Pavane for a Dead Princess, M. 19
Maurice Ravel
Work background
Researched classical background
Ravel's pavane imagines an old courtly dance through a restrained modern piano texture. The title does not commemorate a particular dead princess; Ravel associated it with the kind of dance a young princess might have performed long ago. His later orchestration redistributes the melody among carefully chosen instrumental colors while retaining the measured movement of the piano original.
Inspiration and creative background
Ravel explained the title as an evocation of an old pavane that a princess might once have danced, not a memorial to an identified person.
Pavane for a Dead Princess - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
A listening guide
Compare the opening melody on piano with its horn-led orchestral version, keeping the dance pulse in mind.
Listening suggestions are editorial guides to the music.
Forces: Solo piano originally; orchestration by the composer
Composition: 1899 (piano original); orchestrated 1910
The original and the composer's orchestration have separate dates.
This entry describes the musical work or cycle. Composition, premiere and publication dates describe different events. Performers and recordings can be explored through the external listening search.
Also known as: Pavane pour une infante defunte
Pavane for a Dead Princess - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
Sources for this work
Pavane for a Dead Princess - LA Phil
Work identity, chronology where stated, and the specific musical or historical context summarized in this entry. | Reviewed 2026-10-19
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