"Pavane pour une infante défunte" ("Pavane for a Dead Princess") is a piano piece composed by Maurice Ravel in 1899. At that time, Ravel was studying at the Conservatoire de Paris under Gabriel Fauré. In 1910, Ravel published an orchestral version of the piece, which includes two flutes, an oboe, two clarinets (in B ♭ ), two bassoons, two horns, a harp, and string instruments. The Pavane lasts between six and seven minutes and is widely regarded as a masterpiece.

History

Ravel described the piece as "an evocation of a pavane that a little princess [Infanta] might, in former times, have danced at the Spanish court." A pavane was a slow processional dance that was very popular in European courts during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

This small artwork is not meant to honor a specific historical princess, but instead reflects a longing for Spanish traditions and culture, which Ravel shared with many of his contemporaries, such as Debussy and Albéniz. These traditions are also seen in other works by Ravel, including Rapsodie espagnole and Boléro.

Ravel dedicated the Pavane to his patron, the Princesse de Polignac, and likely performed it at her home several times. The piece was first published by Eugène Demets in 1900 but received little attention until Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes performed it on April 5, 1902. After this performance, the work became widely popular, though Ravel later considered it "poor in form" and overly influenced by the music of Chabrier.

In early 1912, Ravel reviewed another pianist’s performance of the piece and noted, "By an ironic coincidence, the first work about which I am called to report happens to be my own Pavane pour une Infante défunte. I do not feel in the least embarrassed to talk about it; it is sufficiently old to let the composer give it up to the critic. From so far, I do not see its merits any more; but, alas! I can see its defects very well: the influence of Chabrier, which is too obvious, and the rather poor form. In my belief, the remarkable interpretation contributed much toward the success of this timorous, incomplete work."

Ravel intended the piece to be played extremely slowly—more slowly than most modern interpretations, according to his biographer Benjamin Ivry. A critic named Émile Vuillermoz criticized Ravel’s own performance as "unutterably slow." However, Ravel disliked interpretations that were too slow. After a performance by Charles Oulmont, Ravel reminded him that the title, Pavane for a Dead Princess, did not mean "Dead Pavane for a Princess." When asked about the title, Ravel smiled and said, "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." Ravel also stated that the piece depicted a pavane as it would be danced by an Infanta shown in a painting by Diego Velázquez.

When Ravel published the orchestrated version of the Pavane in 1910, he assigned the lead melody to the horn, specifying "2 Cors simples en sol" (two hand-horns in G). The valveless hand-horn was still taught at the Paris Conservatory longer than in other European centers; it was replaced by the valve horn in 1903. The orchestral score was published in 1910, and the premiere took place on February 27, 1911, in Manchester, England, conducted by Sir Henry Wood. A critic named Samuel Langford called the work "most beautiful" but noted that it was unlike Ravel’s usual style, which often used complex harmonies and fast musical patterns.

The first gramophone recording of the Pavane was made in 1921 in Paris. A later recording from 1932, also in Paris, was sometimes thought to be conducted by Ravel, but it was actually conducted by Pedro de Freitas Branco under Ravel’s supervision. Ravel himself made a piano roll recording of the piece in 1922.

Adaptations

The Pavane is found in both classical music and popular music. The song "The Lamp Is Low" was created based on the Pavane. Recently, the Pavane has appeared on many popular music albums, with titles in both French and English.

Pedro Aznar recorded the Pavane on his album named after him in 1982. He used synthesizers instead of traditional instruments. Other unique versions include an electronic recording by William Orbit on Pieces in a Modern Style (2000), a version by Isao Tomita (1979), and a recording by the group Hello, Wendy, which consists of four female musicians who play synthesizers (2014). Edgar Meyer recorded the Pavane for double bass and piano on his album Work in Progress (1990). Jimmy Earl made a version for solo bass guitar in 1995. Hayley Westenra sang a vocal version called "Never Say Goodbye," which is on her album Pure (2004).