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Minnesota Music Listening Contest
MLC Home | Guide | Past Guides | 2005-06 | Excerpt Faure
Gabriel Faure
Pie Jesu from Requiem, op. 48
Name: Gabriel Faure
Pronunciation: GAH-breel foe-HRAY
Dates: 1845-1924
Nationality: French
Testable Title: Pie Jesu
Date Composed: 1888
Genre: Soprano Solo
Instrumentation: Soprano voice, orchestra with organ
Compare with: Verdi, Purcell, Haydn, Boulanger
Gabriel Faure
Gabriel Faure is celebrated as master of French song and chamber music. He was born in Pamiers,
France. He studied organ and choral conducting at the Ecole Neidermeyer (the Niedermeyer School)
between 1854 and 1865. He spent much of his early career working as a church musician and was
influenced by the music of Camille Saint-Saens.
He was fascinated by the works of Wagner and Franz Liszt, but took his own distinctive approach to
composition, especially in his piano accompanied songs. In 1896 he became the chief organist at
Madeleine and professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire. Among his students were Maurice
Ravel and Nadia Boulanger. He eventually became the director of the Conservatoire between 1905-
1920.
Faure wrote relatively few large-scale works, of which the Requiem is one, and is chiefly remembered for
his piano nocturnes and song cycles. His musical trademark includes delicate use of extended tonality,
key modulation and beautiful unfolding melodies. All of which he puts to use in this listening example.
Requiem
A Requiem Mass is a special type of Mass which is sung to celebrate the death of an individual. It gets
its name from the first line of text, Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine (Grant them eternal rest, O Lord).
Many composers have set music to the Requiem, the most famous by Mozart, Verdi, Berlioz, and recently
Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The Requiem Mass retains the Kyrie, Sanctus and Agnus Dei from the Mass Ordinary but omits the
Gloria and Credo. In their place are settings the Mass Proper, that is, texts appropriate for this particular
ceremony. These include the Requiem (as mentioned above), the Dies Irae (Day of Wrath), the Domine
Jesu (Lord Jesus) and Lux Aeterna (Light Eternal). Because of the length of each of these texts,
composers often break them down into individual musical movements.
Faure’s Pie Jesu is one such example. It is a setting of the last lines of the Dies Irae[1]
Latin English
Pie Jesu Domine Merciful Jesus, Lord
Dona eis requiem, Grant them rest,
sempiternam requiem. eternal rest.
With its elegant melody and sparse orchestration, Faure provides us with a valuable lesson on how to
construct a simple yet beautifully passionate and cohesive work using only a few simple motives. A motif
is the smallest unit of musical material which is used to construct a phrase. Phrases are then combined to
construct themes or melodies.
Notice the first three measures are made up of three unique motives, labeled x, y, and z.
The x motif (sung on the words Pie Jesu) takes up the first measure. It signals the start of the two measure
phrase as well as the whole melody (labeled A). The z motif (sung on the words Dona) is made up of 1/8th
notes and begins the second and third phrases.
The y motif is more or less a rhythmic motif consisting of a dotted quarter note, an 1/8th note and a half
note. That rhythm is used to close each phrase. Try tapping out the rhythm and then see if you can count
the number of times Faure uses it when you listen. You will note that it is used every time (with only one
exception) the word requiem (rest) is sung. The notable exception is in the very last measure when Faure
gives it a steady rising line back to the tonic.
min:sec Theme or motif Event Instrumentation
0:00 1 measure Intro Organ
0:04 A Theme 1 Organ & Voice
0:34 z Orchestral interlude using z motif Orchestra enters
0:48 A’ slight variation of Theme 1 Organ & Voice
1:17 z Orchestral interlude using z motif Orchestra enters
1:27 B Theme 2
1:53 C “Theme 3” the vocal line sings only of the
y motif on sempiternam requiem
while the orchestra place the z motif
2:13 A’’ re-setting of text to first theme Tutti
2:42 C’ slight variation of Theme 3
His seamless orchestration of strings, harp and the “flutey” ranks of the organ emote subtle nuances to the
melody and text.
For extra fun, find a piece of music you really like. It can be a pop song, hip-hop piece heavy metal,
whatever you want. Try to identify repeating motifs and make note of them. Then try to see how the
songwriter composed the music. Use the method I just demonstrated as a template for your analysis.
[1] Faure omitted the entire Dies Irae (except for the Pie Jesu) from his Requiem and therefore it does not
conform to the liturgical requirements of the Catholic Church.
