the original version of the "pavane" was written for piano and chorus in the late 1880s. the composer described it as "elegant, but not otherwise important." fauré intended it to be played more briskly than it has generally come to be performed in its more familiar orchestral guise. the conductor sir adrian boult heard fauré play the piano version several times and noted that he took it at a tempo no slower than 100 quarter notes per minute. boult commented that the composer's sprightly tempo emphasised that the "pavane" was not a piece of german romanticism, and that the text later added was "clearly a piece of light-hearted chaffing between the dancers".