Editing Gabriel Fauré (section)

===Organist and composer===
On leaving the École Niedermeyer, Fauré was appointed organist at the Church of Saint-Sauveur, at [[Rennes]] in [[Brittany]]. He took up the post in January 1866.<ref>Nectoux (1991), p. 12</ref> During his four years at Rennes he supplemented his income by taking private pupils, giving "countless piano lessons".<ref>Nectoux (1991), p. 508</ref> At Saint-Saëns's regular prompting he continued to compose, but none of his works from this period survive.<ref>Nectoux (1991), p. 15</ref> He was bored at Rennes and had an uneasy relationship with the parish priest, who correctly doubted Fauré's religious conviction.<ref name=jones21/> Fauré was regularly seen stealing out during the sermon for a cigarette, and in early 1870, when he turned up to play at [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] one Sunday still in his evening clothes, having been out all night at a ball, he was asked to resign.<ref name=jones21>Jones, p. 21</ref> Almost immediately, with the discreet aid of Saint-Saëns, he secured the post of assistant organist at the church of [[Notre-Dame de Clignancourt]], in the north of Paris.<ref>Duchen, p. 28</ref> He remained there for only a few months. On the outbreak of the [[Franco-Prussian War]] in 1870 he volunteered for military service. He took part in the action to raise the [[Siege of Paris (1870-1871)|siege of Paris]], and saw action at [[Battle of Le Bourget|Le Bourget]], [[Champigny, Marne|Champigny]] and [[Créteil]].<ref>Nectoux (1991), p. 503</ref> He was awarded a ''Croix de Guerre''.<!-- NOT THE WWI MEDAL OF THE SAME NAME&nbsp;– NO ARTICLE TO LINK TO--><ref name=d31>Duchen, p. 31</ref>
[[File:Fauré-ecole-group-.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|alt=group of 18 young and older men in 19th century dress|Staff and students of the École Niedermeyer, 1871. Fauré in front row second from left; [[André Messager]] in middle row second from right]]

After France's defeat by [[Prussia]], there was a brief, bloody conflict within Paris from March to May 1871 during the [[Paris Commune|Commune]].<ref name=d31/> Fauré escaped to [[Rambouillet]] where one of his brothers lived, and then travelled to Switzerland, where he took up a teaching post at the École Niedermeyer, which had temporarily relocated there to avoid the violence in Paris.<ref name=d31/> His first pupil at the school was [[André Messager]], who became a lifelong friend and occasional collaborator.<ref name=jones27>Jones, p. 27</ref> Fauré's compositions from this period did not overtly reflect the turmoil and bloodshed. Some of his colleagues, including Saint-Saëns, [[Charles Gounod|Gounod]] and [[César Franck|Franck]], produced elegies and patriotic odes. Fauré did not, but according to his biographer [[Jessica Duchen]], his music acquired "a new sombreness, a dark-hued sense of tragedy&nbsp;... evident mainly in his songs of this period including ''L'Absent'', ''Seule!'' and ''La Chanson du pêcheur''."<ref name=d32>Duchen, p. 32</ref>

When Fauré returned to Paris in October 1871, he was appointed choirmaster at the [[Église Saint-Sulpice, Paris|Église Saint-Sulpice]] under the composer and organist [[Charles-Marie Widor]].<ref name=jones27/> In the course of his duties, he wrote several [[canticle]]s and [[motet]]s, few of which have survived.<ref>Nectoux, p. 18</ref> During some services, Widor and Fauré improvised simultaneously at the church's two organs, trying to catch each other out with sudden changes of key.<ref name=d32/> Fauré regularly attended Saint-Saëns's musical [[salon (gathering)|salons]] and those of [[Pauline Viardot]], to whom Saint-Saëns introduced him.<ref name=grove/>

Fauré was a founding member of the [[Société Nationale de Musique]], formed in February 1871 under the joint chairmanship of [[Romain Bussine]] and Saint-Saëns, to promote new French music.<ref>Vallas, p. 135</ref> Other members included [[Georges Bizet]], [[Emmanuel Chabrier]], [[Vincent d'Indy]], [[Henri Duparc (composer)|Henri Duparc]], César Franck, [[Édouard Lalo]] and [[Jules Massenet]].<ref>Jones, p. 28 and Grove</ref> Fauré became secretary of the society in 1874.<ref name=jones28/> Many of his works were first presented at the society's concerts.<ref name=jones28>Jones, p. 28</ref>

