According to Ravel himself, the strange title of the little piano piece composed in 1899, “Pavane for a dead princess”, should not be ascribed too much importance. He chose it mainly because he liked the alliteration it contained. At the same time he did, however, agree that the music evokes “a pavane that a little princess once might have danced at the Spanish court”. Following its premiere in 1902 the simple but effective piece gained unparalleled popularity, not least reflected in the numerous arrangements made of it, one of which, for small orchestra, was by Ravel himself. We are publishing the work in its original version as a fitting addition to our works by Ravel.
據拉威爾本人所述,這首創作於1899年的小型鋼琴曲的奇特標題“為逝去的公主而作的帕凡舞曲”不應被過分解讀。他選擇這個標題主要是因為他喜歡其中的頭韻。同時,他也承認這首曲子確實讓人聯想到「一位小公主曾在西班牙宮廷中跳過的帕凡舞曲」。這首簡潔而動人的作品於1902年首演後,迅速風靡全球,其眾多改編版本便是最好的證明,其中就包括拉威爾本人為小型管弦樂隊創作的版本。我們這次出版的正是這首作品的原始版本,作為我們拉威爾作品系列的另一個佳作。