Originally written for solo piano, this beautiful melancholy work was written in 1899 by French composer Maurice Ravel while he was studying composition at the Conservatoire de Paris under Gabriel Faure. An orchestrated version was later published in 1910 for strings and winds with harp. Dedicated to Ravel's patron, the Princesse de Polignac, the piece was intended to be performed extraordinarily slowly, according to the composer. A typical performance of this modern masterpiece usually lasts between six and seven minutes.