Maurice Ravel

Bolero

            Ravel, was the son of a Basque mother and a Swiss father, but was quintessentially French in his elegant, stylish artistic imagination.  He is clearly in the camp of those classicists who elegantly re-interpret the genres, forms, and musical syntax of the past.   Only a cursory review of many of the titles of Ravel’s works will bear out his deep fascination and appreciation for the uses of the musical past for imaginative, original contributions to a musical future.  And yet, his music smacks nothing at all of the reactionary.   Rather, while he definitely didn’t storm the ramparts of startling change in musical style as did so many of his early twentieth-century compatriots, his music just “sounds” modern.   As did so many seminal intellects of romantic and post-romantic Eu

Daphnis and Chloe Suite No. 2

            Ravel was the son of a Basque mother and a Swiss father, but he was quintessentially French in his elegant, stylish artistic imagination.  He is clearly in the camp of those classicists who elegantly re-interpret the genres, forms, and musical syntax of the past.   Only a cursory review of many of the titles of Ravel’s works will bear out his deep fascination and appreciation for the uses of the musical past for imaginative, original contributions to a musical future.  And yet, his music smacks nothing at all of the reactionary.   Rather, while he definitely didn’t storm the ramparts of startling change in musical style as did so many of his early twentieth-century compatriots, his music just “sounds” modern.   As did so many seminal intellects of romantic and post-romantic

La valse

            Ravel in the popular imagination will probably always be associated with the other great French composer from around the turn of the last century, Debussy.   Ravel, in fact, was the son of a Basque mother and a Swiss father, and this alone tells us much about the subtleties of his artistic imagination.  Moreover, his compositions are quite different from those of Debussy, the icon of so-called “impressionist” musical style.  Debussy’s fundamental approach to composition literally—but gently and graciously—turned the basics of European musical style upside down and led to most of the foundational concepts of twentieth-century art music.  Ravel, on the other hand, eschewed many of the more common technical features of Debussy’s style, and oriented himself clearly in the camp o

Le tombeau de Couperin

        Ravel and Debussy are often paired in music lovers’ minds, and they certainly were friends, admirers of their respective talents and musical works, and landmarks, not only of French musical culture, but the world, as well.   But there the comparisons must end, for Ravel and his compositions constitute a unique body of work, not closely related to anyone.   Late in his life Ravel anguished that he had failed to become a “great” composer, among other reasons, because he had composed so little.  But ironically, notwithstanding the size of his oeuvre, there is no other so-called great composer whose total life’s work is so well known by the average concert goer than that of Ravel.

Mother Goose Suite (Ma Mère l'Oye)

            On the one hand, Ravel’s considerable talent and intellect could be satirical and probing—and somewhat ambiguous--as  in La valse.  On the other, his Mother Goose Suite will reveal yet another aspect of his penchant for reinterpretation of time-honored musical traditions.  Ravel took pleasure in the companionship of animals and children, and enjoyed reading fairy tales to Mimi and Jean Godebski, children of his close friends.  In 1910 he composed a piano duet for the young children based upon a few of these stories and orchestrated the suite the next year.

Rapsodie espagnole

        Ravel and Debussy are often paired in music lovers’ minds, and they certainly were friends, admirers of their respective talents and musical works, and both emblematic of French musical culture.   But there the comparisons must end, for Ravel’s compositions constitute a unique body of work, not closely related to anyone.   Late in his life Ravel anguished that he had failed to become a “great” composer, among other reasons because he had composed so little.  But ironically, notwithstanding the size of his oeuvre, there is no other so-called great composer whose total life’s work is so well known by the average concert attendee than that of Ravel.

Tzigane

            Ravel is clearly in the camp of those classicists who adroitly re-interpret the genres, forms, and musical syntax of the past.   Only a cursory review of many of the titles of Ravel’s works will bear out his deep fascination and appreciation for the musical past as a basis for imaginative, original contributions to a musical future.  And yet, his music smacks not at all of the reactionary.   Rather, while he definitely didn’t storm the ramparts of startling change in musical style as did so many of his early twentieth-century compatriots, his music just “sounds” modern.   As did so many seminal intellects of romantic and post-romantic Europe, Ravel knew and appreciated the works of the American poet, Edgar Allen Poe—which fact may surprise most Americans these days, who have