Gabriel Fauré (a personal favourite of mine) – born near the Pyrenees, and eventually director of the Paris Conservatoire, friends with Saint-Saëns, teacher of many French composers – this work was composed when he was around 19, and won him first prize in the composition competition at the École Niedermeyer de Paris.
The piece is in ternary form, and when the A section repeats, Fauré develops the rising fourth figure across the parts (almost as stretto) in rebuilding the climax ahead of a quieter coda – this would have scored him some serious marks for development if he’d been taking GCSE composition.
The Listening Project Blog 