Maurice Ravel - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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10/17/13 1:03 PMMaurice Ravel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Ravel in 1925

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Joseph-Maurice Ravel (March 7, 1875 December 28, 1937) was aFrench composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and

instrumental textures and effects. Along with Claude Debussy, hewas one of the most prominent figures associated with Impressionistmusic. Much of his piano music, chamber music, vocal music andorchestral music has entered the standard concert repertoire.

Ravel's piano compositions, such asJeux d'eau,Miroirs,Le tombeaude Couperinand Gaspard de la nuit, demand considerable virtuosityfrom the performer, and his orchestral music, includingDaphnis etChloand his arrangement of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at anExhibition, use a variety of sound and instrumentation. Ravel is

perhaps known best for his orchestral workBolro (1928), which heconsidered trivial and once described as "a piece for orchestra

without music".[1]

According to SACEM, Ravel's estate had earned more royalties thanthat of any other French composer (until, that is, January 1, 2008when, according to the governing copyright laws of many countriesaround the world, Ravel's works fell into the public domain).

Contents

1 Biography1.1 Early life1.2 Paris Conservatoire and early career1.3 Ravel and Debussy1.4 Early major works1.5Daphnis et Chlo1.6 War years

1.7 1920s1.8 American tour1.9 Final years1.10 Illness and death1.11 Personal life1.12 Legacy

2 Musicality2.1 Musical sources2.2 Musical style2.3 Methods

2.4 Pianist and conductor2.5 Transcriber and orchestrator3 Musical influence
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File:Ciboure Maison NataleDe Maurice Ravel.jpg

Birthplace of Maurice Ravel inCiboure

4 Notable compositions5 Media depictions6 See also7 Notes8 References9 Further reading10 External links

10.1 Free scores10.2 Miscellaneous10.3 Recordings

10.3.1 Institutions

Biography

Early life

Ravel was born in the Basque town of Ciboure, France, near Biarritz, only18 kilometers from the Spanish border, in 1875. His mother, MarieDelouart, was of Basque descent and grew up in Madrid, Spain, while hisfather, Joseph Ravel, was a Swiss inventor and industrialist from FrenchHaute-Savoie.[2] Both were Catholics and they provided a happy andstimulating household for their children. Some of Joseph's inventions werequite important, including an early internal-combustion engine and a notorious circus machine, the"Whirlwind of Death", an automotive loop-the-loop that was quite a success until a fatal accident at the

Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1903.[3] Joseph delighted in taking his sons to factories to see the latestmechanical devices, and he also had a keen interest in music and culture.[4] Ravel substantiated his father's

early influence by stating later, As a child, I was sensitive to musicto every kind of music.[5]

Ravel was very fond of his mother, and her Basque-Spanish heritage was a strong influence on his life and

music. Among his earliest memories are folk songs she sang to him.[6] The family moved to Paris threemonths after the birth of Maurice, and there his younger brother douard was born. douard became his

fathers favorite and also became an engineer.[6] At age six, Maurice began piano lessons with Henry Ghysand received his first instruction in harmony, counterpoint, and composition with Charles-Ren. His earliest

public piano recital was in 1889 at age fourteen.[7]

Though obviously talented at the piano, Ravel demonstrated a preference for composing. He wasparticularly impressed by the new Russian works conducted by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov at the Exposition

Universelle in 1889.[8] The foreign music at the exhibition also had a great influence on Ravelscontemporaries Erik Satie, Emmanuel Chabrier, and most significantly Claude Debussy. Two years earlierRavel had met Ricardo Vies, who would become one of his best friends, one of the foremost interpreters ofhis piano music, and an important link between Ravel and Spanish music.[9] The students shared anappreciation for Richard Wagner, the Russian school, and the writings of Edgar Allan Poe, CharlesBaudelaire, and Stphane Mallarm.[10]

Paris Conservatoire and early career
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Piano class of Charles de Briot in1895 with Ravel on the left

Pavane pour une infante dfunte

Ravels parents encouraged his musical pursuits and sent him to the Conservatoire de Paris, first as apreparatory student and eventually as a piano major. His teachersincluded mile Descombes. He received a first prize in the piano

student competition in 1891.[11] Overall, however, he was notsuccessful academically even as his musicianship matureddramatically. Considered very gifted, Ravel was also called

somewhat heedless in his studies.[11]

Around 1893, Ravel createdhis earliest compositions, and he was introduced by his father to thecaf pianist Erik Satie, whose distinctive personality and unorthodoxmusical experiments proved influential.[10]

Ravel was not a "bohemian" and evidenced little of the typicaltrauma of adolescence. At twenty years of age, Ravel was already "self-possessed, a little aloof,

intellectually biased, given to mild banter."[12] He dressed like a dandy and was meticulous about hisappearance and demeanor. Short in stature, light in frame, and bony in features, Ravel had the "appearance

of a well-dressed jockey".[13] His large head seemed suitably matched to his great intellect. He was well-read and later accumulated a library of over 1,000 volumes.[13] In his younger adulthood, Ravel was usuallybearded in the fashion of the day, though later he dispensed with all whiskers. Though reserved, Ravel wassensitive and self-critical, and had a mischievous sense of humor.[12] He became a lifelong tobacco smoker

in his youth, and he enjoyed strongly flavored meals, fine wine, and spirited conversation. [14]

After failing to meet the requirement of earning a competitive medal in three consecutive years, Ravel wasexpelled in 1895. He turned down a music professorship in Tunisia then returned to the Conservatoire in1898 and started his studies with Gabriel Faur, determined to focus on composing rather than pianoplaying.[15] He studied composition with Faur until he was dismissed from the class in 1900 for having

won neither the fugue nor the composition prize. He remained an auditor with Faur until he left theConservatoire in 1903.[16] Ravel found his teachers personality and methods sympathetic and theyremained friends and colleagues. He also undertook private studies with Andr Gedalge, whom he laterstated was responsible for "the most valuable elements of my technique."[17] Ravel studied the ability ofeach instrument carefully in order to determine the possible effects, and was sensitive to their color andtimbre. This may account for his success as an orchestrator and as a transcriber of his own piano works andthose of other composers, such as Mussorgsky, Debussy and Schumann.[18]

His first significant work,Habanera for two pianos, was later transcribed into the well-known third

movement of hisRapsodie espagnole, which he dedicated to Charles-Wilfrid de Briot, another of hisprofessors at the Conservatoire. His first published work wasMenuet antique, dedicated to and premiered by

Vies.[19] In 1899, Ravel conducted his first orchestral piece, Shhrazade, and was greeted by a raucousmixture of boos and applause. Critics termed the piece "a jolting debut: a clumsy plagiarism of the RussianSchool" and called Ravel a mediocrely gifted debutante ... who will perhaps become something if notsomeone in about ten years, if he works hard.[20] As the most gifted composer of his class and as a leader,with Debussy, of avant-garde French music, Ravel would continue to have a difficult time with the criticsfor some time to come.[21]

Around 1900, Ravel joined with a number of innovative

young artists, poets, critics, and musicians who werereferred to as theApaches (hooligans), a name coined by 0:00 MENU
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Performed by Thrse Dussaut.

