Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel
Fauré was a French composer and teacher,
who lived from 1845 - 1924, bridging the turn into the 20th century. His music represents a transition from
romanticism to modern 20th century music. He made free use of dissonance, but never
abandoned tonality.
He was a pupil of Saint-Saens,
and his career started as an organist at the church of St Sulpice in Paris.
Later on he was appointed organist at the Madeleine Church in Paris. For most of
his life he could only compose in his limited spare time, as he was busy earning
his living as a teacher and organist and choir-master. Much of his music
is on a small scale, mainly chamber works, songs, and piano works. One of the
most loved of his piano compositions is the Dolly Suite, and the lullaby or Berceuse
from this is available for listening here.
Around
1895 he became a professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire, where
Ravel
became one of his pupils. Here he wrote some longer works, including Masques et
Bergamasques, which he wrote in an 18th century style as an orchestral suite.