Tomoko asserts that at each decade in life, certain composers
are particularly apt. For instance, Tomoko recommends Fauré for pianists in
their thirties; “He is so elegant,” she says. Tomoko also likes to explore composers’
lives because it adds to the richness and context of the music. To that end,
then, here are some aspects of Fauré that inform his works.
Gabriel Urbain Fauré was born in 1845 in southern France.
One of six children, he was the only musically sibling. Upon advice and with
the help of a scholarship, his father sent Gabriel to a boarding school for
nine years to study music, mainly church music. However, when composer Camille Saint-Saëns
took over piano studies, he introduced contemporary music and mentored Gabriel.
Upon graduating, Gabriel served as a church organist and
gave piano lessons. Soon the Franco-Prussian War began, and he volunteers to
military service. After the war he taught in Switzerland, and then returned to
Paris to serve as a choirmaster and later a church organist. Throughout his
life he also taught, later in life more composition than performance; he was
even appointed health of Paris Conservatoire.
Early on, Fauré promoted new French music as a founding member
of the Société Nationale de Musique, which included important composers of the
day. This networking – along with frequent travels where he connected with
still more computers -- stimulated his own compositions, which were mainly for
piano and for stringed instruments. He was influenced by Chopin, Mozart and
Schumann in his early years. His harmonic and melodic style were innovative,
and presaged Impressionist composers as well foreshadowed Schoenberg’s atonal
compositions. He was also a master of the French art song.
For her album Touria, Tomoko performed two of Fauré’s early impromptus
and “Siciienne,” which was originally written for a theatrical production. The three compositions all have a lightness of
spirit, which would lighten the day for performers in their thirties.