Problems playing this file? See media help.

Vies to represent his band of "artistic outcasts".[22] Thegroup met regularly until the beginning of World War Iand the members often inspired each other withintellectual argument and performances of their works

before the group. For a time, the influential group included Igor Stravinsky and Manuel de Falla. [23] One ofthe first works Ravel performed for the Apaches wasJeux d'eau, his first piano masterpiece and clearly a

pathfinding impressionistic work. Vies performed the public premiere of this piece and Ravel's other earlymasterpiece Pavane pour une infante dfunte in 1902.[24]

During his years at the Conservatoire, Ravel tried numerous times to win the prestigious Prix de Rome, butto no avail; he was probably considered too radical by the conservatives, including Director ThodoreDubois.[25] Ravel's String Quartet in F, probably modeled on Debussys Quartet (1893), is now a standard

work of chamber music, though at the time it was criticized and found lacking academically.[26] In 1905,Ravel's final year of eligibility for the Prix de Rome, Ravel did not even pass the preliminary test, despite

being favored to win one of the two first prizes available.[27] Instead, all six selected finalists were students

of Charles Lenepveu, a member of the jury and heir apparent of Dubois as director of the Conservatoire. Thescandal named the "Ravel Affair" by the Parisian press engaged the entire artistic community, pittingconservatives against the avant-garde, and eventually caused the resignation of Dubois and his replacementby Faur instead of Lenepveu, a vindication of sorts for Ravel.[28] Alfred Edwards, editor of Le Matin, whohad taken particular interest in the incident, took Ravel on a seven-week canal trip on his yacht Aimethrough the Low Countries in June and July 1905, the first time Ravel traveled abroad.[29] Though deprivedof the opportunity to study in Rome, the decade after the scandal proved to be Ravel's most productive, and

included his "Spanish period".[30]

Ravel and Debussy

Ravel met Debussy in the 1890s. Debussy was older than Ravel by twelve years and his pioneering Prlude l'aprs-midi d'un faune was influential among the younger musicians including Ravel, who wereimpressed by the new language of impressionism.[31] In 1900, Ravel was invited to Debussys home andthey played each others works. Vies became the preferred piano performer for both composers and a go-between. The two composers attended many of the same musical events and were performed at the sameconcerts. Ravel and the Apaches were strong supporters of Debussys controversial public debut of his

unconventional opera Pellas et Mlisande, which garnered Debussy both fame and scorn.[25]

The two musicians also appreciated much the same musical heritage and operated in the same artistic milieu,but they differed in terms of personality and their approach to music. Debussy was considered morespontaneous and casual in his composing while Ravel was more attentive to form and craftsmanship.[32]

Even though they worked independently of one another, because they employed differing means to similarends, and because superficial similarities and even some more substantive ones are evident, the public andthe critics associated them more than the facts warranted.[33]

Ravel wrote that Debussys genius was obviously one of great individuality, creating its own laws,constantly in evolution, expressing itself freely, yet always faithful to French tradition. For Debussy, the

musician and the man, I have had profound admiration, but by nature I am different from Debussy. [34]

Ravel further stated, I think I have always personally followed a direction opposed to that of the symbolismof Debussy.[15]
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Ravel in 1906 (photographby Pierre Petit)

They admired each others music and Ravel even played Debussys work in public on occasion. However,Ravel did criticize Debussy sometimes, particularly regarding his orchestration, and he once said, "If I had

the time, I would reorchestrateLa mer."[32]

By 1905, factions formed for each composer and the two groups began feuding in public. Disputes arose asto questions of chronology about their respective works and who influenced whom. The public tension

caused personal estrangement.[35]

As Ravel said, It is probably better after all for us to be on frigid termsfor illogical reasons.[33] Ravel stoically absorbed superficial comparisons with Debussy promulgated bybiased critics, including Pierre Lalo, an anti-Ravel critic who stated, Where M. Debussy is all sensitivity,M. Ravel is all insensitivity, borrowing without hesitation not only technique but the sensitivity of other

people.[35] During 1913, in a remarkable coincidence, both Ravel and Debussy independently produced andpublished musical settings for poems by Stphane Mallarm, again provoking comparisons of their work

and their perceived influence on each other, which continued even after Debussys death five years later. [36]

Early major works

The next of Ravels piano compositions to become famous wasMiroirs(Mirrors, 1905), five piano pieces which marked a harmonic evolution andwhich one commentator described as intensely descriptive and pictorial. Theybanish all sentiment in expression but offer to the listener a number of refined

sensory elements which can be appreciated according to his imagination.[37]

Next was hisHistoires naturelles (Nature Stories), five humorous songsevoking the presence of five animals.[38] Two years later, Ravel completed hisRapsodie espagnole, his first major "Spanish" piece, written first for pianofour hands and then scored for orchestra. Though it employs folk-like

melodies, no actual folk songs are quoted.[39] It premiered in 1908 to generallygood reviews, with one critic stating that it was "one of the most interestingnovelties of the season", while Pierre Lalo (as usual) reacted negatively,

calling it "laborious and pedantic".[40] Next followed Ravel's music for theoperaL'heure espagnole (The Spanish Hour), full of humor and rich in color,employing a wide variety of instruments and their characteristic qualities,including the trombone, sarrusophone, tuba, celesta, xylophone, and bells.[41]

The libretto was by Franc-Nohain, after his own comedy of the same name.

