A BIOGRAPHY of JOSEPH MAURICE RAVEL by Matthew Dechirico
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Season 2016-2017
23 Season 2016-2017 Thursday, January 26, at 8:00 The Philadelphia Orchestra Friday, January 27, at 2:00 City of Light and Music: The Paris Festival, Week 3 Yannick Nézet-Séguin Conductor Choong-Jin Chang Viola Berlioz Harold in Italy, Op. 16 I. Harold in the Mountains (Scenes of melancholy, happiness, and joy) II. Pilgrims’ March—Singing of the Evening Hymn III. Serenade of an Abruzzi Mountaineer to his Sweetheart IV. Brigands’ Orgy (Reminiscences of the preceding scenes) Intermission Ravel Alborada del gracioso Ravel Rapsodie espagnole I. Prelude to the Night— II. Malagueña III. Habanera IV. Feria Ravel Bolero This program runs approximately 1 hour, 55 minutes. The January 26 concert is sponsored in memory of Ruth W. Williams. Philadelphia Orchestra concerts are broadcast on WRTI 90.1 FM on Sunday afternoons at 1 PM. Visit WRTI.org to listen live or for more details. 24 Steven Spielberg’s filmE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has always held a special place in my heart, and I personally think it’s his masterpiece. In looking at it today, it’s as fresh and new as when it was made in 1982. Cars may change, along with hairstyles and clothes … but the performances, particularly by the children and by E.T. himself, are so honest, timeless, and true, that the film absolutely qualifies to be ranked as a classic. What’s particularly special about today’s concert is that we’ll hear one of our great symphony orchestras, The Philadelphia Orchestra, performing the entire score live, along with the complete picture, sound effects, and dialogue. -
1) Aspects of the Musical Careers of Grieg, Debussy and Ravel
Edvard Grieg, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Biographical issues and a comparison of their string quartets Juliette L. Appold I. Grieg, Debussy and Ravel – Biographical aspects II. Connections between Grieg, Debussy and Ravel III. Observations on their string quartets I. Grieg, Debussy and Ravel – Biographical aspects Looking at the biographies of Grieg, Debussy and Ravel makes us realise, that there are few, yet some similarities in the way their career as composers were shaped. In my introductory paragraph I will point out some of these aspects. The three composers received their first musical training in their childhood, between the age of six (Grieg) and nine (Debussy) (Ravel was seven). They all entered the conservatory in their early teenage years (Debussy was 10, Ravel 14, Grieg 15 years old) and they all had more or less difficult experiences when they seriously thought about a musical career. In Grieg’s case it happened twice in his life. Once, when a school teacher ridiculed one of his first compositions in front of his class-mates.i The second time was less drastic but more subtle during his studies at the Leipzig Conservatory until 1862.ii Grieg had despised the pedagogical methods of some teachers and felt that he did not improve in his composition studies or even learn anything.iii On the other hand he was successful in his piano-classes with Carl Ferdinand Wenzel and Ignaz Moscheles, who had put a strong emphasis on the expression in his playing.iv Debussy and Ravel both were also very good piano players and originally wanted to become professional pianists. -
MAURICE RAVEL Miroirs (“Mirrors”) Work Composed: 1904–05 in Contrast to the Voluptuous, Sens
MAURICE RAVEL Miroirs (“Mirrors”) Work composed: 1904–05 In contrast to the voluptuous, sensuous and intentionally ambiguous music of Debussy, Ravel’s compositions are precise, clear in design and economical in scoring. Nonetheless, the music of both composers — and many strikingly similar titles — clearly shares an overlapping sensibility and sense of fantasy. Ravel presented his freshly minted piano score Miroirs (“Mirrors”) to his inner circle of artist friends known collectively as the Apaches, dedicating each movement to a specific member of the tight-knit group. The five-part suite reflects the gauzy evanescence of Debussy’s impressionism while paying homage to Liszt’s pianistic pyrotechnics. The influence of Debussy is felt immediately in the first movement, Noctuelles (“Night moths”). Schumann and other composers have rhapsodized about butterflies but Ravel, who always maintained a fascination for the outré, obviously delighted in the intentional grotesqueries evoked in the music. Not coincidentally, he dedicated