Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924); FRA

Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) was born in Pamiers, France, and at the age of nine entered the École Niedermeyer in Paris, where he received an unusually broad musical education and studied with Camille Saint-Saëns, who became a lifelong friend and advocate. Fauré pursued a career as organist, choirmaster, teacher, and composer, holding posts at several Paris churches before becoming organist at the Madeleine. In 1896 he was appointed professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire, where his pupils included Maurice Ravel, George Enescu, and Nadia Boulanger; from 1905 to 1920 he served as the Conservatoire’s director and introduced significant reforms. Increasing deafness shadowed his later years, but he continued composing until shortly before his death in Paris in 1924.

Fauré developed one of the most individual harmonic languages in French music, marked by supple melody, subtle modulation, rhythmic fluidity, and an avoidance of theatrical excess. His best-known sacred composition, the Requiem, replaces apocalyptic drama with serenity and consolation, while orchestral and theatrical works such as the Pavane and Pelléas et Mélisande display his gift for luminous atmosphere. His songs, including Après un rêve and the cycle La bonne chanson, helped transform the French mélodie, and his piano nocturnes, barcarolles, chamber music, and late works such as the Piano Trio and String Quartet reveal an increasingly concentrated style. His influence on succeeding generations of French composers was profound.

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Fauré, Gabriel (Urbain) (b Pamiers, 1845; d Paris, 1924). Fr. composer and organist. Org., St Sauveur, Rennes, 1866-70, ass. org. St Sulpice, Paris, 1871-4; choirmaster from 1877 at the Madeleine, org. 1896-1905. Prof. of comp., Paris Cons. 1896, dir. 1905-20. Pupils incl. Ravel, N. Boulanger, Enescu, Schmitt, Koechlin, and Roger-Ducasse. Mus. critic, Le Figaro, 1903-21. Fauré's music was slow to gain recognition outside Fr., but he is now acknowledged as one of the greatest of Fr. composers, a master of the song-cycle, a poet of the kbd., and a profound composer of chamber mus. His delicate and elegant but by no means harmonically unadventurous style has an unsuspected strength and emotional appeal. His opera Pénélope is regarded by many as a masterpiece. His best-known work is the Requiem, comp. and rev. between 1877 and 1899, but it did not achieve general popularity until after World War II despite the earlier advocacy of Nadia Boulanger. Prin. works:

OPERAS: Prométhée, Op.82 (1900); Pénélope (1907-12); Masques et Bergamasques (divertissement) (1919).

INCIDENTAL MUSIC: Caligula (Dumas), Op.52 (5 movts.) (1888); Shylock (Haraucourt after Shakespeare), Op.57 (6 movts.) (1889); Pelléas et Mélisande (Maeterlinck), Op.80 (1898); Le Voile du bonheur (Clémenceau), Op.88 (1901).

ORCH.: vn. conc., Op.14 (1878-9, unfinished); Ballade, pf. and orch., Op.19 (1881); Pavane (with optional ch.), Op.50 (1887); suite, Shylock, Op.57 (1889); suite, Pelléas et Mélisande, Op.80 (4 items) (1901); Fantaisie in G major, pf., orch., Op.111 (1919); suite, Masques et Bergamasques, Op.112 (4 items) (1919); suite Dolly, Op.56 (orch. Rabaud, 1906).

CHAMBER MUSIC: sonata for pf. and vn.: No.1 in A, Op.13 (1875-6), No.2 in E minor, Op.108 (1916-17); pf. qt.: No.1 in C minor, Op.15 (1876-9), No.2 in G minor, Op.45 (1885-6); pf. quintet: No.1 in D minor, Op.89 (1890-4, 1903-5); No.2 in C minor, Op.115 (1919-21); sonata: No.1 in D minor for pf. and vc., Op.109 (1917), No.2 in G minor, Op.117 (1921); pf. trio in D minor, Op.120 (1922-3); str. qt. in E minor, Op.121 (1923-4); Berceuse, pf., vn., Op.16 (1878-9) (also for vn. or vc. and orch.); Élégie, pf., vc., Op.24 (1880) (also with orch. 1895); Romance, vn., pf., Op.28 (1877); Romance in A, vc., pf., Op.69 (1894); Andante, pf., vn., Op.75 (1897); Papillon, vc., pf., Op.77 (1884) (also for str. quintet or vn. and pf.); Sicilienne, vc., pf., Op.78 (1898); Fantaisie, fl., pf., Op.79 (1898) (orch. Aubert 1957); Sérénade, vc., pf., Op.98 (1908).

