Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924); FRA

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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