this piece to Léon-Paul Fargue, who authored this phrase: “The owlet-moths fly clumsily out of the old barn to drape themselves round other beams.” Rapidly scurrying passagework vividly portrays the rapidly changing flight patterns of the winged insects. In the second piece, Oiseaux tristes (“Sad Birds”), dedicated to pianist Ricardo Viñes, Ravel sought to evoke “birds lost in the torpor of a dark forest during the hottest hours of the summer,” or so the composer explained. Even so, the textures are more crisply chiseled than one might expect from the descriptive explanation. Unlike his latter compatriot, Messiaen, Ravel does not imitate bird-song but conveys an unmistakable avian aura. -
(MTO 21.1: Stankis, Ravel's ficolor
Volume 21, Number 1, March 2015 Copyright © 2015 Society for Music Theory Maurice Ravel’s “Color Counterpoint” through the Perspective of Japonisme * Jessica E. Stankis NOTE: The examples for the (text-only) PDF version of this item are available online at: http://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.15.21.1/mto.15.21.1.stankis.php KEYWORDS: Ravel, texture, color, counterpoint, Japonisme, style japonais, ornament, miniaturism, primary nature, secondary nature ABSTRACT: This article establishes a link between Ravel’s musical textures and the phenomenon of Japonisme. Since the pairing of Ravel and Japonisme is far from obvious, I develop a series of analytical tools that conceptualize an aesthetic orientation called “color counterpoint,” inspired by Ravel’s fascination with Chinese and Japanese art and calligraphy. These tools are then applied to selected textures in Ravel’s “Habanera,” and “Le grillon” (from Histoires naturelles ), and are related to the opening measures of Jeux d’eau and the Sonata for Violin and Cello . Visual and literary Japonisme in France serve as a graphical and historical foundation to illuminate how Ravel’s color counterpoint may have been shaped by East Asian visual imagery. Received August 2014 1. Introduction It’s been given to [Ravel] to bring color back into French music. At first he was taken for an impressionist. For a while he encountered opposition. Not a lot, and not for long. And once he got started, what production! —Léon-Paul Fargue, 1920s (quoted in Beucler 1954 , 53) Don’t you think that it slightly resembles the gardens of Versailles, as well as a Japanese garden? —Ravel describing his Le Belvédère, 1931 (quoted in Orenstein 1990 , 475) In “Japanizing” his garden, Ravel made unusual choices, like his harmonies. -
Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937) by John Louis Digaetani
Ravel, Maurice (1875-1937) by John Louis DiGaetani Encyclopedia Copyright © 2015, glbtq, Inc. Entry Copyright ©2002, glbtq, inc. Reprinted from http://www.glbtq.com Maurice Ravel in 1915. Courtesy Library of Congress Prints and One of France's most distinguished composers, Maurice Ravel was a prolific and Photographs Division. versatile artist who worked in several musical genres, creating stage music (two operas and several ballets), orchestral music, vocal music, chamber music, and piano music. His unique musical language, employing harmonies that are at once ravishing and subtle, made him one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century. Ravel's sexuality has been the subject of intense speculation. Although it is not certain that he was gay, he was rumored to be so. Fiercely protective of his privacy, his most significant emotional relationship seems to have been with his mother. At the same time, however, he embraced a public identity as a cultured dandy, a dapper man-about-town of refined taste and sensibility. A life-long bachelor, Ravel had several significant relationships with men, including one with pianist Ricardo Viñes, a fellow dandy and bachelor, but it is not certain whether these friendships were sexual. He was born Joseph Maurice Ravel on March 7, 1875 at Ciboure, France, near St. Jean de Luz, Basses- Pyrénées, a village close to the French-Spanish border, to a Swiss father and a Basque mother. Ravel's father, who was talented musically, was an engineer. The composer may have inherited from his father the devotion to craftsmanship and meticulous detail that led Igor Stravinsky to describe him as the "Swiss watch-maker of music." Although he was raised in Paris, Ravel was very conscious of his Basque heritage. -
Ravel's Sound
