Maurice Ravel Frontispice - Bolero
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Boléro Just before departing on his American Tour in 1928, Ravel received a commission from Ida Rubinstein for a ballet, to be called Fandango. His intention was to orchestrate some pieces from Iberia by Albéniz, but as he was beginning work on it in July, he discovered that the rights to the music were already assigned to the Spanish composer Enrique Arbós. Ravel was initially dismayed and at a loss how to fulfil his commission. However while continuing his holiday in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, he developed a Spanish-sounding theme which had about it "quelque chose d'insistant". "L'homme de la rue se donne la satisfaction de siffler les premières mesures du Boléro, mais bien peu de musiciens professionnels sont capables de reproduire de mémoire, sans une faute de solfège, la phrase entière qui obéit à de sournoises et savantes coquetteries." ( Émile Vuillermoz, [1938], p.88-89). Boléro, as the work was renamed, lasts approximately 15 minutes, and repeats each of the theme's two parts 9 times in the same key, using different orchestrations to vary the texture and to create a gradual crescendo. (The pattern is AA BB repeated 4 times, and then a single repeat of AB, leading to the modulation which gives the piece its cataclysmic ending.) Ravel was insistent that the work should be played at a steady and unvarying tempo (as his own recording demonstrates). "C'est une danse d'un mouvement très modéré et constamment uniforme, tant par la mélodie que par l'harmonie et le rythme, ce dernier marqué sans cesse par le tambour. Le seul élément de diversité y est apporté par le crescendo orchestral." (Ravel, [1938]). After a performance in 1930, he reprimanded Toscanini for taking the work too fast and for speeding up at the climax. (Coppola, [1944], p.105) At the first performance of her ballet production, at the Opéra in November 1928, Ida Rubinstein danced the role of a flamenco dancer who is trying out steps on a table in a bar, surrounded by men whose admiration turns to lustful obsession. Ravel did not entirely approve; his own conception was an outdoor scene in front of a factory whose machinery provides the In concert performances, Boléro became Ravel's most popular work, and it is reputed to be the world's most frequently played piece of classical music. The royalties earned by the work up to 2001
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The frontispiece for Ravel's Bolero
Transcript of Maurice Ravel Frontispice - Bolero
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Bolro
Just before departing on his American Tour in 1928, Ravel received a commission fromIda Rubinstein for a ballet, to be called Fandango. His intention was to orchestrate somepieces from Iberia by Albniz, but as he was beginning work on it in July, he discoveredthat the rights to the music were already assigned to the Spanish composer EnriqueArbs. Ravel was initially dismayed and at a loss how to fulfil his commission. Howeverwhile continuing his holiday in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, he developed a Spanish-soundingtheme which had about it "quelque chose d'insistant".
"L'homme de la rue sedonne la satisfaction de
siffler les premiresmesures du Bolro, maisbien peu de musiciens
professionnels sontcapables de reproduirede mmoire, sans une
faute de solfge, laphrase entire qui obit
de sournoises etsavantes coquetteries."
( mile Vuillermoz,[1938], p.88-89).
Bolro, as the work was renamed, lasts approximately15 minutes, and repeats each of the theme's two parts9 times in the same key, using different orchestrationsto vary the texture and to create a gradual crescendo.(The pattern is AA BB repeated 4 times, and then asingle repeat of AB, leading to the modulation whichgives the piece its cataclysmic ending.)
Ravel was insistent that the work should be played ata steady and unvarying tempo (as his own recordingdemonstrates). "C'est une danse d'un mouvement trsmodr et constamment uniforme, tant par la mlodieque par l'harmonie et le rythme, ce dernier marqusans cesse par le tambour. Le seul lment dediversit y est apport par le crescendo orchestral."(Ravel, [1938]). After a performance in 1930, hereprimanded Toscanini for taking the work too fast andfor speeding up at the climax. (Coppola, [1944],p.105)
At the first performance of her ballet production,at the Opra in November 1928, Ida Rubinsteindanced the role of a flamenco dancer who istrying out steps on a table in a bar, surroundedby men whose admiration turns to lustfulobsession. Ravel did not entirely approve; hisown conception was an outdoor scene in front ofa factory whose machinery provides the
In concert performances,Bolro became Ravel's most
popular work, and it is reputedto be the world's most
frequently played piece ofclassical music. The royalties
earned by the work up to 2001
http://www.maurice-ravel.net/index.htmhttp://www.maurice-ravel.net/ida.htmhttp://www.maurice-ravel.net/bibliog.htm#vuillermoz%22http://www.maurice-ravel.net/bibliog.htm#ravelhttp://www.maurice-ravel.net/bibliog.htm#coppola
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inflexible rhythm; the factory workers wouldemerge to dance together, while a story of abullfighter killed by a jealous rival was playedout. ( Chalupt, [1956], p.237). It was performedin this way, with designs by Lon Leyritz, at theOpra on one occasion after Ravel's death.
have been estimated at 40million: an article outlining thestrange history of this moneyappeared in The Guardian on
25 April 2001.
Much has been written about Bolro. One detailed analysis of its structure appears inDeborah Mawer's chapter, "Ballet and the apotheosis of the dance", in The CambridgeCompanion to Ravel, [2000], pp. 155-161. The impact of its repetitive technique (e.g.4037 drum beats) is considered by Serge Gut in "Le phnomne rptitif chez MauriceRavel: de l'obsession l'annihilation incantatoire", in International Review of theAesthetics and Sociology of Music, vol.21(1) [June 1990], pp.29-46. [For those withaccess to JSTOR, an online version of this article is available.]
Claude Lvi-Strauss considers the semiotics of the work in "Bolro de Maurice Ravel", inL'Homme, vol.11(2), [1971], pp. 5-14.
And from a performer's perspective, Jean Douay has written about the role of thetrombone - and how to play it - in "Thoughts to Ponder: What Would Ravel Think?--MoreThoughts on Ravel's 'Bolero'", in ITA Journal, vol.26(2), [Spring 1998], p. 23.
http://www.maurice-ravel.net/index.htmhttp://www.maurice-ravel.net/bibliog.htm#chalupthttp://www.maurice-ravel.net/leyritz.htmhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,477906,00.htmlhttp://www.maurice-ravel.net/bibliog.htm#mawerhttp://uk.jstor.org/view/03515796/ap030038/03a00020/0?config=jstor&frame=noframe&[email protected]/028258cb3a297fdde1b87ab&dpi=3
