Grice plays Pavane pour une infante défunte

This is what we -- well, S. R. -- was able to excavate by contacting T[homas] J. Grover, of the Old Cliftonian Society:


---

Quotation courtesy of the Old Cliftonian Society:

--- From end-of-year concert, 1930 -- "The Clifonian"


----

"We enjoyed Grice's playing of Ravel's "Pavane";"


----- Grice was 17.


The review goes to focus on

"its stateliness"

----

where 'its' refers to

(m) mainly: Grice's playing
(less mainly): the Pavane itself.

---- (Surely I can play the Pavane in a non stately manner -- I can even murder the tune with the left pedal, too -- and turn it into a Lambeth Walk).

----


The reviewer is eager to contrast the 'stateliness' of Grice's performance with his companion, who had played the rather unBritish Rachmaninoff.

"[Grice's 'Ravane''s] "stateliness

provided an effective contrast to the

exuberance of the Rachmaninoff"

as played by Joseph Cooper.

(Oddly, Cooper never studied philosophy, but run the BBC television programme, "Face the music" --, and he was also a concert pianist.

The Pavane should have some text to it.

I can think of various lines that may fit the piece.

The important thing about finding lyrics to a non-lyrical piece is to match the spirit. If this is a pavane for a dead princess, we expect appropriately funeral lyrics -- not anything about robins in spring, say.

The music itself usually 'invites' a certain setting. If it's a minor key it's usually sad, unless the lyrics are meant as 'funny'.