When Saint-Saëns retired in 1877, Fauré became choirmaster. In the same year he became engaged to Marianne Viardot, daughter of Pauline, but the engagement was later broken off by Marianne. Following this disappointment he travelled to Weimar, where he met Liszt, and Cologne in order to see productions of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. Fauré admired Wagner, but was one of few composers of his generation not to come under his influence.
In 1883, Fauré married Marie Fremiet, with whom he had two sons. In order to support his family Fauré spent most of his time in organising daily services at the Église de la Madeleine and teaching piano and harmony lessons. He only had time to compose during the summers. He earned almost no money from his compositions because his publisher bought them, copyright and all, for 50 francs each. During this period Gabriel Fauré wrote several large scale works, in addition to many piano pieces and songs, but he destroyed many of them after a few performances, only retaining a few movements in order to re-use motives.
During his youth Fauré was very cheerful, but his broken engagement combined with his perceived lack of musical success led to bouts of depression which he described as "spleen". In the 1890s, however, his fortunes reversed somewhat. He had a successful trip to Venice where he met with friends and wrote several works. In 1892, he became the inspector of the music conservatories in the French provinces, which meant he no longer had to teach amateur students. In 1896, he finally became chief organist at the Église de la Madeleine, and also succeeded Jules Massenet as composition instructor at the Conservatoire de Paris. At this post he taught many important French composers, including Maurice Ravel and Nadia Boulanger.
From 1903 to 1921, Fauré was a critic for Le Figaro. In 1905, he succeeded Théodore Dubois as director of the Paris Conservatory. He made many changes at the Conservatoire, leading to the resignation of a number of faculty members. This position meant that he was better off in terms of income, and he also became much more widely known as a composer.
Fauré was elected to the Institut de France in 1909, but at the same time he broke with the old stodgy Société Nationale de Musique, and supported the rogue group which formed out of those ejected from the Société which was mainly comprised of his own students. During this time Fauré developed ear trouble and gradually lost his hearing. Sound not only became fainter, but it was also distorted, so that pitches on the low and high ends of his hearing sounded like other pitches. He made efforts to conceal his difficulty, but was eventually forced to abandon his teaching position.
His responsibilities at the Conservatoire, combined with his hearing loss, meant that Fauré's output was greatly reduced during this period. During World War I Fauré remained in France. In 1920, at the age of 75, he retired from the Conservatoire mainly due to his increasing deafness. In this year he also received the Grand-Croix of the Légion d'Honneur, an honor rare for a musician. He suffered from poor health, partially brought on by heavy smoking. Despite this, he remained available to young composers, including members of Les Six, who were devoted to him.
Gabriel Fauré died in Paris from pneumonia in 1924. He was given a state funeral at the Église de la Madeleine and is buried in the Cimetière de Passy in Paris.
Music
Overview
Gabriel Fauré is regarded as the master of the French art song, or mélodie. His works ranged from Classical, when in his early years he emulated the style of Haydn and Mendelssohn, to Romantic, and finally to an ascetic 20th century aesthetic. His work was based on a strong understanding of harmonic structures which he received at the École Niedermeyer from his harmony teacher Gustave Lefèvre, who wrote the book Traité d'harmonie (Paris, 1889). In this book he sets forth a harmonic theory which differs significantly from the classical theory of Jean-Philippe Rameau in that seventh and ninth chords are no longer considered dissonant, and the mediant can be altered without changing the mode. In addition, Fauré's understanding of the church modes can be seen in various modal passages in his works, especially in his melodies.
Notable works
Fauré was a prolific composer, and among the most noteworthy of his works are his Requiem, the opera Penelope, the orchestral suite Masques et Bergamasques (based on music for a dramatic entertainment, or divertissement comique), and music for Pelléas et Mélisande. He also wrote chamber music; his two piano quartets are particularly well known. Other chamber music includes two piano quintets, two cello sonatas, two violin sonatas, and a number of piano pieces including the Nocturnes. He is also known for his songs, such as Après un rêve, Les roses d'Ispahan, En prière, and several song cycles, including La Bonne Chanson with settings of poems by Verlaine, and L'horizon chimérique.
