Product Description
Gabriel Fauré's Romance in B-flat major, Op. 28, is a piece for violin and piano composed in 1877. Fauré began writing this work during a three-week visit to Cauterets in the Pyrenees, inspired by the mountainous landscape. The composition was born out of boredom during his stay, which Pauline Viardot arranged to give her daughter Marianne, Fauré's reluctant fiancée, time to consider their engagement.
The Romance is structured in A-B-A form:
The outer sections feature a flowing, calm melody.
The central section presents a more dramatic, angular theme for the violin.
A cadenza-like passage transitions back to the serene opening theme.
When Fauré first played the piece with Paul Viardot, Pauline Viardot's son, it took three attempts before the Viardot family warmed up to it. This prompted Fauré to remark, "What a pity one cannot always begin with the third hearing".
The work is marked "Andantino molto moderato" and includes a "Piu mosso" section before returning to the initial tempo. It was published around 1883 and dedicated to Mademoiselle Arma Senkrah (born Arma Harkness).
The Romance, Op. 28, has been recorded by numerous violinists and is a staple of the Romantic violin repertoire. It showcases Fauré's gift for lyrical melody and subtle harmonic coloring, characteristic of his chamber music output.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.