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).
Pavanne
Gabriel Fauré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
C'est Myrtille, c'est Lydé! Les reines de nos coeurs!
Comme ils sont provocants! Comme ils sont fiers toujours!
Comme on ose régner sur nos sorts et nos jours!
Faites attention! Observez la mesure!
Ô la mortelle injure! La cadence est moins lente!
Nous serons bientôt leurs laquais!
Qu'ils sont laids! Chers minois!
Qu'ils sont fols! (Airs coquets!)
Et c'est toujours de même, et c'est ainsi toujours!
On s'adore! On se hait! On maudit ses amours!
Adieu Myrtille, Eglé, Chloé, démons moqueurs!
Adieu donc et bons jours aux tyrans de nos coeurs!
Et bons jours!
The lyrics from the first stanza of Gabriel Fauré's song Pavanne describe the feelings of a group of people towards their lovers or conquerors. The names Lindor, Tircis, Myrtille, and Lydé are mentioned, and they represent those who have won the hearts of the group. The words used to describe them, such as "provocants" or provocative, and "fiers" or proud, are indicative of their demeanor and the effect they have on others. The group laments how these conquerors reign over their fate and their days.
The next stanza urges caution and precision in observing the rhythm of the music. The phrase "la cadence est moins lente" or the cadence is less slow suggests a change of tempo, which may reflect a shift in mood or action. The group then promises to put these conquerors in their place, "nous rabattrons bien leur caquets," and become their servants, "nous serons bientôt leurs laquais." The tone of this stanza is assertive and confident, signaling a departure from the submissive attitude in the first stanza. The last few lines repeat the earlier sentiments of love, hate, and curse, bidding farewell to the demons moqueurs or mocking demons and wishing good day to the tyrants of their hearts.
The lyrics of Pavanne may allude to the complex and often tumultuous nature of romantic relationships. The shift in tone from surrender to defiance may reflect the fluctuating emotions and power dynamics that result from intense feelings of attraction or love. The names of the characters mentioned may also hold symbolic significance or reference classical literature. Overall, the lyrics present a rich tapestry of interwoven themes of love, power, and identity.
Line by Line Meaning
C'est Lindor, c'est Tircis et c'est tous nos vainqueurs!
These are our conquerors, Lindor, Tircis and all the rest!
C'est Myrtille, c'est Lydé! Les reines de nos coeurs!
These are the queens of our hearts, Myrtille and Lydé!
Comme ils sont provocants! Comme ils sont fiers toujours!
How they provoke us, how they are always proud!
Comme on ose régner sur nos sorts et nos jours!
How dare they rule over our fates and days!
Faites attention! Observez la mesure!
Pay attention! Keep to the rhythm!
Ô la mortelle injure! La cadence est moins lente!
Oh, the deadly insult! The rhythm is less slow!
Et la chute plus sûre! Nous rabattrons bien leur caquets!
And the fall more certain! We'll bring down their boasting!
Nous serons bientôt leurs laquais! Qu'ils sont laids! Chers minois!
We'll soon be their lackeys! How ugly they are, with their dear faces!
Qu'ils sont fols! (Airs coquets!)
How foolish they are! (With their coquettish airs!)
Et c'est toujours de même, et c'est ainsi toujours!
It's always the same, it's always like this!
On s'adore! On se hait! On maudit ses amours!
We adore each other! We hate each other! We curse our loves!
Adieu Myrtille, Eglé, Chloé, démons moqueurs! Adieu donc et bons jours aux tyrans de nos coeurs!
Farewell Myrtille, Eglé, Chloé, mocking demons! Farewell and good luck to the tyrants of our hearts! And good luck!
Writer(s): Gabriel Faure, Danny Wright
Contributed by Camden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lutek3131
I'm an older gentleman. I listen to this nostalgic, beautiful music, remembering my wonderful childhood among fields, forests, meadows and lakes. I close my eyes and see it all. The smell of forests, fields, lakes with crystal clear waters. It's all gone. Just as we're gone. How wonderful it is to listen to such beautiful music with your eyes closed. Greetings from Poland.
@user-wj6ud8jf1q
I am 84 and I join you from Canada
@everready800
This life pales in comparison to the next imo!
@pelmfbpndd7065
greetings from germany
ps "according "certain so-called stats have so-called bundes republic germany 80% forrrest and agri exports and 10% forrest and agri imports(great parts soy concentrate feed for meat) at 2016 counted , ...,
@pelmfbpndd7065
europa the land of the forrest/s, rivers, streams, meadows, mountains, springs, lakes, valleys "etc, ...,
@nealward9646
I am a 69 year old black American and have been listening to classical music since I was a child. Mostly learned to enjoy on my own all alone. Sad thing is even now I have few friends to sit and enjoy it with. The few I do share with though it is such a joy. The Faure pavane # 50 is one of my absolute favorites.
@tavana123
+Neal Ward You are blessed.
@blank4227
Keep listening, and be sure to spread the music around to your family and friends, maybe even kids!
@1Bottleneck
+Neal Ward I understand what you experiece.
Embrace this music in its purest form and enjoy the moments of plesaure when you can share it with your relatives.
@vista1417
... Certain classical music pieces are best listened in private - it brings out the private memories no one could possibly share ... I am not sure it is sad but these are ideal for formatting the soul for a middle aged or older men after a tiring week ...Faure's Pavane is certainly very good for therapeutic purposes especially with Claude Monet ...