Fantaisie sur une Pavane

A Pavane is a slow stately dance form spanning the Elizabethan to early Baroque eras. It was thought to originate in Italy (one translation of pavane is dance of Padua from the Italian “Padovano”). Other origins include the Spanish court where the term pavane relates to the Spanish word “pavón” meaning “peacock”. While the pavane was current as a dance form from the 1500s through middle 1600s it gradually died out to be replaced by the Galliard in Baroque times.

The Fantasy (French “Fantaisie”) form is one of the most commonly used forms by composers of classical music. Themes can be original or “borrowed” from another composer’s work. One to many subsequent themes are then used to expand on the theme with changes of rhythm, harmonies, keys or contrapuntal elements. For a larger discussion of this form see Wikipedia entry: Pavane

In the Impressionist era a couple of famous “Pavanes” were composed by Gabriel Faure (Pavane for Chorus and Orchestra) and Maurice Ravel (Pavane pourune Infante défunte) among others. According to one tale recounted in the Wikipedia entry under Pavane when Ravel was asked why he called the piece “Pavane” he apparently replied “Do not be surprised, that title has nothing to do with the composition. I simply liked the sound of those words and I put them there, c'est tout”.