The Requiem, Op. 48, was not composed to the memory of a specific person but, in Fauré's words, "for the pleasure of it". It was first performed in 1888. Fauré is thought not to have had strong religious beliefs. It has been described as "a lullaby of death". In setting his requiem, he left out the Dies irae, though the reference to the day of judgment appears in the Libera me, which he added to the normal requiem mass. Several slightly different versions of the Requiem exist, and these have given rise to a number of different recordings. Personal grief may have influenced the composition as it was started after the death of his father, and before it was completed, his mother died as well. The Requiem can thus be seen as an expression of Fauré's personal tragedy written after the death of his parents. The Requiem is also acknowledged as a source of inspiration for the similar setting by Maurice Duruflé.
His music is used in "Act I: Emeralds" of George Balanchine's ballet Jewels (1967).
Fauré’s piano works often use arpeggiated figures with the melody interspersed between the two hands, and include finger substitutions natural for organists. These aspects make them daunting for some pianists, but they are nonetheless central works.
Fauré was born in Pamiers, Ariège, Midi-Pyrénées, France, to Toussaint-Honoré Fauré and Marie-Antoinette-Hélène Lalène-Laprade. Fauré was sent to live with a foster-nurse for four years. At the age of nine he was sent to study at the École Niedermeyer, a school which prepared church organists and choir directors in Paris, and continued there for eleven years. He studied with several prominent French musicians, including Camille Saint-Saëns, who introduced him to the music of several contemporary composers, including Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt.
In 1870, Fauré enlisted in the army and took part in the action to raise the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. During the Paris Commune he stayed at Rambouillet and in Switzerland, where he taught at the transported École Niedermeyer. When he returned to Paris in October of 1871, he was appointed assistant organist at Saint-Sulpice as accompanist to the choir, and became a regular at Saint-Saëns' salon. Here he met many prominent Parisian musicians and with those he met there and at the salon of Pauline Garcia-Viardot he formed the Société Nationale de Musique.
In 1874, Fauré stopped working at Saint-Sulpice and began to fill in at the Église de la Madeleine for Saint-Saëns during his many absences. When Saint-Saëns retired in 1877, Fauré became choirmaster. In the same year he became engaged to Marianne Viardot, daughter of Pauline, but the engagement was later broken off by Marianne. Following this disappointment he travelled to Weimar, where he met Liszt, and Cologne in order to see productions of Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. Fauré admired Wagner, but was one of few composers of his generation not to come under his influence.
In 1883, Fauré married Marie Fremiet, with whom he had two sons. In order to support his family Fauré spent most of his time in organising daily services at the Église de la Madeleine and teaching piano and harmony lessons. He only had time to compose during the summers. He earned almost no money from his compositions because his publisher bought them, copyright and all, for 50 francs each. During this period Gabriel Fauré wrote several large scale works, in addition to many piano pieces and songs, but he destroyed many of them after a few performances, only retaining a few movements in order to re-use motives.
During his youth Fauré was very cheerful, but his broken engagement combined with his perceived lack of musical success led to bouts of depression which he described as "spleen". In the 1890s, however, his fortunes reversed somewhat. He had a successful trip to Venice where he met with friends and wrote several works. In 1892, he became the inspector of the music conservatories in the French provinces, which meant he no longer had to teach amateur students. In 1896, he finally became chief organist at the Église de la Madeleine, and also succeeded Jules Massenet as composition instructor at the Conservatoire de Paris. At this post he taught many important French composers, including Maurice Ravel and Nadia Boulanger.
From 1903 to 1921, Fauré was a critic for Le Figaro. In 1905, he succeeded Théodore Dubois as director of the Paris Conservatory. He made many changes at the Conservatoire, leading to the resignation of a number of faculty members. This position meant that he was better off in terms of income, and he also became much more widely known as a composer.
Fauré was elected to the Institut de France in 1909, but at the same time he broke with the old stodgy Société Nationale de Musique, and supported the rogue group which formed out of those ejected from the Société which was mainly comprised of his own students. During this time Fauré developed ear trouble and gradually lost his hearing. Sound not only became fainter, but it was also distorted, so that pitches on the low and high ends of his hearing sounded like other pitches. He made efforts to conceal his difficulty, but was eventually forced to abandon his teaching position.
His responsibilities at the Conservatoire, combined with his hearing loss, meant that Fauré's output was greatly reduced during this period. During World War I Fauré remained in France. In 1920, at the age of 75, he retired from the Conservatoire mainly due to his increasing deafness. In this year he also received the Grand-Croix of the Légion d'Honneur, an honor rare for a musician. He suffered from poor health, partially brought on by heavy smoking. Despite this, he remained available to young composers, including members of Les Six, who were devoted to him.