CHORAL: Cantique de Jean Racine, Op.11 (1865); La Naissance de Vénus, Op.29 (1882); O Salutaris: Maria, Mater Gratiae, Op.47, Nos. 1 and 2 (1887); Requiem, Op.48, sop., bar. soloists, ch., org., orch. (1877, 1887-90, orch. 1899); Ecce fidelis servus, Op.54, motet (1890); Tantum ergo, Op.55 (1890); Salve Regina; Ave Maria, Op.67, Nos. 1 and 2 (1894-5).

SONGS & SONG-CYCLES (v. and pf.): Sylvie, Aprés un rêve, Hymne, Barcarolle, Op.7, Nos.1-4 (No.2 orch. Busser 1925) (1870-8); Nell, Le Voyageur, Automne, Op.18, Nos.1-3 (No.3 orch. Busser 1925) (1878); Les Berceaux, Notre Amour, Le Secret, Op.23, Nos.1-3 (No.2 orch. Busser 1925) (1879); 2 Mélodies, Op.27 (1882); Aurore, Fleur jetée, Les pays des rêves, Les Roses d'Ispahan, Op.39, Nos.1-4 (1884); Les Présents, Clair de Lune, Op.46, Nos.1-2 (1887); Larmes, Au cimitière, Spleen, La Rose, Op.51, Nos.1-4 (1888); 5 Mélodies (Verlaine), Op.58 (1891) (sometimes known as 5 Chansons de Venise) (Mandoline, En sourdine, Green, À Clymène, C'est l'extase); La Bonne Chanson (Verlaine cycle), Op.61, Nos.1-9 (1892-4); Prison, Soir, Op.83, Nos.1-2 (1894); Le Parfum impérissable, Arpège, Op.76, Nos.1-2 (No.1 orch. Busser 1924) (1897); 3 Mélodies, Op.85 (1902); Le Plus Doux Chemin, Le Ramier, Op.87, Nos.1-2 (1904); Le Don silencieux, Op.92 (1906); Chanson, Op.94 (1906); Vocalise (1906); La Chanson d'Ève (Lerberghe cycle), Op.95, Nos.1-10 (1906-10); Le Jardin clos (Lerberghe cycle), Op.106, Nos.1-8 (1914); Mirages (Brimont cycle), Op.113, Nos.1-4 (1919); C'est la Paix! Op.114 (1919); L'Horizon chimérique (Mirmont cycle), Op.118, Nos.1-4 (1921).

PIANO: 3 Romances sans paroles, Op.17 (1863); Ballade, Op.19 (1879); Impromptus: No.1 in Eb, Op.25 (1881), No.2 in F minor, Op.31 (1883), No.3 in Ab, Op.34 (1883), No.4 in Db, Op.91 (1905), No.5 in F# minor, Op.102 (1909), No.6, Op.86 bis (see Harp); Nocturnes: 3 Nocturnes, Op.33, No.1 in Eb minor (1875), No.2 in B major (1881), No.3 in Ab (1883); No.4 in Eb, Op.36 (1884), No.5 in Bb, Op.37 (1884), No.6 in Db, Op.63 (1894), No.7 in C# minor, Op.74 (1898), No.8 in Db (8th of Pièces brèves, Op.84 (1898-1902)), No.9 in B minor, Op.97 (1908), No.10 in E minor, Op.99 (1908), No.11 in F# minor, Op.104, No.1 (1913), No.12 in E minor, Op.107 (1915), No.13 in B minor, Op.119 (1921); Barcarolles: No.1 in A minor, Op.26 (1881), No.2 in G major, Op.41 (1885), No.3 in Gb, Op.42 (1885), No.4 in Ab, Op.44 (1886), No.5 in F# minor, Op.66 (1894), No.6 in Eb, Op.70 (1895), No.7 in D minor, Op.90 (1905), No.8 in Db, Op.96 (1906), No.9 in A minor, Op.101 (1908-9), No.10 in A minor, Op.104, No.2 (1913), No.11 in G minor and No.12 in Eb, Op.105, Nos. 1 and 2 (1913-15), No.13 in C major, Op.116 (1921); Valses-Caprices: No.1 in A, Op.30 (1882), No.2 in Db, Op.38 (1884), No.3 in Gb, Op.59 (1887-93), No.4 in Ab, Op.62 (1893-4); Mazurka in Bb, Op.32 (1875); Thème et variations, Op.73 (1895) (orch. Inghelbrecht 1955); 8 Pièces brèves, Op.84 (1869-1902); 9 Préludes, Op.103 (1909-10).

PIANO DUET (4 hands): Dolly, Op.56 (1893-6) (orch. Rabaud 1906); Souvenirs de Bayreuth (with Messager) (c.1888; pubd. 1930).

HARP: Impromptu, Op.86 (1904) (rearr. for pf. as Impromptu No.6, Op.86 bis (1913)); Une Châtelaine en sa tour, Op.110 (1918) (arr. Durand for pf.).

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