Fauré: 3 Romances sans paroles, Op.17

Introduction

Issued by Hamelle in 1880, the three Romances sans paroles -- a graceful nod to Mendelssohn's Lieder ohne Worte -- are Fauré's first published piano music, though they probably date from 1863, when the composer was still a student at the École Niedermeyer. Their early gestation makes them all the more remarkable as, already, they possess a unique look on the page and a distinctively fluent feel beneath the fingers. If the opening Andante quasi allegretto and final Andante moderato sound like salon fare, they are already superior salon fare and, though simple, fraught with persuasive charm and recognizably Fauréenne felicities. The central Allegro molto, on the other hand, recalls the playful airiness of Mendelssohn, as well as that composers ardent brilliance. Once known, the set proved sufficiently popular to merit an arrangement for violin or cello and piano by Jules Delsart, published by Hamelle in 1896. Nos. 1 and 2 were given their official premières at a concert of the Société Nationale de Musique, February 25, 1881, by Pauline Roger, while the third waited until an SNM concert of January 19, 1889. 

Parts/Movements

1. No. 1, in A flat major
2. No. 2, in A minor
3. No. 3, in A flat major