A Look Inside “Pavane for a Dead Princess”

Way back when I first started this blog, I was learning a piano solo called Pavane for a Dead Princess (or Pavane pour une infante défunte) by French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). I wrote a blog post discussing the history of the work, and before you read this post you should check that out:

A Dance for a Princess

Since then, I have recorded and posted on YouTube my interpretation of the piano solo (where you can follow along with the sheet music):

So in today’s blog post, I want to dive a little deeper. What makes Pavane for a Dead Princess so beautiful? What about Ravel’s harmonies, melodies, and rhythms make this work stand out? Let’s take a closer look.

Musical Analysis of Pavane for a Dead Princess

The work follows a rondo form: a musical form where the main theme, commonly called theme A, is alternated with contrasting material (usually labeled as themes B and C and so on). Ravel wrote Pavane for a Dead Princess in the form ABACA, so I’m going to break down each section for you.

But in order to fully understand the meaning of the work, let’s talk about the pavane for a minute. The pavane was a stately Renaissance dance used to open ceremonial balls put on by the aristocrats. The processional nature of the music allowed the dancers to show off their elegant ball gowns. Here’s how it worked:

The pavane’s basic movement, to music in ²/₂ or ⁴/₄ time, consisted of forward and backward steps; the dancers rose onto the balls of their feet and swayed from side to side. A column of couples circled the ballroom, and the dancers occasionally sang. By about 1600, livelier steps like the fleuret (a brief lift of each foot before a step) made the dance less pompous.

From the Pavane article on the Encyclopedia Britannica

Overall Pavane for a Dead Princess is quiet and slow. The opening tempo is marked at 80 bmp, although there is an occasional measure of largo (super slow) and some sudden dynamic changes.

A Theme

The first rendition of the A theme begins with a beautiful melody over stately chords, painting the picture of the majestic pavane dance.

The overall tone of the section is lush and full. Set in G major, 7th chords and dissonance between the melody and harmony fill theme A with nostalgia and grace. Simple steps create the melody, which adds to the sense of dignity. (Large intervallic jumps often represent discord and instability.) For the most part, the phrases in theme A cadence on a minor (or some form of 7th) chord.

Theme A is pretty quiet. It stays soft until a quick burst of mezzo forte, but after less than a measure, it quiets back down. That is, it quiets back down until a sudden explosion from pianissimo to forte before transitining to theme B:

B Theme

The next theme is similar in melody to theme A, but Ravel adds a B natural pedal point to the bass. A pedal point is a repeated note that does not change – even if the harmonies around it are changing.

This section also keeps drifting in and out of keys using 7th chords and lush dissonance over the constant dance-like 8th note pulse. One unique thing about section B, though, is the brief hint of a secondary melody. Look at the end of the first measure in theme B. The primary melody climbs up over a static B and D, while a secondary melody peeks through with a descending line played by the left hand.

The dynamics are even softer in theme B; the beginning is marked pianissimo before a measure of mezzo forte (which then softens down to pianississimo – ppp). And the final measures consist of accents plus a sudden jump to forte (and a tempo change from slow to really slow):

Return of the A Theme

Then theme A returns, with the same melody/harmonies/rhythm except the harmonies have been expanded (they literally take up more space on the keyboard):

Notice the accents in the left hand; they fall on beats 1 and 3 instead of the typical 2 and 4. (Also notice the repeated B in the left hand during the first few measures – just like the pedal point in section B.) And then with an exciting jump from pianissimo to fortissimo, theme C is introduced:

Theme C

Theme C contrasts heavily with themes A and B. The key shifts to G Dorian mode (which just means that instead of an F♯, there is a B♭), which changes the atmosphere to mysterious and folk-like. Dynamic swells rise and fall with the movement of the notes as the theme repeats in C Dorian (a regular C scale except with an E♭ and a B♭).

*Music theory: A Dorian mode of any scale is basically the minor version of the key signature with a raised 6th scale degree.

Once theme C is in C Dorian, a few fortissimo bursts lead directly to a cadence in G Dorian – and then the whole thing repeats. Theme C ends with a fermata on a G minor chord.

The Last Rendition of Theme A

To close out Pavane for a Dead Princess, Ravel repeats the A theme one more time (yes, he jumps directly from a G minor chord back to the opening G major theme):

Even though the theme is the same, the treatment of the melody is slightly different than the first two versions of theme A. The right hand plays the harmony in the form of 16th notes, and the left hand is similar to that of the second A theme.

The end of Pavane for a Dead Princess hearkens back to the sudden dynamic contrasts earlier in the work. The music transitions from pianissimo to forte (with accents) before finishing fortissimo (also accented):

A Dance That Stands Through Time

Pavane for a Dead Princess helped launch Ravel’s fame as a composer, and it still stands as one of his best-known works. The subtle charm, grace, and nostalgia speak to listeners all through time and space. Does it transport you back to your younger years?