''Pavane pour une infante défunte'' (''
Pavane
The ''pavane'' ( ; it, pavana, ''padovana''; german: Paduana) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance).
The pavane, the earliest-known music for which was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci, ...
for a Dead Princess'') is a work for
solo piano by
Maurice Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...
, written in 1899 while the French composer was studying at the
Conservatoire de Paris
The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...
under
Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...
. Ravel published an orchestral version in 1910 using two
flutes
The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...
, an
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
A ...
, two
clarinets
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. ...
(in B), two
bassoons, two
horns Horns or The Horns may refer to:
* Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells
* The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain
* ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...
,
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...
, and
strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
.
History
Ravel described the piece as "an evocation of a
pavane
The ''pavane'' ( ; it, pavana, ''padovana''; german: Paduana) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance).
The pavane, the earliest-known music for which was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci, ...
that a little princess might, in former times, have danced at the Spanish court".
The pavane was a slow processional dance that enjoyed great popularity in the courts of Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
This antique miniature is not meant to pay tribute to any particular princess from history, but rather expresses a nostalgic enthusiasm for Spanish customs and sensibilities, which Ravel shared with many of his contemporaries (most notably
Debussy
(Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...
and
Albéniz) and which is evident in some of his other works such as the ''
Rapsodie espagnole
''Rapsodie espagnole'' is an orchestral rhapsody written by Maurice Ravel. Composed between 1907 and 1908, the ''Rapsodie'' is one of Ravel's first major works for orchestra. It was first performed in Paris in 1908 and quickly entered the intern ...
'' and the ''
Boléro
''Boléro'' is a 1928 work for large orchestra by French composer Maurice Ravel. At least one observer has called it Ravel's most famous composition. It was also one of his last completed works before illness forced him into retirement.
Co ...
''.
Ravel dedicated the ''Pavane'' to his patron, the
Princesse de Polignac
Winnaretta Singer, Princesse Edmond de Polignac (8 January 186526 November 1943) was an American-born heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune. She used this to fund a wide range of causes, notably a musical salon where her protégés includ ...
, and he probably performed the work at the princess's home on several occasions. It was first published by
Eugène Demets
Eugène Louis Demets (6 April 1858 – 25 April 1923) was one of the most prestigious music publishers in early 20th-century Paris.
Life
Demets was born in Passy, west of Paris. Originally an orchestral musician, Demets set up his music publishing ...
in 1900, but it attracted little attention until the Spanish pianist
Ricardo Viñes
Ricardo Viñes y Roda (, ca, Ricard Viñes i Roda, ; 5 February 1875 – 29 April 1943) was a Spanish pianist. He gave the premieres of works by Ravel, Debussy, Satie, Falla and Albéniz. He was the piano teacher of the composer Francis Pou ...
gave the first performance on 5 April 1902. The work soon became very popular, although Ravel came to think of it as "poor in form" and unduly influenced by the music of
Chabrier
Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier (; 18 January 184113 September 1894) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and pianist. His Bourgeoisie, bourgeois family did not approve of a musical career for him, and he studied law in Paris and then worked ...
.
[Simpson, p. 2]
![Ravel Pavane pour une infante defunte](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Ravel_Pavane_pour_une_infante_defunte.png)
Ravel intended the piece to be played extremely slowly – more slowly than almost any modern interpretation, according to his biographer
Benjamin Ivry. The critic
Émile Vuillermoz Émile-Jean-Joseph Vuillermoz (23 May 1878 – 2 March 1960) was a French critic in the areas of music, film, drama and literature. He was also a composer, but abandoned this for criticism.
Early life
Émile Vuillermoz was born in Lyon in 1878. He ...
complained that Ravel's playing of the work was "unutterably slow". However, the composer was not impressed by interpretations that plodded. After a performance by Charles Oulmont, Ravel mentioned to him that the piece was called "Pavane for a dead princess", not "dead pavane for a princess". When asked by the composer-conductor
Manoah Leide-Tedesco
Tranquillo Manoah Leide-Tedesco (August 19, 1894 – January 29, 1982) was an Italian-American composer, conductor and violinist.
Biography
Tranquillo Manoah Leide-Tedesco was born in Senigallia, Italy, but grew up in Naples. His father, Laz ...
how he arrived at the title ''Pavane pour une infante défunte'', Ravel smiled coyly and replied, "Do not be surprised, that title has nothing to do with the composition. I simply liked the sound of those words and I put them there, ''c'est tout''". But Ravel also stated that the piece depicted a pavane as it would be danced by an Infanta found in a painting by
Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...