Ravel’s Sound: Timbre and Orchestration in His Late Works Jennifer P. Beavers NOTE: The examples for the (text-only) PDF version of this item are available online at: hps://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.21.27.1/mto.21.27.1.beavers.php KEYWORDS: Ravel, timbre, contour, magical effect, illusory instruments, timbrally marked form, sound object, auditory scene analysis, Pictures at an Exhibition, Boléro, Menuet antique, Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Piano Concerto in G Major ABSTRACT: Ravel’s interwar compositions and transcriptions reveal a sophisticated engagement with timbre and orchestration. Of interest is the way he uses timbre to connect and conceal passages in his music. In this article, I look at the way Ravel manipulates instrumental timbre to create sonic illusions that transform expectations, mark the form, and create meaning. I examine how he uses instrumental groupings to create distinct or blended auditory events, which I relate to musical structure. Using an aurally based analytical approach, I develop these descriptions of timbre and auditory scenes to interpret ways in which different timbre-spaces function. Through techniques such as timbral transformations, magical effects, and timbre and contour fusion, I examine the ways in which Ravel conjures sound objects in his music that are imaginary, transformative, or illusory. DOI: 10.30535/mto.27.1.0 Received January 2020 Volume 27, Number 1, March 2021 Copyright © 2021 Society for Music Theory 1. Introduction [1.1] Throughout his career, Ravel’s sound often defied harmonic and formal expectations. While most analytic scholarship has treated Ravel’s use of timbre as secondary to the parameters of harmony and form, particularly in early- and middle-period compositions, recent scholarship has made timbre a central concern of Ravel’s style. -
Baur 831792.Pdf (5.768Mb)
Ravel's "Russian" Period: Octatonicism in His Early Works, 1893-1908 Author(s): Steven Baur Source: Journal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 52, No. 3 (Autumn, 1999), pp. 531-592 Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the American Musicological Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/831792 Accessed: 05-05-2016 18:10 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of California Press, American Musicological Society are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the American Musicological Society This content downloaded from 129.173.74.49 on Thu, 05 May 2016 18:10:01 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Ravel's "Russian" Period: Octatonicism in His Early Works, 1893-1908 STEVEN BAUR The most significant writing on the octatonic scale in Western music has taken as a starting point the music of Igor Stravinsky. Arthur Berger introduced the term octatonic in his landmark 1963 article in which he identified the scale as a useful framework for analyzing much of Stravinsky's music. Following Berger, Pieter van den Toorn discussed in greater depth the nature of Stravinsky's octatonic practice, describing the composer's manipula- tions of the harmonic and melodic resources provided by the scale. -
Tzigane – Rhapsody for Violin and (Luthéal) Piano (1924)
Program Notes by Chris Darwin. Please use freely for non-commercial purposes. Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Tzigane – Rhapsody for violin and (Luthéal) piano (1924) The Luthéal piano was patented in 1919 by the prolific Belgian inventor George Cloetens, but it did not catch on. An elaborate mechanism was added to a normal grand piano which allowed three additional timbres to be produced independently for high and for low notes, under the control of organ-like stops: (i) a 'harpsichord-like' sound produced by a set of pins brought close enough to touch the vibrating string; (ii) a whispery timbre like a violin harmonic produced by a set of felts that could be lowered to touch each string halfway along its length; (iii) a sound like a Hungarian Cimbalom produced by both mechanisms used together. Ravel was clearly intrigued by the Luthéal's possibilities for gypsy music and specified it for Tzigane. He also wrote a part for itin his orchestral suite L'enfant et les sortilèges. The only surviving original example of the instrument, in Brussels' Musical Instrument Museum, has been renovated; their website (www.mim.be) has a recording of Tzigane being played using it. Tzigane was commissioned from Ravel by the virtuoso violinist Jelly d'Arányi, great-niece of Joseph Joachim. Ravel had been working on his violin sonata and she was due to give the first performance, but he was having trouble with it. So, writing a very different piece for her may have appealed to him. She gave the first performance of Tzigane in 1924 in London, with the Luthéal attachment added to the piano. -
