Pavane op. 50

The music of small forms was what the French composer Gabriel Faur (18451924) focused on. In 1874, after many years spent in the 'provinces', the teacher of Camille Saint-Sans took the position of organist in Paris; later he not only worked as a church musician but also as a teacher. In the summer of 1887 Faur wrote his Pavane Op. 50, originally intended for a concert providing light entertainment, which soon gained wide popularity as an orchestral setting with and without the chorus added by Faur. The romantic, slightly melancholy melody is a catchy tune which, thanks to the present arrangement, can now also be performed soloistically with piano accompaniment.