Ravel further extended his mastery of impressionistic piano music with Gaspard de la nuit, based on acollection by the same name by Aloysius Bertrand, with some influence from the writings of Edgar Allan

Poe, particularly in the second part.[42] Vies, as usual, performed the premiere but his performancedispleased Ravel, and their relationship became strained from then on. For future premieres, Ravel replaced

Vies with Marguerite Long.[43] Also unhappy with the conservative musical establishment which wasdiscouraging performance of new music, around this time Ravel, Faur, and some of his pupils formed theSocit musicale indpendante (SMI). In 1910, the society presented the premiere of Ravels Ma mre l'oye(Mother Goose) in its original piano duet version.[44] With this work, Ravel followed in the tradition ofSchumann, Mussorgsky, and Debussy, who also created memorable works of childhood themes. In 1912,Ravel'sMa mre l'oye was performed as a ballet (with added music) after being first transcribed from piano

to orchestra.[45] Looking to expand his contacts and career, Ravel made his first foreign tours to Englandand Scotland during 1909 and 1911.[46]
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Daphnis et Chlo

Ravel began work with impresario Sergei Diaghilev during 1909 for the ballet Daphnis et Chlocommissioned by Diaghilev with the lead danced by the famous ballet dancer and choreographer VaslavNijinsky. Diaghilev had taken Paris by storm the previous year in his Parisian opera debut, BorisGodunov.[45]Daphnis et Chlotook three years to complete, with conflicts constantly arising among the

principal artists, including Lon Bakst (sets and costumes), Michel Fokine (libretto), and Ravel (music).[47]In frustration, Diaghilev nearly cancelled the project. The ballet had an unenthusiastic reception and lastedonly two performances, only to be revived to acclaim a year later. Igor Stravinsky called Daphnis et Chlo"one of the most beautiful products of all French music" and author Burnett James claims that it is "Ravel's

most impressive single achievement, as it is his most opulent and confident orchestral score".[48] The workis notable for its rhythmic diversity, lyricism, and evocations of nature. The score utilizes a large orchestra

and two choruses, one onstage and one offstage.[49] So exhausting was the effort to score the ballet thatRavel's health deteriorated, with a diagnosis of neurasthenia soon forcing him to rest for several months. [50]

During 1914, just as World War I began, Ravel composed his Piano Trio (for piano, violin, and cello) with

its Basque themes. The piece, difficult to play well, is considered a masterpiece among trio works.[51]

War years

Although he considered his small stature (1.61 m)[52] and light weight an advantage to becoming an aviator,and he tried every means of securing service as a flyer, during the First World War Ravel was not allowed to

enlist as a pilot because of his age and weak health.[53] Instead, he became a truck driver stationed at theVerdun front.[54] With his mothers death in 1917, his fondest relationship ended and he fell into a horribledespair, adding to his ill health and the general gloom over the suffering endured by the people of his

country during the war. However, during the war years, Ravel did manage some compositions, includingone of his most popular works,Le tombeau de Couperin, a commemoration of the musical ideals of Franois

Couperin, the early 18th-century composer, which premiered in 1919.[55] Each movement is dedicated to afriend of Ravel's who died in the war, with the final movement dedicated to the deceased husband[56] of

Ravels favorite pianist Marguerite Long.[55] During the war, the Ligue Nationale pour la Defense de laMusique Franaise (National League for the Defense of French Music) was formed but Ravel, despite hisstrong antipathy for the German aggression, declined to join stating:

it would be dangerous for French composers to ignore systematically the works of their foreigncolleagues, and thus form themselves into a sort of national coterie: our musical art, so rich at

the present time, would soon degenerate and become isolated by its own academicformulas.[54]

Ravel was exhausted and lacking creative spirit at the wars end in 1918. With the death of Debussy and theemergence of Satie, Schoenberg, and Stravinsky, modern classical music had a new style to which Ravel

would shortly re-group and make his contribution.[57]

1920s

Around 1920, Diaghilev commissioned Ravel to writeLa valse (The Waltz), originally named Wien(Vienna), which was to be used for a projected ballet. The piece, conceived many years earlier, became awaltz with a macabre undertone, famous for its fantastic and fatal whirling. However, it was rejected by
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Ravel's house in Montfort-l'Amaury,where the composer lived from 1921 untilhis death

Diaghilev as not a ballet. Its a portrait of ballet. Ravel, hurt by the comment, ended the relationship.[58]

Subsequently, it became a popular concert work and when the two men met again in 1925, Ravel refused toshake Diaghilev's hand. Diaghilev challenged Ravel to a duel, but friends persuaded Diaghilev to recant. The

two never met again.[59]

In 1920, the French government awarded Ravel the Lgion

d'honneur, but he refused it.[60]

The next year, he retired to theFrench countryside where he continued to write music, albeit evenless prolifically, but in more tranquil surroundings.[61] Hereturned regularly to Paris for performances and socializing, andincreased his foreign concert tours. Ravel maintained hisinfluential participation with the SMI which continued its activerole of promoting new music, particularly of British andAmerican composers such as Arnold Bax, Ralph VaughanWilliams, Aaron Copland, and Virgil Thomson.[62] WithDebussys death, Ravel became perceived popularly as the maincomposer of French classical music. As Faur stated in a letter to

Ravel in October 1922, I am happier than you can imagine about the solid position which you occupy andwhich you have acquired so brilliantly and so rapidly. It is a source of joy and pride for your oldprofessor.[63] In 1922, Ravel completed his Sonata for Violin and Cello. Dedicated to Debussys memory,

the work features the thinner texture popular with the younger postwar composers. [63]

The English, in particular, lauded Ravel, as The Times reported April 16, 1923, Since the death of Debussy,

he has represented to English musicians the most vigorous current in modern French music."[63] In reality,however, Ravels own music was no longer considered au courantin France. Satie had become the inspiring

force for the new generation of French composers known asLes Six.[64] Ravel was fully aware of this, andwas mostly effective in preventing a serious breach between his generation of musicians and the younger

group.[64]