.
When Ravel published his orchestrated version of the ''Pavane'' in 1910, he gave the lead melody to the horn, and specified a non-generic instrument: the score calls for "2 Cors simples en sol" (two
hand-horns in G).
[ The teaching of the valveless hand-horn had persisted longer in the ]Paris Conservatory
The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...
than in other European centers; only in 1903 had the valve horn replaced it as the official horn of primary instruction. The orchestral score was published in 1910. The premiere was given on 27 February 1911 in Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, England, conducted by Sir Henry Wood.[ Reviewing the concert, the critic ]Samuel Langford
Samuel Langford (1863 - 8 May 1927) was an influential English music critic of the early twentieth century.
Trained as a pianist, Langford became chief music critic of ''The Manchester Guardian'' in 1906, serving in that post until his death. ...
called the work "most beautiful" and added, "The piece is hardly representative of the composer, with whom elusive harmonies woven in rapid figuration are the usual medium of expression. In the ''Pavane'' we get normal, almost archaic harmonies, subdued expression, and a somewhat remote beauty of melody."
The first gramophone recording of the ''Pavane'' was made in 1921 in Paris.[ A later recording, made in Paris in 1932 is sometimes thought to have been conducted by the composer, but was actually conducted by ]Pedro de Freitas Branco
Pedro de Freitas Branco (1896 – 1963) was a Portuguese conductor and composer.
Life and career
Branco was born in Lisbon, and studied music with Tomás Vaz de Borba and Luís de Freitas Branco (his elder brother). He founded the Portuguese Op ...
, under the supervision of Ravel, who was present at rehearsal and the recording session.
Ravel himself made a piano roll recording of the piece in 1922. (His performance is approximately five minutes and forty seconds in length.)
Popularity
As of 2020 it is ranked 230th in the Classic FM ''Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
'' aggregated over 25 years.[Classic FM. Ultimate Hall of Fame.](_blank)
/ref>
Adaptations
In addition to numerous recorded performances within the classical repertoire, the ''Pavane'' maintains a significant presence in popular music. In particular, the song "The Lamp Is Low
"The Lamp Is Low" is a popular song of the 1930s. The music was written by Peter DeRose and Bert Shefter, adapted from Pavane pour une infante défunte, a piece by Maurice Ravel. The lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish.
Mildred Bailey made th ...
" was adapted from it.[Orenstein, p. 599] More recently, the Pavane appears in dozens of popular albums under both French and English forms of its title.
It was recorded by Pedro Aznar
Pedro Aznar (born 23 July 1959) is an Argentine musician and singer-songwriter. He has a musical experience in jazz, Argentine folk and rock music and has a successful career as a solo artist. He is well known for giving rock songs a jazz-orient ...
on his eponymous album (1982), in which he made use of synthesizers instead of acoustic instruments. Some unusual interpretations include another electronic version by William Orbit
William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...
in ''Pieces in a Modern Style
''Pieces in a Modern Style'' is the sixth album by electronic instrumentalist William Orbit. He is credited as arranger, programmer, producer, and performer of the album. It was released in 2000 by WEA and Warner Music UK in Europe and Maverick ...
'' (2000), Isao Tomita
, often known simply as Tomita, was a Japanese composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements. In addition to creating note-by-note realiz ...
(1979) and the all-female synthesizer quartet Hello, Wendy (2014). Edgar Meyer recorded a version for double bass and piano on his CD ''Work in Progress'' (1990), a solo bass guitar version by Jimmy Earl
James Christopher Earl (born 1957) is an American jazz bass guitarist who is a member of the ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' band.
Early life and education
In 1957, James Christopher Earl was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to James and Sylvia Earl. He i ...
(1995), Ali Aiman's minimalist/electronic adaptation in hi
Overture EP
(2014) and Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra (born 10 April 1987) is a New Zealand classical crossover singer and songwriter. Her first internationally released album, ''Pure'', reached number one on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million c ...
's vocal adaptation "Never Say Goodbye", which appears in her album ''Pure
Pure may refer to:
Computing
* A pure function
* A pure virtual function
* PureSystems, a family of computer systems introduced by IBM in 2012
* Pure Software, a company founded in 1991 by Reed Hastings to support the Purify tool
* Pure-FTPd, F ...
'' (2004).
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavane pour une infante defunte
1899 compositions
Compositions by Maurice Ravel
Compositions for symphony orchestra
Compositions in G major
Compositions for solo piano
Music with dedications
William Orbit songs