Ariana Seidman

Dr. Caracciolo

Private Voice Lessons

4 November 2013

Pie Jesu Composer Biography

Gabriel Fauré was born in Pamiers, France on May 12, 1845. His father was a

school headmaster, and Fauré spent a lot of time playing harmonium at the church next to

his father’s school. At age nine, Fauré enrolled at the École Niedermeyer in Paris to

study music for eleven years. After he graduated, Fauré took several positions as an

organist and teacher and worked on a few of his own compositions. In the 1880s, he

continued to teach and compose, but none of his truly memorable pieces were from this

period in his life. In the 1890s, Fauré developed a strong style that was very advanced

for his time. In 1896, he became the composition professor at the Paris Conservatoire,

and in 1905 he became the director of the Conservatory. During this time, Fauré’s

finished pieces gained popularity, but he was unable to focus in writing new

compositions. Around the 1910s, Fauré had another productive phase and wrote many

more compositions. In 1920, he retired from the Conservatory, and wrote a few last

works before his death in 1924.