In post-war Paris, American musical influence was strong. Jazz particularly was played in the cafes andbecame popular, and French composers including Ravel and Darius Milhaud were applying jazz elements to

their work.[18] Also in vogue was a return to simplicity in orchestration and a transition from the great scaleof the works of Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss. Igor Stravinsky and Sergei Prokofiev were in the

ascendant, and Arnold Schoenberg's experiments were leading music into atonality.[65] These trends posed

challenges for Ravel, always a slow and deliberate composer, who desired to keep his music relevant butstill revered the past. This may have played a part in his declining output and longer composing time duringthe 1920s.[65]

Around 1922, Ravel completed his famous orchestral arrangement of Mussorgskys Pictures at anExhibition, commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky, which through its widespread popularity brought Ravelgreat fame and substantial profit.[18] The first half of the 1920s was a particularly lean period for composingbut Ravel did complete successful concert tours to Amsterdam, Milan, London, Madrid, and Vienna, whichalso boosted his fame. By 1925, by virtue of the unwelcomed pressure of a performance deadline, he finallyfinished his operaL'enfant et les sortilges, with its significant jazz and ragtime accents. Famed writer

Colette provided the libretto.[66] Around this time, he also completed Chansons madcasses, the summit ofhis vocal art.[67]
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Ravel at the piano, accompanied by Canadiansinger va Gauthier, during his American tour,March 7, 1928. Third from right (standing) isconductor-composer Manoah Leide-Tedesco. Atfar right is George Gershwin.

In 1927, Ravels String Quartet received its first complete recording. By this time Ravel, like Edward Elgar,had become convinced of the importance of recording his works, especially with his input and direction. He

made recordings nearly every year from then until his death.[68] That same year, he completed andpremiered his Sonata for Violin and Piano, his last chamber work, with its second movement (titled Blues)

gaining much attention.[69]

Ravel also served as a juror with Florence Meyer Blumenthal in awarding the Prix Blumenthal, a grant givenbetween 1919 and 1954 to young French painters, sculptors, decorators, engravers, writers, and

musicians.[70]

American tour

After two months of planning, in 1928 Ravel made a four-month concert tour in North America, for a promisedminimum of $10,000[68] (approximately $134,000, adjusted

for inflation[71]). In New York City, he received a standingovation, unlike any of his unenthusiastic premieres in Paris.His all-Ravel concert in Boston was equally acclaimed.[72]

The noted critic Olin Downes wrote, Mr. Ravel haspursued his way as an artist quietly and very well. He hasdisdained superficial or meretricious effects. He has beenhis own most unsparing critic.[73] Ravel conducted most ofthe leading orchestras in the U.S. from coast to coast and

visited twenty-five cities.[74]

He also met the American composer George Gershwin inNew York and went with him to hear jazz in Harlem,probably hearing some of the famous jazz musicians such

as Duke Ellington.[75] There is a story that when Gershwinmet Ravel, he mentioned that he would like to study withthe French composer. According to Gershwin, the Frenchman retorted, "Why do you want to become a

second-rate Ravel when you are already a first-rate Gershwin?"[76] The second part of the story has Ravelasking Gershwin how much money he made. Upon hearing Gershwin's reply, Ravel suggested that maybehe should study with Gershwin. This tale may well be apocryphal: Gershwin seems also to have told a near-identical story about a conversation with Arnold Schoenberg, and some have claimed it was with IgorStravinsky and Olivier Messiaen. It's even recorded that Gershwin attempted to contact Charles Ives at Ives'sinsurance firm for the same reason, but Ives was on vacation at the time. (See George Gershwin.) In anyevent, this had to have been before Ravel wroteBolro, which became financially very successful for him.

Ravel then visited New Orleans and imbibed the jazz scene there as well. His admiration of jazz, increasedby his American visit, caused him to include some jazz elements in a few of his later compositions,especially the two piano concertos. The great success of his American tour made Ravel famous

internationally.[77]

Final years
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After returning to France, Ravel composed his most famous and controversial orchestral work Bolro,originally called Fandango. Ravel called it an experiment in a very special and limited direction.[78] Hestated his idea for the piece, I am going to try to repeat it a number of times on different orchestral levelsbut without any development.[79] He conceived of it as an accompaniment to a ballet and not as anorchestral piece as, in his own opinion, it has no music in it, and was somewhat taken aback by its popularsuccess.[79] A public dispute began with conductor Arturo Toscanini. The Italian maestro, taking liberties

with Ravels strict instructions, conducted the piece at a faster tempo and with an accelerando at the finish.Ravel insisted I dont ask for my music to be interpreted, but only that it should be played. In the end, thefeuding only helped to increase the works fame. A Hollywood film titledBolero (1934), starring Carole

Lombard and George Raft, made major use of the theme.[80] Ravel made one of the few recordings of hisown music when he conducted hisBolro with the Lamoureux Orchestra in 1930.

Remarkably, Ravel composed both of his piano concertos simultaneously.[81] He completed the Concertofor the Left Hand first. The work was commissioned by Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost hisright arm during World War I. Ravel was inspired by the technical challenges of the project. As Ravelstated, In a work of this kind, it is essential to give the impression of a texture no thinner than that of a partwritten for both hands.[82] Ravel, not proficient enough to perform the work with only his left hand,demonstrated it with two-hands and Wittgenstein was reportedly underwhelmed by it. But later Wittgensteinstated, Only much later, after Id studied the concerto for months, did I become fascinated by it and realizedwhat a great work it was.[83] In 1933, Wittgenstein played the work in concert for the first time to instant

acclaim.[84] Critic Henry Prunires wrote, From the opening measures, we are plunged into a world in

which Ravel has but rarely introduced us.[84]

The other piano concerto was completed a year later. Its lighter tone follows the models of Mozart and

Saint-Sans, and also makes use of jazz-like themes.[85] Ravel dedicated the work to his favorite pianist,

Marguerite Long, who played it and popularized it across Europe in over twenty cities, and they recorded ittogether in 1932.[86] EMI later reissued the 1932 recording on LP and CD. Although Ravel was listed as theconductor on the original 78-rpm discs, it is possible he merely supervised the recording.

