Pavane pour une infante defunte (Pavane For Dead Princess)

Originally written in 1899 by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) for solo piano, and later orchestrated by the composer, Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess) remains one of the enduringly popular of Ravel’s works, though the title can be a curiousity for many. Ravel said of the work, “Do not attach any importance to the title. I chose it only for its euphonious qualities. Do not dramatize it. It is not a funeral lament for a dead child, but rather an evocation of the pavane [a stately, 16th-century Spanish court dance] which could have been danced by such a little princess as painted by Velázquez.” This version for horn and piano has been transcribed by Alfred Piguet.