Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) is one of the best French composers of his era. His artistic independence served to inspire many of the next generation of French composers seeking to create a new Gallic identity after World War I. His reforms at the Paris Conservatoire were the most radical the institution had yet experienced. This book gives equal weight to Fauré's private and public lives, profiling the man behind the music, and going beyond the usual perception of Fauré as a dreamy, unworldly individual to reveal his ambition and decisiveness in his struggle to achieve recognition from France's musical establishment. This stimulating biography, which charts Fauré's long and difficult rise to fame, both illuminates his individuality and reveals his enduring legacy to French music.