Ravel, ever modest, was bemused by the critics' sudden favor of him since his American tour: Didnt Irepresent to the critics for a long time the most perfect example of insensitivity and lack of emotion?... Andthe successes they have given me in the past few years are just as unimportant.[84]

Illness and death

In 1932, Ravel suffered from spontanious combustion in a taxi. This tradgedy was not considered serious atthe time.[87] However, afterwards he began to experience aphasia-like symptoms and was frequently absent-

minded.[88] It is also possible he had begun experiencing the early stages of Pick's disease. He had begunwork on music for a film,Adventures of Don Quixote (1933) from Miguel de Cervantes's celebrated novel,featuring the Russian bass Feodor Chaliapin and directed by G. W. Pabst. When Ravel became unable tocompose, and could not write down the musical ideas he heard in his mind, Pabst hired Jacques Ibert.However, three songs for baritone and orchestra that Ravel composed for the film were later published under

the titleDon Quichotte a Dulcine, and have been performed and recorded.[87]

On April 8, 2008, theNew York Times published an article suggesting Ravel may have been in the earlystages of frontotemporal dementia during 1928, and this might account for the repetitive nature of
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Bolro.[89] This accords with an earlier article, published in a journal of neurology, that closely examinesRavel's clinical history and argues that his worksBolro and Piano Concerto for the Left Hand both indicate

the impacts of neurological disease.[90] This is contradicted somewhat, however, by the earlier citedcomments by Ravel about how he created the deliberately repetitious theme forBolro.

In late 1937, Ravel consented to experimental brain surgery, evidently with some hesitation. On December

17, he entered a hospital in Paris, following the advice of the well-known neurosurgeon Clovis Vincent.Vincent assumed there was a brain tumor, and on December 19 operated on Ravel. No tumor was found, butthere was some shrinkage of the left hemisphere of his brain, which was re-inflated with serous fluid. WhenRavel awoke from the anaesthesia, he asked for his brother, but quickly sank into a deep coma, from which

he never awoke.[91] He died on December 28, at the age of 62, in Paris.

Ravel's death was probably a result of the brain surgery, with the underlying cause arguably being a brain

injury caused by the automobile accident in 1932, and not from a brain tumor as some believe.[92] Thisconfusion may arise because his friend George Gershwin had died from a brain tumor only five monthsearlier.

On December 30, 1937, Ravel was buried next to his parents in a granite tomb at the cemetery at Levallois-Perret, a suburb of northwest Paris. Ravel was an atheist.[93]

Personal life

Ravel is not known to have had any intimate relationships, and his personal life, and especially his sexuality,remain a mystery. Ravel made a remark at one time suggesting that because he was such a perfectionist

composer, so devoted to his work, he could never have a lasting intimate relationship with anyone. [94]

However, according to close friend and student Manuel Rosenthal, he asked violinist Hlne Jourdan-Morhange to marry him, although she dismissed him, saying "No, Maurice, I'm extremely fond of you, as

you know, but only as a friend, and I couldn't possibly consider marrying you". [95] He is quoted as saying"The only love affair I have ever had was with music".[96] Some of his friends suggested that Ravelfrequented the bordellos of Paris, but no factual evidence has ever been found to substantiate this rumor.

A recent hypothesis presented by David Lamaze, a composition teacher at the Conservatoire de Rennes inFrance, is that he hid in his music representations of the nickname and the name of Misia Godebska,transcribed into two groups of notes, Godebska = G D E B A and Misia = Mi + Si + A = E B A. He wasinvited onto her boat during a 1905 cruise on the Rhine after his failure at the Prix de Rome, for which her

husband, Alfred Edwards, organized a scandal in the newspapers. This same man owned the Casino de Pariswhere the Ravel family had a number staged, Tourbillon de la mort("Whirlwind of Death"). The family ofher half-brother, Cipa Godebski, is said to have been like a second family for Ravel. In 1907 on Misia's boatL'Aime, Ravel completedL'heure espagnole and theRapsodie espagnole, and at the premiere ofDaphnis etChlo, Ravel arrived late and did not go to his box but to Misia's, where he offered her a Japanese doll. Inher memoirs, Misia hid all these facts.[97]

In hisMaurice Ravel: A Life, published in 2000, biographer Benjamin Ivry presents evidence in support ofhis thesis that Ravel's lack of known intimate relationships may be explained if he was a "very secretive"gay man. Ivry also attempts to illustrate examples where Ravel's sexuality may have been expressed in his

musical compositions. In his review[98] of Ivry's biography forLibrary Journal Larry Lipkis is persuaded byIvry's research that "There seems to be little question that Ravel was an affected, intensely secretive dandy
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with gay inclinations", but also expresses the view that Ivry's work is less persuasive in definitively linkingRavel's sexuality to characteristics of his musical oeuvre.

Legacy

Many of Ravel's works are protected by copyright in the EU and US and due to various posthumous

extensions will remain so until 2032. In countries where copyright extends for the life of the composer plusfifty years, such as Canada,[99] Ravel's works fell into the public domain in December 1987.

The composer died childless and left everything to his brother Edouard who turned Ravel's house into amuseum. Edouard was severely injured in a car accident in 1954 and required near constant care. In 1957,Edouard announced his intention to deed 80% of the composer's posthumous royalties to the city of Parisand endow a Nobel Prize in music.

Instead, Edouard consigned the rights to his nurse, Jeanne Taverne, and her husband Alexandre, a chauffer.When Edouard Ravel died in 1960, the Ravel estate fell subject to extensive litigation for ten years, reaching

France's highest appellate court. Jeanne Taverne died before the litigation ended. During this period, Jean-Jacques Lemoine, the legal director of SACEM (the organization that collects and distributes royalties inFrance), froze distribution of Ravel's account.