Gabriel Fauré died in Paris from pneumonia in 1924. He was given a state funeral at the Église de la Madeleine and is buried in the Cimetière de Passy in Paris.
Music
Overview
Gabriel Fauré is regarded as the master of the French art song, or mélodie. His works ranged from Classical, when in his early years he emulated the style of Haydn and Mendelssohn, to Romantic, and finally to an ascetic 20th century aesthetic. His work was based on a strong understanding of harmonic structures which he received at the École Niedermeyer from his harmony teacher Gustave Lefèvre, who wrote the book Traité d'harmonie (Paris, 1889). In this book he sets forth a harmonic theory which differs significantly from the classical theory of Jean-Philippe Rameau in that seventh and ninth chords are no longer considered dissonant, and the mediant can be altered without changing the mode. In addition, Fauré's understanding of the church modes can be seen in various modal passages in his works, especially in his melodies.
Notable works
Fauré was a prolific composer, and among the most noteworthy of his works are his Requiem, the opera Penelope, the orchestral suite Masques et Bergamasques (based on music for a dramatic entertainment, or divertissement comique), and music for Pelléas et Mélisande. He also wrote chamber music; his two piano quartets are particularly well known. Other chamber music includes two piano quintets, two cello sonatas, two violin sonatas, and a number of piano pieces including the Nocturnes. He is also known for his songs, such as Après un rêve, Les roses d'Ispahan, En prière, and several song cycles, including La Bonne Chanson with settings of poems by Verlaine, and L'horizon chimérique.
The Requiem, Op. 48, was not composed to the memory of a specific person but, in Fauré's words, "for the pleasure of it". It was first performed in 1888. Fauré is thought not to have had strong religious beliefs. It has been described as "a lullaby of death". In setting his requiem, he left out the Dies irae, though the reference to the day of judgment appears in the Libera me, which he added to the normal requiem mass. Several slightly different versions of the Requiem exist, and these have given rise to a number of different recordings. Personal grief may have influenced the composition as it was started after the death of his father, and before it was completed, his mother died as well. The Requiem can thus be seen as an expression of Fauré's personal tragedy written after the death of his parents. The Requiem is also acknowledged as a source of inspiration for the similar setting by Maurice Duruflé.
His music is used in "Act I: Emeralds" of George Balanchine's ballet Jewels (1967).
Cantique de Jean Racine Op. 11
Gabriel Fauré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Verbe égal au Très-Haut
Notre unique espérance
Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux
Nous rompons le silence
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux
Répands sur nous le feu de ta grâce puissante
Que tout l'enfer, que tout l'enfer fuie au son de ta voix
Dissipe le sommeil d'une âme languissante
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de tes lois
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de tes lois
Ô Christ soit favorable à ce peuple fidèle
Pour te bénir maintenant rassemblé
Reçois les chants qu'il offre à ta gloire immortelle
Et de tes dons qu'il retourne comblé
Et de tes dons qu'il retourne comblé
Et de tes dons
Qu'il retourne comblé
Notre unique espérance
Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux
Nous rompons le silence
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux
Répands sur nous le feu de ta grâce puissante
Dissipe le sommeil d'une âme languissante
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de tes lois
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de tes lois
Ô Christ soit favorable à ce peuple fidèle
Pour te bénir maintenant rassemblé
Reçois les chants qu'il offre à ta gloire immortelle
Et de tes dons qu'il retourne comblé
Et de tes dons qu'il retourne comblé
Et de tes dons
Qu'il retourne comblé
The lyrics of Gabriel Fauré's song, Cantique de Jean Racine Op. 11, are a poetic expression of devotion and hope in the divine Savior. The song begins by describing the Word as equal to the Most High God, our only hope, and the eternal day of both earth and heaven. The silence is broken as the singers implore Christ to look upon them and shower them with his grace.
The second verse is a plea for Christ to scatter the darkness of hell with his powerful grace, to awaken the souls of those who have forgotten his laws and fallen into a languishing sleep. The final verse calls upon Christ to bless his faithful people, to accept the songs they offer to his immortal glory, and to bestow upon them the gifts they seek.
The song is a beautiful and moving ode to the power of Christ's grace, and its poetic language and melodic arrangement make it an enduring classic of choral music.
