[1] The pavane was a slow processional dance that enjoyed great popularity in the courts of Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

[2] This antique miniature is not meant to pay tribute to any particular princess from history, but rather expresses a nostalgic enthusiasm for Spanish customs and sensibilities, which Ravel shared with many of his contemporaries (most notably Debussy and Albéniz) and which is evident in some of his other works such as the Rapsodie espagnole and the Boléro.

[4] In early 1912, Ravel reviewed another pianist's performance of the piece, commenting: “By an ironic coincidence, the first work about which I am called to report happens to be my own Pavane pour une Infante défunte.

[citation needed] When Ravel published his orchestrated version of the Pavane in 1910, he gave the lead melody to the horn, and specified a non-generic instrument: the score calls for "2 Cors simples en sol" (two hand-horns in G).

[4] Reviewing the concert, the critic Samuel Langford called the work "most beautiful" and added, "The piece is hardly representative of the composer, with whom elusive harmonies woven in rapid figuration are the usual medium of expression.

[12] In addition to numerous recorded performances within the classical repertoire,[13] the Pavane maintains a significant presence in popular music.

Some unusual interpretations include another electronic version by William Orbit in Pieces in a Modern Style (2000), Isao Tomita (1979) and the all-female synthesizer quartet Hello, Wendy (2014).