When the litigation concluded, Lemoine resigned from SACEM and set up a shell company, Arima, withAlexandre Taverne for collecting Ravel's royalties. The company is based in Gibraltar and the British VirginIslands in order to avoid French taxes. The two also sued Ravel's publisher, then nearing retirement, to re-write the original contracts, consigning a greater percentage of the royalties to Arima than Durand'spublisher. Since that time, the shell company has collected at least 30m and none of Ravel's estate has gone

to the Ravel family or to further the cause of French music.[100]

Musicality

Musical sources

Active during a period of great artistic innovation and diversification, Ravel benefited from many sourcesand influences, though his music defies any facile classification. As Vladimir Janklvitch notes in hisbiography, "no influence can claim to have conquered him entirely [...]. Ravel remains ungraspable behind

all these masks which the snobbery of the century has attempted to impose."[101]

Ravel's musical language was ultimately very original, neither absolutely modernist nor impressionist. LikeDebussy, Ravel categorically refused this description of impressionist which he believed was reservedexclusively for painting.[102]

Ravel was a remarkable synthesist of disparate styles. His music matured early into his innovative anddistinct style. As a student, he studied the scores of composers of the past methodically: as he stated, "in

order to know one's own craft, one must study the craft of others."[103] Though he liked the new Frenchmusic, during his youth Ravel still felt fond of the older French styles of Franck and the Romanticism of

Beethoven and Wagner.[12] Or, as Vies put it, discussing Ravel's aesthetics (not his religion):

"He is, moreover, very complicated, there being in him a mixture of Middle Ages Catholicism
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and satanic impiety, but also a love of Art and Beauty which guide him and which make himreact candidly."[103]

Certain aspects of his music can be considered to belong to the tradition of 18th-century French classicismbeginning with Couperin and Rameau as inLe Tombeau de Couperin. The uniquely 19th-century Frenchsensibilities of Faur and Chabrier are reflected in Srnade grotesque, Pavane pour une infante dfunte,andMenuet antique, while pieces such asJeux d'eau, and the String Quartet in F owe something to theinnovations of Satie and Debussy. The virtuosity and poetry ofGaspard de la nuitand Concerto for the lefthand hint at Liszt and Chopin. His admiration for American jazz is echoed inL'enfant et les sortilges, theViolin Sonata and the Piano Concerto in G, while the Russian school of music inspired homage in " lamanire de Borodin" and the orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Additionally, hevariously cited Mozart, Saint-Sans, Schubert and Schoenberg as inspirations for various pieces.

Musical style

Ravel's music was innovative, though he did not follow the contemporary trend towards atonality, as

pioneered by Schoenberg. Instead, he applied the aesthetics of the new French school of Chabrier, Satie, andparticularly Debussy. Ravel's compositions rely upon modal melodies instead of using the major or minorscales for their predominant harmonic language. He preferred modes with major or minor flavors; forexample, the Mixolydian instead of the major scale, and the Aeolian instead of the harmonic minor. As aresult, there are virtually no leading tones in his output. Melodically, he tended to favor two modes: theDorian and the Phrygian.[104] Following the teachings of Gdalge, Ravel placed high importance on melody,

once stating to Vaughan Williams, that there is "an implied melodic outline in all vital music."[104]

In no way dependent on exclusively traditional modal practices, Ravel used extended harmonies andintricate modulations. He was fond of chords of the ninth and eleventh, and his characteristic harmonies are

largely the result of a fondness for unresolved appoggiaturas, such as in the Valses nobles etsentimentales.[105] He was inspired by various dances, his favorite being the minuet, composing theMenuetsur le nom d'Haydn in 1908, to commemorate the centenary of the death of Joseph Haydn. Other forms fromwhich Ravel drew material include the forlane, rigaudon, waltz, czardas, habanera, passacaglia, and thebolro.

He believed that composers should be aware of both individual and national consciousness. For him, Basquemusic was influential. He intended to write an earlier concerto,Zazpiak Bat, but it was never finished. Thetitle is a result of his Basque heritage: meaning 'The Seven Are One' (seeZazpiak Bat), it refers to the seven

Basque regions, and was a motto often used in association with the idea of a Basque nation.

[106]

Instead,Ravel abandoned the piece, using its nationalistic themes and rhythms in some of his other pieces. Ravel

also used other folk themes including Hebraic, Greek, and Hungarian. [107]

Ravel has almost always been considered one of the two great French impressionist composers, the otherbeing Debussy. In reality Ravel was much more than an Impressionist (and in fact he resented being labelledas such). For example, he made extensive use of rollicking jazz tunes in his Piano Concerto in G Major in

the first and third movements.[108] Ravel also imitates Paganini's and Liszt's virtuoso gypsy themes andtechnique in Tzigane.[109] In his la manire de...Borodine (In the manner of...Borodin), Ravel plays withthe ability to both mimic and remain original. In a more complex situation,A la maniere de...Emmanuel

Chabrier/Paraphrase sur un air de Gounod ("Faust IIme acte"), Ravel takes on a theme from Gounod'sFaustand arranges it in the style of Chabrier. He also composed short pieces in the manner of Haydn and his
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teacher Faur.[110] Even in writing in the style of others, Ravel's own voice as a composer remained distinct.

Ravel considered himself in many ways a classicist. He often relied on traditional forms, such as the ternaryform, as well as traditional structures as ways of presenting his new melodic and rhythmic content, and hisinnovative harmonies.[111] Ravel stated, "If I were called upon to do so, I would ask to be allowed toidentify myself with the simple pronouncements made by Mozart ... He confined himself to saying that there

is nothing that music cannot undertake to do, or dare, or portray, provided it continues to charm and alwaysremain music."[112] He often masked the sections of his structure with transitions that disguised thebeginnings of the motif. This is apparent in his Valses nobles et sentimentales inspired by Franz Schubert'scollections, Valses nobles and Valses sentimentales where the seven movements begin and end withoutpause, and in his chamber music where many movements are in sonata-allegro form, hiding the change fromdevelopmental sections to recapitulation.[113]

From his own experience, Ravel was cognizant of the effect of new music on the ears of the public and heinsightfully wrote:

On the initial performance of a new musical composition, the first impression of the public isgenerally one of reaction to the more superficial elements of its music, that is to say, to itsexternal manifestations rather than to its inner content...often it is not until years after, when themeans of expression have finally surrendered all their secrets, that the real inner emotion of the

music becomes apparent to the listener.[114]

Methods

His own composing method was craftsman-like and perfectionistic. Igor Stravinsky once referred to Ravel

as "the most perfect of Swiss watchmakers", a reference to the intricacy and precision of Ravel's works.

