"Pavane pour une infante défunte" by Maurice Ravel is a graceful and melancholic piano piece that evokes a sense of nostalgia and reflection. The title translates to "Pavane for a Dead Princess." Despite the somber title, the music carries a delicate and poignant beauty rather than a sense of mourning.
The piece is structured as a pavane, a slow, stately dance popular in the Renaissance period. Ravel's composition is characterized by its rich harmonies, lush melodies, and intricate textures. It unfolds with a sense of timelessness, inviting the listener into a dreamlike atmosphere filled with longing and wistfulness.
While the exact inspiration behind the composition remains unclear, Ravel himself described it as an evocation of the past, conjuring images of a bygone era. The music is imbued with a sense of elegance and grace, capturing the essence of a lost moment in time. Overall, "Pavane pour une infante défunte" is a poignant meditation on memory, beauty, and the passage of time.
Letter notes
(G° B) D° (B G) D° (B C) (A° E°) (F°# B E) E°
(D° F# F#) B (E° F# B) (F°# B) (F°# G E) (E° B) (E° G D) B
(B° C°) E° (C° E) E° (C° A) (C°° E°) (A° C° G) (G° E°)
(F°# C° D) D° (G° C°) (A° D°) (B G) (B° D°) (G° B F#) (F°# D°)
(E° B C) C° (F°# B) (G° C°) (A F#) A° (G° A E) (E° C°)
(F°# F# B) B D° B F# (A° E° C°) (F°# B D G) (E° C° F# A)
(F°# G E) B (B° E) B B F° C°°# (B D#) D E° G° B° F° F°#
(B° A) E° (G° B) E° C° (A° E° A) (F° G° D°) E° (B° E° B)
(B° B C° A) E° (A° F#) E° (G° B C°) E° (A° A) E°
(E° G E) B E B E (D° C° D) B (D° C° F#)
(E° B E E) (B B) (D° D) (E° E)
(E B E) G# D° F°# (E° C° F# A) B A
B F# B D° F°# (B F#) (D° B) (F°# D°) (B° F°#
(F° B G# D#) (G°# B E) (G# D#) (B E)
(F° G# D# A#) (A° A E A) (G# D#) (A E)
(G# D#) (A E) (F° G# D# A#) (G°# B E C#)
(F° B G# D#) (A° A E) (F° B G# D#) (B° G# E)
(F° G° E° B) E° (E° G°) (C°°# G° E°) (G° E°)
(G° E°) (G° E°) (B° G° B) (B° G° E°)
(F° C° G# B) (E° C°# A) (C° G#) (C°# A)
(F° C° G# D#) (F°# C°# A F#) (C° G#)
(C°# A) (C° G#) (C°# A) (F° G° G#) (E° G#)
(F° C° G# D#) (F°# C°# A F#) (F° C° G# D#)
(G°# C°# A E) (E° C° G# D#) (C°# A D#) (E° G#) A
(E° C° G# D#) (B A D#) (E° G#) A
(F°# D° B) (F°# D°) (F°# D°) (F°# D°)
(A° D° C°# F# A) (D° C°#) (B° F°# D°)
(F°# D°) (F°# D° A) (A° D° C°#)
(B° F°# C°# B) (C°°# F°# D° A)
(D B E) G D° F°# (E A) G B E° (D° A F# D)
(E° B G E A) (F°# G D B E)
A E G B E° A F# A D°
(F°# D° A B) (D° A) (G° D° B G) (D° B)
(D° B) (F°# D° A) (G° D° B G) (A° D° B F#)
Number notation
(5° 7) 2° (7 5) 2° (7 1) (6° 3°) (4°# 7 3) 3°
(2° 4# 4#) 7 (3° 4# 7) (4°# 7) (4°# 5 3) (3° 7) (3° 5 2) 7
(7° 1°) 3° (1° 3) 3° (1° 6) (1°° 3°) (6° 1° 5) (5° 3°)
(4°# 1° 2) 2° (5° 1°) (6° 2°) (7 5) (7° 2°) (5° 7 4#) (4°# 2°)
(3° 7 1) 1° (4°# 7) (5° 1°) (6 4#) 6° (5° 6 3) (3° 1°)
(4°# 4# 7) 7 2° 7 4# (6° 3° 1°) (4°# 7 2 5) (3° 1° 4# 6)
(4°# 5 3) 7 (7° 3) 7 7 4° 1°°# (7 2#) 2 3° 5° 7° 4° 4°#
(7° 6) 3° (5° 7) 3° 1° (6° 3° 6) (4° 5° 2°) 3° (7° 3° 7)
(7° 7 1° 6) 3° (6° 4#) 3° (5° 7 1°) 3° (6° 6) 3°
(3° 5 3) 7 3 7 3 (2° 1° 2) 7 (2° 1° 4#)
(3° 7 3 3) (7 7) (2° 2) (3° 3)
(3 7 3) 5# 2° 4°# (3° 1° 4# 6) 7 6
7 4# 7 2° 4°# (7 4#) (2° 7) (4°# 2°) (7° 4°#
(4° 7 5# 2#) (5°# 7 3) (5# 2#) (7 3)
(4° 5# 2# 6#) (6° 6 3 6) (5# 2#) (6 3)
(5# 2#) (6 3) (4° 5# 2# 6#) (5°# 7 3 1#)
(4° 7 5# 2#) (6° 6 3) (4° 7 5# 2#) (7° 5# 3)
(4° 5° 3° 7) 3° (3° 5°) (1°°# 5° 3°) (5° 3°)
(5° 3°) (5° 3°) (7° 5° 7) (7° 5° 3°)
(4° 1° 5# 7) (3° 1°# 6) (1° 5#) (1°# 6)
(4° 1° 5# 2#) (4°# 1°# 6 4#) (1° 5#)
(1°# 6) (1° 5#) (1°# 6) (4° 5° 5#) (3° 5#)
(4° 1° 5# 2#) (4°# 1°# 6 4#) (4° 1° 5# 2#)
(5°# 1°# 6 3) (3° 1° 5# 2#) (1°# 6 2#) (3° 5#) 6
(3° 1° 5# 2#) (7 6 2#) (3° 5#) 6
(4°# 2° 7) (4°# 2°) (4°# 2°) (4°# 2°)
(6° 2° 1°# 4# 6) (2° 1°#) (7° 4°# 2°)
(4°# 2°) (4°# 2° 6) (6° 2° 1°#)
(7° 4°# 1°# 7) (1°°# 4°# 2° 6)
(2 7 3) 5 2° 4°# (3 6) 5 7 3° (2° 6 4# 2)
(3° 7 5 3 6) (4°# 5 2 7 3)
6 3 5 7 3° 6 4# 6 2°
(4°# 2° 6 7) (2° 6) (5° 2° 7 5) (2° 7)
(2° 7) (4°# 2° 6) (5° 2° 7 5) (6° 2° 7 4#)
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