Pavane (Fauré)
The Pavane in F-sharp minor, Op. 50, is a composition for orchestra and optional chorus by the French composer Gabriel Fauré, written in 1887. Obtaining its rhythm from the slow processional Spanish court dance of the same name, the Pavane ebbs and flows from a series of harmonic and melodic climaxes, conjuring a cool, somewhat haunting, Belle Époque elegance. The piece is scored for only modest orchestral forces consisting of strings and one pair each of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horns. A typical performance lasts around seven minutes.
History
When Fauré began work on the Pavane, he envisaged a purely orchestral work to be played at a series of light summer concerts conducted by Jules Danbé. After Fauré opted to dedicate the work to his patron, Elisabeth, comtesse Greffulhe, he felt compelled to stage a grander affair and at her recommendation he added an invisible chorus to accompany the orchestra (with additional allowance for dancers). The choral lyrics were based on some inconsequential verses, à la Verlaine, on the romantic helplessness of man, which had been contributed by the Countess' cousin, Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac.
The orchestral version was first performed at a Concert Lamoureux under the baton of Charles Lamoureux on November 25, 1888. Three days later, the choral version was premiered at a concert of the Société Nationale de Musique. In 1891, the Countess finally helped Fauré produce the version with both dancers and chorus, in a "choreographic spectacle" designed to grace one of her garden parties in the Bois de Boulogne.
From the outset, the Pavane has enjoyed immense popularity, whether with or without chorus. It entered the standard repertoire of the Ballets Russes in 1917, where it was alternatively billed as Las Mininas or Les Jardins d'Aranjuez. Fauré's example was imitated by his juniors, who went on to write pavanes of their own: Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte and Debussy's Passepied from his Suite bergamasque.
In popular culture
The Pavane features in Il divo, a 2008 film about Giulio Andreotti. At the time of the association football World Cup in 1998 an associated recording of the Pavane performed by the Wimbledon Choral Society reached No 20 for one week in July 1998 in the UK Singles chart. Adaptations of the Pavane have featured in the 2000 song "Natural" by S Club 7; Xzibit's song "Paparazzi"; the song "Human sacrifice" by Sweetbox; Lee Ritenour's jazz album, This is Love; the 1993 adventure computer game Return to Zork; the trance track "Fauré's Pavane" by Tinnitus Project; The Jethro Tull Christmas Album; the album Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra; and Deviations Project's Pavanorama from the album Ivory Bow. In the 2010 version of the film Ice Castles, Lexi skates to Pavane at her first competition.
Lyrics
C'est Lindor, c'est Tircis et c'est tous nos vainqueurs!
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!
Et la chute plus sûre! Nous rabattrons bien leur caquets!
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!
External links
- Public domain score with parts at the IMSLP
- Free scores of this work in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
- Program notes from a concert of the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus featuring Fauré's Pavane, including French choral text with English translation
- An ASCII-based text and translation of the Pavane from The Lied and Art Songs Text Page