Line by Line Meaning
Verbe égal au Très-Haut
Oh word equal to the Most High
Notre unique espérance
Our only hope
Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux
Eternal light of the earth and of the heavens
Nous rompons le silence
We break the silence
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux
Divine Savior, cast Your eyes upon us
Répands sur nous le feu de ta grâce puissante
Shower upon us the fire of Your powerful grace
Que tout l'enfer, que tout l'enfer fuie au son de ta voix
So that all of hell, all of hell may flee at the sound of Your voice
Dissipe le sommeil d'une âme languissante
Dispel the slumber of a listless soul
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de tes lois
Which leads it to forget Your divine laws
Ô Christ soit favorable à ce peuple fidèle
Oh Christ, be favorable to this faithful people
Pour te bénir maintenant rassemblé
Now gathered to bless You
Reçois les chants qu'il offre à ta gloire immortelle
Receive the songs it offers to Your immortal glory
Et de tes dons qu'il retourne comblé
And may it return filled with Your gifts
Et de tes dons
And of Your gifts
Qu'il retourne comblé
May it return filled
Lyrics © Sugarmusic s.p.a., MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Gabriel Faure, Jean Racine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@rocconnan1365
Lyrics .
Verbe égal au Très-Haut, notre unique espérance,
Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux,
De la paisible nuit nous rompons le silence :
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux.
Répands sur nous le feu de Ta grâce puissante ;
Que tout l'enfer fuie au son de Ta voix ;
Dissipe le sommeil d'une âme languissante
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de Tes lois !
Ô Christ ! sois favorable à ce peuple fidèle,
Pour Te bénir maintenant rassemblé ;
Reçois les chants qu'il offre à Ta gloire immortelle,
Et de Tes dons qu'il retourne comblé.
@lucaslesorcier
Fauré a composé cette oeuvre à l'âge de 19 ans. C'est également mon âge au moment ou j'écoute en boucle ce chef-d'œuvre à la gloire du très haut.
J'en suis émus et je ne cesse de remercier les anges et le ciel de toutes les grâce qui m'accompagne chaque jour de mon humble vie.
les paroles sont très fortes :
Verbe égal au très Haut
Notre unique espérance
Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux
De la paisible nuit
Nous rompons le silence
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux
Répands sur nous le feu de ta grâce puissante
Que tout l'enfer, que tout l'enfer
Fuie au son de ta voix
Dissipe le sommeil d'une âme languissante
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de tes lois
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de tes lois
Ô Christ soit favorable…
La vie est courte, tout les matins sont sans retour, et c'est à nous de sanctifier nos actes, pas à Dieu. Ayons fois en la vie, en ces jours obscure où le Coronavirus semble nous diviser... Ou peut-être nous ramener à l'essentiel ?
@Pierre.Lalsacien
Quelle interprétation magnifique sous une direction tout en finesse et sensibilité . Bravo!
Verbe égal au Très-Haut, notre unique espérance,
Jour éternel de la terre et des cieux ;
De la paisible nuit nous rompons le silence,
Divin Sauveur, jette sur nous les yeux !
Répands sur nous le feu de ta grâce puissante,
Que tout l'enfer fuie au son de ta voix ;
Dissipe le sommeil d'une âme languissante,
Qui la conduit à l'oubli de tes lois !
Ô Christ, sois favorable à ce peuple fidèle
Pour te bénir maintenant rassemblé.
Reçois les chants qu'il offre à ta gloire immortelle,
Et de tes dons qu'il retourne comblé !
@joelletacnetgirot4367
La France que j’aime, la culture , notre culture, notre fierté d’avoir un Gabriel Faurė
@jeffreyadams648
Pure luck you had him.
@richardflageul718
@@jeffreyadams648 Merccccci nous avons tous besoin, notre Gabriel était bien nommé, mais les mots !
@isidoremaxence6554
Et un Jean Racine pour les paroles si belles !...
@diegoteruel7069
Nous, les non-Français, sommes aussi fiers d'avoir un Gabriel Fauré!😅
@louisdefrance5000
La première fois que j'ai entendu le cantique j'en ai pleuré, comme si je venais de voir la Très Sainte Face de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ.
@cristinadiazabella1553
<3
@deniselaverre9135
Ce cantique de Racine m'a toujours accompagné pour les occasions difficiles..
C'est une pure merveille !!!
@bernardswaelus8417
Il est totalement...craquant. Une oeuvre complètement magique!
@t.s.t.4085
This is a beautiful, timeless song, of not so long ago.
Look to 100+ years ago to understand today:)
Things HAVE NOT changed so much.