[115]

Ravel, who sometimes spent years refining a piece, said, My objective, therefore, is technical perfection. Ican strive unceasingly to this end, since I am certain of never being able to attain it. The important thing is toget nearer to it all the time.[116]

More specifically he stated:

In my own compositions I judge a long period of conscious gestation necessary. During thisinterval I come progressively, and with growing precision, to see the form and the evolution thatthe final work will take in its tonality. Thus I can be occupied for several years without writing

a single note of the work, after which composition goes relatively quickly. But one must spendmuch time in eliminating all that could be regarded as superfluous in order to realize ascompletely as possible the definitive clarity so much desired. The moment arrives when newconceptions must be formulated for the final composition, but they cannot be artificially forcedfor they come only of their own accord, often deriving their original from some far-off

perception and only manifesting themselves after long years.[115]

Michael Lanford has observed that "on at least three different published occasions, Ravel testified that 'myteacher in composition was Edgar Allan Poe because of his analysis his wonderful poem 'The Raven.' Poetaught me that true art is a perfect balance between pure intellect and emotion."[117] Therefore, he draws

parallels between Ravel's working process and the readings of Poe by French scholars like CharlesBaudelaire, who "believed that the unity of impression, the totality of effect described by Poe endowed a
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composition a very special superiority If the first sentence is not written with the idea of preparing thisfinal impression, the work has failed from the start. There must not creep into the entire composition a singleword which is not intentional, which does not tend, directly or indirectly, to complete the premeditated

design."[118]

Many of his most innovative compositions were developed first as piano music. Ravel used this miniaturistapproach to build up his architecture with many finely wrought strokes. To fill the requirements of largerworks, he multiplied the number of small building blocks.[111] This demonstrates the great regard he had for

the piano traditions of Couperin, Scarlatti, Mozart, Chopin and Liszt.[119] For example, Gaspard de la nuitcan be viewed as an extension of Liszts virtuosity and advanced harmonics.[120] Even Ravels mostdifficult pieces, however, are marked by elegance and refinement. Walter Gieseking found some of Ravelspiano works to be among the most difficult pieces for the instrument but always based on musically

perfectly logical concepts; not just technically demanding but also requiring the right expression.[119]

Ravels great regard as an orchestrator is also based on his thorough methods. He usually notated the string

parts first and insisted that the string section sound perfectly in and of itself.[121] In writing for the othersections, he often preferred to score in tutti to produce a full, clear resonance. To add surprise and addedcolor, the melody might start with one instrument and be continued with another.[122]

Because of his perfectionism and methods, Ravels musical output over four decades is quite small. Most ofhis works were thought out over considerable lengths of time, then notated quickly, and refined

painstakingly.[123] When a piece would not progress, he would abandon a piece until inspired anew.[124]

There are only about sixty compositions in all, of which slightly more than half are instrumental. Ravelsbody of work includes pieces for piano, chamber works, two piano concerti, ballet music, opera, and songcycles.[5] Though wide-ranging in his music, Ravel avoided the symphonic form as well as religious themes

and forms.[125]

Ravel crafted his manuscripts meticulously, and relentlessly polished and corrected them. He destroyedhundreds of sketches and even re-copied entire autographs to correct one mistake. Early printed editions of

his works were prone to errors so he worked painstakingly with his publisher, Durand, to correct them. [123]

Pianist and conductor

Though a competent pianist, Ravel decided early on to have virtuosi, like Ricardo Vies, premiere andperform his work. As his career evolved, however, Ravel was again called upon to play his own pianomusic, and to conduct his larger works, particularly during a tour, both of which he considered chores in thesame mold as "circus performances". Only rarely did he conduct works of other composers.[126] OneLondon critic stated "His baton is not the magician's wand of a virtuoso conductor. He just stood therebeating time and keeping watch".[127] As to how his music was to be played, Ravel was always clear and

direct with his instructions.[127]

Transcriber and orchestrator

Ravel was and is a leading figure in the art of transcription and orchestration. During his life Ravel studied

the ability of each orchestral instrument carefully in order to determine its possible effects while beingsensitive to individual color and timbre.[17] Ravel regarded orchestration as a task separate from
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composition, involving distinct technical skills. He was always careful to ensure that the writing for eachfamily of instruments worked in isolation as well as in the complete ensemble. While he disapproved oftampering with his own works once completed, orchestration gave him the opportunity to view works in a

different context.[16] Among the most famous of his orchestral transcriptions is his ownLe Tombeau deCouperin (1917) of which he orchestrated the Prelude, Forlane, Minuet, and Rigaudon movements in 1919.The orchestral version clarifies the harmonic language of the suite and brings sharpness to its classical dance

rhythms. Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition is best known through its orchestration by Ravel.In this version, produced in 1922, Ravel omits the Promenade between "Samuel" Goldenberg und"Schmule" andLimoges and applies artistic license to some particulars of dynamics and notation as well asputting forth the virtuoso effort of a master colourist throughout.

Musical influence

Ravel was always a supporter of young musicians, through his society and associations and through hispersonal individual advice and his help in securing performance dates. His closest students included Maurice

Delage, Manuel Rosenthal, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Alexis Roland-Manuel and Vlado Perlemuter. [94]

Ravel modeled his teaching methods after his own teacher Gabriel Faur, avoiding formulas andemphasizing individualism. Ravel's preferred way of teaching would be to have a conversation with hisstudents and demonstrate his points at the piano. He was rigorous and demanding in teaching counterpointand fugue, as he revered Johann Sebastian Bach without reservation. But in all other areas, he consideredMozart the ideal, with the perfect balance between "classical symmetry and the element of surprise", andwith works of clarity, perfect craftsmanship, and measured amounts of lyricism. Often Ravel wouldchallenge a student with "What would Mozart do?" and then ask the student to invent his own solution.[128]

Though never a paid critic as Debussy had been, Ravel had strong opinions on historical and contemporary

music and musicians, which influenced his younger contemporaries. In creating his own music, he tended toavoid the more monumental composers as models, finding relatively little kinship with or inspiration fromBeethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz or Franck. However, as an outspoken commentator on theRomantic giants, he found much of Beethoven "exasperating", Wagner's influence "pernicious" andBerlioz's harmony "clumsy". He had considerable admiration for other 19th-century masters such as Chopin,Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Schubert.[129] Despite what he considered its technical deficiencies, Ravel was a

strong advocate of Russian music and praised its spontaneity, orchestral color, and exoticism.[130]

Notable compositions

Main article: List of compositions by Maurice Ravel

Menuet antique (piano, 1895, orchestrated in 1929)Shhrazade (ouverture de ferie) (1897)Pavane pour une infante dfunte ("Pavane for a dead infanta") (piano 1899, orchestra 1910)Jeux d'eau (piano, 1901)String Quartet in F major (19023)Shhrazade (orchestral song cycle, 1903, setting poems by his friend Tristan Klingsor)Sonatine (piano, 19031905)

