French composer, teacher, pianist and organist, Gabriel Fauré was born  in Pamiers, Ariège on May 12, 1845 and died in Paris on November 4, 1924. Having shown an early talent for music, he studied at the Ecole de Musique Classique et Religieuse. Later, his teacher and fellow composer Camille Saint-Saëns, became one of his closest friends and staunchest musical ally. Eventually Fauré emerged as the foremost French composer of his generation, forming a bridge to the newer modes of composition represented by Claude Debussy. His innovative use of melody and harmony became a model for many other musicians. His incidental music for Maurice Maeterlinck’s play, Pelléas et Mélisande, was composed in 1898 at the invitation of Stella Campbell for an English production. Three other important composers—Claude Debussy, Jan Sibelius, and Arnold Schoenberg—also later wrote music inspired by this play. Because he had a tight deadline, Fauré asked his pupil, Charles Koechlin to help with the orchestration. When the composer extracted his four-movement suite, he added his own touches to Koechlin’s orchestration, scoring it for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, harp, and strings.

            The lure of Maeterlinck’s tragic play must have been very strong in order for four composers to write music for it. Debussy went so far as to compose an entire opera. The subject matter concerns a love triangle. Mélisande is married to Golaud, but falls in love with his brother, Pelléas. Golaud subsequently kills his brother and mortally wounds his wife, who dies only after giving birth to a child. The Suite that Fauré extracted from his original nineteen pieces of incidental music originally comprised three movements. The third movement (Sicilienne) added later, and the entire score was published in 1909.

            The first movement, Prélude (quasi adagio), comprises two themes, the second of which features a solo for cello. The second movement, Fileuse (andantino quasi allegretto), depicts Mélisande sitting at a spinning wheel. The principal theme is played by the solo oboe. The third movement, Sicilienne (allegro molto moderato)—the most familiar music from the Suite—begins with a beautiful solo for flute, accompanied by the harp. The final movement, La mort de Mélisande (molto adagio), is a tragic dirge. This music was played at the composer’s funeral.

Program Note by David B. Levy, ©2025