Unfortunately due to Faure’s soft nature, much of his music remains untouched. Known primarily for his songs, Faure’s music has an elegant heir to it, very much like Mendelssohn’s ‘Songs Without Words’. Due to this lounge style music, it is difficult to hear much for this repertoire on the concert stage. The setting for this music should definitely be kept in the lounge, with a glass of Sangria.
Faure’s most important works are his Noctunres and Barcarolles. Nocturne 13 was written as a response to the death of his mentor Saint-Saëns. The beauty of his Nocturnes is that they maintain a singular mood from beginning to end. No 13 bears that characteristic which is prompted by the continual flow of the accompaniment.
The 5th Bacarolle unlike the Nocturne is a bit more difficult to comprehend. Faure leads his listener through unsuspecting harmonies through the use of sporadic accidentals, creating a sense of uncertainty yet, beauty. The colors he creates in this piece through consistent modulation are uniquely French and uniquely Faure.
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