Sicilienne for flute and piano, op. 78

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was one of the most influential French composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His harmonic language and melodic elegance bridged the gap between the end of Romanticism and the modernism of the 20th century.
Born in Pamiers, Ariège, in southern France, Fauré was the youngest of six children. His family was cultured but not particularly musical; his father was a schoolteacher who eventually became a director of a teacher-training college. His musical talent was discovered almost by accident when he was found playing the harmonium in a small chapel near his father's school. At age nine, he was sent to Paris to study at the École Niedermeyer, a school dedicated to training church organists and choirmasters.
The most pivotal moment of his upbringing occurred when Camille Saint-Saëns joined the faculty at the École Niedermeyer. Saint-Saëns introduced the young Fauré to contemporary music (Schumann, Liszt, Wagner) and remained a lifelong mentor, friend, and champion of his work.
For much of his early career, Fauré struggled for recognition as a composer, earning his living as a church organist (notably at the Église de la Madeleine in Paris) and as a teacher.
In 1905, he was appointed director of the Paris Conservatoire. His tenure was revolutionary; he modernized the curriculum and was nicknamed "Robespierre" for his radical reforms. Despite his lack of time while holding a position as director of the Paris Conservatoire (1905-1920), where he made some important reforms, Fauré managed to escape Paris and continued to compose.
By the 1920s, he was considered one of the leading French composers.
Fauré’s music is characterized by its "French" qualities: restraint, subtle harmonic shifts, and a profound, often understated emotional depth. He avoided the heavy textures of German Wagnerism in favor of clarity and fluid melody.