Fauré, Gabriel (1845, 1924)

Gabriel Faurè (1845-1924) was a pupil of Camille Saint-Saens at the Louis Niedermeyer School. He played the organ in various Parisian churches for many years and eventually became chief organist and choirmaster at La Madeleine. In 1897 he became a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire, where his pupils included Boulanger, Ravel and Enescu. He was appointed director of the Conservatoire in 1905 and introduced a number of necessary reforms.



Fauré retired in 1920, after which he was able to devote himself more fully to composition, notably two final chamber works, a piano trio and a string quartet. The most outstanding characteristics of his music are elegance and reserve. Faurè wrote several widely acclaimed songs capturing the spirit of his time, the mood of nostalgic yearning for the unattainable.