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[Fauré] Lower Difficulty! Recommended Piano Pieces by a Master of French Music

Gabriel Fauré, the French composer whose style created original works while upholding classical formal beauty, had a profound influence on 20th-century classical composers.

Fauré’s works—ranging from orchestral and sacred music to pieces noted for their flowing beauty, elegance, delicacy, and warmth—have long been loved by classical music fans.

From Fauré’s wide-ranging output, we have selected some of his most popular piano pieces.

Here we introduce relatively accessible works that you can not only listen to but also enjoy performing to experience Fauré’s world for yourself.

If you are studying piano, please use this as a reference!

Playlist

[Fauré] Lower Difficulty! Recommended Piano Pieces by a Master of French Music
show_chartTitlePlaylistReview
1eastBarcarolle No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 26Gabriel Fauré
Barcarolle No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 26Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Gabriel Fauré composed 13 barcarolles over the course of his life...
2eastPavane, Op. 50Gabriel Fauré
Pavane, Op. 50Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
The French composer who was a pianist and educator…
3eastLullaby, No. 1 from the Suite “Dolly,” Op. 56Gabriel Fauré
Lullaby, No. 1 from the Suite “Dolly,” Op. 56Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
The famous piano duet masterpiece, Suite: Dolly. Gabri...
4eastSicilienne, Op. 78Gabriel Fauré
Sicilienne, Op. 78Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Very familiar for beginners and intermediate learners…
5eastThree Songs Without Words, Op. 17-1, No. 1 in A-flat majorGabriel Fauré
Three Songs Without Words, Op. 17-1, No. 1 in A-flat majorGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Gabriel Fauré’s celebrated masterpiece…
6eastBarcarolle No. 7 in D minor, Op. 90Gabriel Fauré
Barcarolle No. 7 in D minor, Op. 90Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
A wave-like, shimmering piano piece—graceful and introspective
7eastElegy in C minor, Op. 24Gabriel Fauré
Elegy in C minor, Op. 24Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
A masterpiece of French modern music: a cello concerto
8eastFrom ‘Requiem’ in ParadiseGabriel Fauré
From 'Requiem' in ParadiseGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
A piano arrangement of a sacred piece. Gentle and soothing.
9eastNocturne No. 1 in E-flat minor, Op. 33Gabriel Fauré
Nocturne No. 1 in E-flat minor, Op. 33Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
A piano piece that unfolds from silence to passion
10eastEight Pieces, Op. 84: No. 3, FugueGabriel Fauré
Eight Pieces, Op. 84: No. 3, FugueGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Elegant musical expression of French music
11eastSuite ‘Dolly’ Op. 56 No. 3 ‘Dolly’s Garden’Gabriel Fauré
Suite 'Dolly' Op. 56 No. 3 'Dolly's Garden'Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Crafting a new melody from an old piano sonata...
12east8 Pieces, Op. 84: No. 1, CapriccioGabriel Fauré
8 Pieces, Op. 84: No. 1, CapriccioGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
A 1902 Paris work that expresses French vocal music on the piano
13eastEight Pieces, Op. 84: No. 7, JoyGabriel Fauré
Eight Pieces, Op. 84: No. 7, JoyGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
An elegant French piano piece
14east8 Pieces, Op. 84: No. 4, AdagiettoGabriel Fauré
8 Pieces, Op. 84: No. 4, AdagiettoGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
A small French musical piece with the delicate melodic beauty of E minor
15eastBarcarolle No. 12 in E-flat major, Op. 105-2Gabriel Fauré
Barcarolle No. 12 in E-flat major, Op. 105-2Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
A French piano piece composed in 1921
16eastBarcarolle No. 9 in A minor, Op. 101Gabriel Fauré
Barcarolle No. 9 in A minor, Op. 101Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
French music in 6/8 time that evokes an elegant sway
17eastBarcarolle No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 36Gabriel Fauré
Barcarolle No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 36Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Fauré’s elegant and delicate, beautiful works
18eastImpromptu No. 5 in F-sharp minor, Op. 102Gabriel Fauré
Impromptu No. 5 in F-sharp minor, Op. 102Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
An energetic, ear-catching Gabriel...
19north_eastEight Pieces, Op. 84 No. 5: ImpromptuGabriel Fauré
Eight Pieces, Op. 84 No. 5: ImpromptuGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
I performed at a piano recital with a piece filled with melancholy...
20south_eastSuite ‘Dolly’ Op. 56 No. 4, Kitty-ValseGabriel Fauré
Suite 'Dolly' Op. 56 No. 4, Kitty-ValseGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Play the graceful waltz of French music on the piano
21eastSuite “Dolly,” Op. 56 No. 2 “Mi-a-ou”Gabriel Fauré
Suite "Dolly," Op. 56 No. 2 "Mi-a-ou"Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
A piano duet composed to celebrate a young girl's birthday
22eastBarcarolle No. 10 in A minor, Op. 104-2Gabriel Fauré
Barcarolle No. 10 in A minor, Op. 104-2Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
A delicate piano piece depicting the water’s surface of a gondola
23eastThree Songs Without Words, Op. 17 No. 3 in A-flat majorGabriel Fauré
Three Songs Without Words, Op. 17 No. 3 in A-flat majorGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Composed by Gabriel Fauré when he was 18 years old…
24eastNocturne No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 36Gabriel Fauré
Nocturne No. 4 in E-flat major, Op. 36Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
I like piano pieces that are both weighty and beautiful…
25eastClair de Lune, Op. 46-2Gabriel Fauré
Clair de Lune, Op. 46-2Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Gabriel Fauré, one of France’s representative composers…
26eastImpromptu No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31Gabriel Fauré
Impromptu No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Fauré’s Impromptu No. 2 is intermediate level and its fast triplets are perfect for practice.
27eastNocturne No. 6 in D-flat major, Op. 63Gabriel Fauré
Nocturne No. 6 in D-flat major, Op. 63Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Active in France, Europe, over a 79-year lifetime…
28eastNine Preludes, Op. 103 No. 3Gabriel Fauré
Nine Preludes, Op. 103 No. 3Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
The most important thing for understanding the late years of Gabriel Fauré is...
29eastSong cycle “Three Songs,” Op. 7: No. 1, After a DreamGabriel Fauré
Song cycle “Three Songs,” Op. 7: No. 1, After a DreamGabriel Fauréplay_arrow
Pianos, cellos, violins, flutes, and so on...
30eastBarcarolle No. 6 in E-flat major, Op. 70Gabriel Fauré
Barcarolle No. 6 in E-flat major, Op. 70Gabriel Fauréplay_arrow
French compositions I’d like to recommend to intermediate-level players…