Pavane pour une infante défunte

Pavane pour une infante défunte (English: Pavane for a dead princess) is a well-known piece for solo piano written by the French composer Maurice Ravel. The Pavane was composed in 1899 when Ravel was studying composition at the Conservatoire de Paris under Gabriel Fauré. In 1910, Ravel also published an orchestrated version of the Pavane. A typical performance of the piece lasts around six minutes.

The piece evokes the dignified elegance of a reception at the royal Spanish court, as a young princess moves gracefully through the steps of the pavane, a slow processional dance that enjoyed great popularity in the courts of Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In this antique miniature, Ravel reveals a nostalgic enthusiasm for Spanish customs and sensibilities which was shared by many of his contemporaries (most notably Debussy, Séverac, and Albéniz) and expounded in some of his other works, such as the Rapsodie Espagnole and Boléro.

Ravel dedicated the Pavane to his patron, the Princess of Polignac. The Spanish pianist Ricardo Viñes gave the premier performance on April 5, 1902. The Pavane was warmly welcomed by the public, but received much more subdued reviews from Ravel's fellow musicians. Indeed, Ravel himself complained that it "lacked daring."

A recording of the work played by Ravel himself has survived on piano rolls. This recording has been available on CD since April 2004.