Composed in 1886 and published the following year by Hamelle, this piece is dedicated to the wife of the composer Ernest Chausson's wife. Fauré met the Chaussons through the good offices of the painter Renoir. Fauré and Chausson shared several commonalities, including their shared inclination towards Wagner in the 1880s, their frequent travels to Germany and Switzerland to hear Wagner's works, and their comradeship within the Société Nationale de Musique.

This Barcarolle, written in A-flat major with an Allegretto tempo, takes a relatively simple structure among Fauré's works, similar to the first Barcarolle. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that surprising modulations are repeatedly employed in the middle section, and augmented fifth intervals are frequently used.