Introduction and Allegro (pedal harp, flute, clarinet, string quartet, 1905)Miroirs ("Reflections") (piano, 1905):Noctuelles ("Night moths")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miroirshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedal_harphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduction_and_Allegro_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonatine_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_Klingsorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C3%A9h%C3%A9razade_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartet_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeux_d%27eau_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavanehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavane_pour_une_infante_d%C3%A9funtehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sh%C3%A9h%C3%A9razade_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menuet_antiquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Maurice_Ravelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravel#cite_note-130http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoticismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravel#cite_note-129http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Schuberthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felix_Mendelssohnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Liszthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliozhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wagnerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9sar_Franckhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Berliozhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyotr_Ilyich_Tchaikovskyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Brahmshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethovenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Debussyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravel#cite_note-128http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozarthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bachhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Faur%C3%A9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravel#cite_note-Orenstein_1991_112-94http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlado_Perlemuterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexis_Roland-Manuelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Vaughan_Williamshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Rosenthalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurice_Delagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictures_at_an_Exhibitionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modest_Mussorgskyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Tombeau_de_Couperinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravel#cite_note-Kelly-16


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Oiseaux tristes ("Sad birds")Une barque sur l'ocan ("A boat on the ocean"; orchestrated 1906)Alborada del Gracioso ("Dawn song of the jester"; orchestrated 1918)La valle des cloches ("Valley of the bells")

Histoires naturelles ("Tales from nature") (song cycle for voice and piano, text by Jules Renard, 1906)Pice en forme de Habanera (bass voice and piano, 1907)Rapsodie espagnole ("Spanish Rhapsody") (orchestra, 1907)

L'heure espagnole ("The Spanish Hour") (opera, 19071909)Gaspard de la nuit("Demons of the night") (piano, 1908)Ma mre l'oye ("Mother Goose") (piano duet 19081910, orchestrated 1911, expanded into ballet1912)Daphnis et Chlo("Daphnis and Chlo") (ballet, 19091912)Trois Pomes de Stphane Mallarm, (voice, piano, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet and stringquartet, 1913)Valses nobles et sentimentales ("Noble and Sentimental Waltzes") (piano 1911, orchestra 1912)Piano Trio A minor (1914)Le tombeau de Couperin ("Tombeau for Couperin"; piano 19141917; movements I, III, IV and V

orchestrated 1919)I. PreludeII. FugueIII. ForlaneIV. RigaudonV. MinuetVI. Toccata

La valse (choreographic poem, 19061914 and 19191920)Sonata for Violin and Cello in C major (19201922)Chansons Madcasses ("Songs of Madagascar") (voice, flute, cello and piano, text by Evariste Parny,

1926)L'enfant et les sortilges ("The Child and the Spells", lyric fantasy, 19201925, libretto by Colette1917)Tzigane (violin and piano, 1924)Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major (19231927)Fanfare (1927; for the children's balletL'ventail de Jeanne, to which ten French composers eachcontributed a dance)Bolro (ballet, 1928)Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major (19291930; composed for Paul Wittgenstein)Piano Concerto in G (19291931)Don Quichotte Dulcine ("Serenade of Don Quixote to Dulcinea"; voice and piano, 19321933)

Media depictions

Canadian filmmaker Larry Weinstein has produced two documentaries about Ravel, Ravel (1987)[131]

andRavel's Brain (2001).[132] The second of these two films dramatizes the musician's illness anddeath.Maurice Ravel is played as a "bit role" by actor Oscar Loraine in the 1945 Gershwin film biographyRhapsody in Blue.

Radiolab - Unraveling Bolero (http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2012/jun/18/unraveling-bolero/)
http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2012/jun/18/unraveling-bolero/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhapsody_in_Blue_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gershwinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oscar_Loraine&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravel#cite_note-132http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravel#cite_note-131http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Larry_Weinstein&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulcineahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixotehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenadehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Don_Quichotte_%C3%A0_Dulcin%C3%A9e&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wittgensteinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Concerto_for_the_Left_Hand_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bol%C3%A9rohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27%C3%A9ventail_de_Jeannehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Sonata_No._2_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tziganehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colettehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Librettohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27enfant_et_les_sortil%C3%A8geshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonata_for_Violin_and_Cello_(Ravel)&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_valsehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Couperinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombeauhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_tombeau_de_Couperinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Trio_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valses_nobles_et_sentimentales_(Ravel)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St%C3%A9phane_Mallarm%C3%A9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphnis_et_Chlo%C3%A9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Goosehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_m%C3%A8re_l%27oyehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaspard_de_la_nuithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27heure_espagnolehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhapsody_(music)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapsodie_espagnolehttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pi%C3%A8ce_en_forme_de_Habanera&action=edit&redlink=1


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See also

Compositions by Maurice RavelExpressionismImpressionist musicRavel scale

Notes

1. ^ Kavanaugh 1996, p. 562. ^ James 1987, p. 11. Joseph is sometimes described inaccurately as Swiss.3. ^ James 1987, p. 134. ^ Orenstein 1991, p. 105. ^ ab Orenstein 1991, p. 1306. ^ ab Orenstein 1991, p. 8

7. ^ Orenstein 1991, p. 118. ^ Orenstein 1991, pp. 11129. ^ James 1987, p. 15

10. ^ ab Orenstein 1991, p. 1611. ^ ab Orenstein 1991, p. 1412. ^ abc James 1987, p. 2213. ^ ab Orenstein 1991, p. 11114. ^ Orenstein 1991, p. 11015. ^ ab James 1987, p. 2016. ^ ab Kelly

17. ^a

b

James 1987, p. 2118. ^ abc James 1987, p. 10119. ^ Orenstein 1991, p. 1720. ^ Orenstein 1991, p. 2421. ^ Orenstein 1991, p. 2522. ^ Orenstein 1991, p. 2823. ^ Orenstein 1991, p. 2924. ^ Orenstein 1991, p. 3725. ^ ab James 1987, p. 3326. ^ Orenstein 1991, pp. 39

Maurice Ravel - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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