[[File:Fauré-1875.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=young man in semi profile, with luxuriant moustache and longish dark hair|Fauré in 1875]]
In 1874 Fauré moved from Saint-Sulpice to the [[Église de la Madeleine]], acting as deputy for the principal organist, Saint-Saëns, during the latter's many absences on tour.<ref>Jones, p. 29</ref> Some admirers of Fauré's music have expressed regret that although he played the organ professionally for four decades, he left no solo compositions for the instrument.<ref>''See'', for example, Henderson, A. M. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/922657 "Memories of Some Distinguished French Organists&nbsp;– Fauré"], ''The Musical Times'', September 1937, pp. 817–819 {{subscription}} and Orrey, Leslie. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/935506 "Gabriel Fauré, 1845–1924"], ''The Musical Times'', May 1945, pp. 137–139 {{subscription}}</ref> He was renowned for his improvisations,<ref>Henderson, A. M. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/922657 "Memories of Some Distinguished French Organists&nbsp;– Fauré"], ''The Musical Times'', September 1937, pp. 817–819 {{subscription}}</ref> and Saint-Saëns said of him that he was "a first class organist when he wanted to be".<ref name=nectoux41>Nectoux (1991), p. 41</ref> Fauré preferred the piano to the organ, which he played only because it gave him a regular income.<ref name=nectoux41/> Duchen speculates that he positively disliked the organ, possibly because "for a composer of such delicacy of nuance, and such sensuality, the organ was simply not subtle enough."<ref>Duchen, p. 17</ref>

The year 1877 was significant for Fauré, both professionally and personally.<ref name=jones33>Jones, p. 33</ref> In January his [[Violin Sonata No. 1 (Fauré)|first violin sonata]] was performed at a Société Nationale concert with great success, marking a turning-point in his composing career at the age of 31.<ref name=jones33/> Nectoux counts the work as the composer's first great masterpiece.<ref>Nectoux (1991), p. 80</ref> In March, Saint-Saëns retired from the Madeleine, succeeded as organist by [[Théodore Dubois]], his choirmaster; Fauré was appointed to take over from Dubois.<ref name=jones33/> In July Fauré became engaged to Pauline Viardot's daughter Marianne, with whom he was deeply in love.<ref name=jones33/> To his great sorrow, she broke off the engagement in November 1877, for reasons that are not clear.<ref name=jones50>Jones, p. 50</ref> To distract Fauré, Saint-Saëns took him to [[Weimar]] and introduced him to [[Franz Liszt]]. This visit gave Fauré a liking for foreign travel, which he indulged for the rest of his life.<ref name=jones50/> From 1878, he and Messager made trips abroad to see Wagner operas. They saw ''[[Das Rheingold]]'' and ''[[Die Walküre]]'' at the [[Cologne Opera]]; the complete ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen|Ring]]'' cycle at the [[Bavarian State Opera|Hofoper]] in Munich and at [[Her Majesty's Theatre]] in London; and ''[[Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg|Die Meistersinger]]'' in Munich and at [[Bayreuth Festival|Bayreuth]], where they also saw ''[[Parsifal]]''.<ref name="Jones, p. 51">Jones, p. 51</ref> They frequently performed as a party piece their joint composition, the irreverent ''Souvenirs de Bayreuth''. This short, up-tempo piano work for four hands sends up themes from ''The Ring''.<ref>Wagstaff, John and [[Andrew Lamb (writer)|Andrew Lamb]]. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/18492 "Messager, André"], ''Grove Music Online'', Oxford Music Online, accessed 14 August 2010 {{subscription}}</ref> Fauré admired Wagner and had a detailed knowledge of his music,<ref>Nectoux (1991), p. 39</ref> but he was one of the few composers of his generation not to come under Wagner's musical influence.{{refn|Fauré liked some of Wagner's operas more than others. He loved ''Die Meistersinger'', ''Parsifal'' and the ''Ring'', was lukewarm about ''[[Tannhäuser (opera)|Tannhäuser]]'' and ''[[Lohengrin (opera)|Lohengrin]]'' and detested ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]''. Duchen speculates that "the excess&nbsp;– in sentiment and length" of the last was fundamentally contrary to Fauré's aesthetic sensibilities.<ref>Duchen, p. 58</ref>|group= n}}