Pavane op. 50

The music of small forms was to become the focus of the French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924). In 1874, after many years spent in the 'provinces', the teacher of Camille Saint-Saëns 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 Fauré 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 Fauré. The romantic, slightly melancholic melody is a catchy tune which, thanks to the present arrangement, can now also be performed by a string quartet.