First published in 2011, this research study includes a biography section as well as the works of Gabriel Urbain Fauré born on 12 May 1845. Much of Fauré’s music, especially the late pieces, remain little played and little known—as a result, his reputation as a salon composer of pleasant music continues even among educated musicians. The author suggests that it is more likely that the difficulty of much of Fauré’s music for the listener and the demands it places upon him or her are the principal reasons for its omission from concert programs and for a misunderstanding of Fauré’s place in the history of French music

This book traces Fauré's life and the rich cultural milieu in which he lived and worked.

"The Pavane, the Sicilienne and a few other 'lollipops' are all that most people know of Fauré's music, apart from the ever-popular Requiem. But Gabriel Fauré was more than just a 'salon' composer--'the master of charms' Debussy called him--and his powerful wartime and final-period compositions in particular are often misunderstood. Although he lived through one of the most difficult and yet exciting periods for a musician--a period of rapid and often unexpected developments in the arts as a whole--yet he remained true to himself. The inspired professional musician of the nineteenth century developed into a 'classic' in the twentieth. The results of a great deal of research, carried out by the author and others, are included in this, the first major book on Fauré's life and music to appear in English for over thirty years. Dr Orledge comprehensively covers the whole of Fauré's extensive output, and deals in detail for the first time with the composer's manuscripts and notebooks. Copiously illustrated with plates and music-examples, this book will be essential reading for all concerned with the music of an unduly neglected French genius."--Back cover.

High schools that do not need (or are unable to afford) the 10-volume New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, on which this volume is based, will find this authoratative (and in some cases, updated) work useful. The 10,000 alphabetically arranged entries, written by subject specialists, cover all areas of music (e.g., composers, instrumentalists, performers, terminology). There are 1,000 entries under names of individual works. The emphasis is on classical music, but some attention is given to rock and popular music. Illustrations include pictures of instruments, diagrams for the symphony orchestra, and music examples.