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JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ONLINE MusicA JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA ‘Jangling in symmetrical sounds’: Maurice Ravel as storyteller and poet aurice Ravel’s perception of language was defined by his métier. He thought EMILY KILPATRICK about words as a composer, understanding them in terms of their rhythms and Mresonances in the ear. He could recognise the swing of a perfectly balanced phrase, the slight changes of inflection that affect sense and emphasis, and the rhythm ■ Elder Conservatorium and melody inherent in spoken language. Ravel’s letters, his critical writings, his vocal of Music music and, most strikingly, his poetry, reveal his undeniable talent for literary expression. University of Adelaide He had a pronounced taste for onomatopoeia and seemed to delight in the dextrous South Australia 5005 juggling of rhymes and rhythms. As this paper explores, these qualities are particularly Australia apparent in the little song Noël des jouets (1905) and the choral Trois chansons pour chœur mixte sans accompagnement (1915) for which Ravel wrote his own texts, together Email: emily.kilpatrick with his collaboration with Colette on the opera L’Enfant et les sortilèges (1925). @adelaide.edu.au The common thread of fantasy and fairytale that runs through these three works suggests that through his expressive use of language Ravel was deliberately aligning his music with the traditions of storytelling, a genre defined by the sounds of the spoken word. Fairytales usually employ elegant and beautiful formal language that is direct, expressive and naturally musical, as typified in the memorable phrases‘Once upon a time…’ and ‘… happily ever after’. -
SCMS Repertoire List Through 2021 Winter Festival
SEATTLE CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY REPERTOIRE LIST, 1982–2021 “FORTY YEARS OF BEAUTIFUL MUSIC” James Ehnes, Artistic Director Toby Saks (1942-2013), Founder Adams, John China Gates for Piano (2013) Arensky, Anton Hallelujah Junction for Two Pianos (2012, 2017W) Piano Quintet in D major, Op. 51 (1997, 2003, 2011W) Road Movies for Violin and Piano (2013) Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 32 (1984, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2001, 2007, 2010O, 2016W) Aho, Kalevi Piano Trio in F minor, Op. 73 (2001W, 2009) ER-OS (2018) Quartet for Violin, Viola and Two Celli in A minor, Op. 35 (1989, 1995, 2008, 2011) Albéniz, Isaac Six Piéces for Piano, Op. 53 (2013) Iberia (3 selections from) (2003) Iberia “Evocation” (2015) Arlen, Harold Wizard of Oz Fantasy (arr. William Hirtz) (2002) Alexandrov, Kristian Prayer for Trumpet and Piano (2013) Arnold, Malcolm Sonatina for Oboe and Piano, Op. 28 (2004) Applebaum "Landscape of Dreams" (1990) Babajanian, Arno Piano Trio in F sharp minor (2015) Andres, Bernard Narthex for Flute and Harp (2000W) Bach, Johann Sebastian “Aus liebe will mein Heiland sterben” from St. Matthew Passion BWV 244 Anderson, David (for flute, arr. Bennett) (2019) Capriccio No. 2 for Solo Double Bass (2006) Brandenburg Concerto No 3 in G major, BWV 1048 (2011) Four Short Pieces for Double Bass (2006) Brandenburg Concertos (Complete) BWV 1046-1051 (2013W) Capriccio “On the Departure of a Beloved Brother” in B flat major, BWV 992 Anderson, Jordan (2006) Drafts for Double Bass and Piano (2006) Chaconne, from Partita for Violin in D minor, BWV 1004 (1994, 2001, 2002) Choral Preludes for Organ (Piano) (Selections) (1998) Anonymous (arr. -
Trois Chansons and World War I. (2014) Directed by Dr
JACKSON, AARON RONALD, D.M.A. Maurice Ravel: Trois Chansons and World War I. (2014) Directed by Dr. Welborn E. Young. 62pp. Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) began writing Trois Chansons in November of 1914 and completed it in February of the following year. Durand Musical Editions published the composition in 1916. The Bathori-Engel Chorus, conducted by Louis Aubert, gave the premiere in October 1917. The compositional time frame coincides with Ravel’s numerous attempts to volunteer for military service at the onset of World War I (WWI) and his eventual enlistment in March of 1916. By all accounts, Trois Chansons is a unique addition to Ravel’s compositional oeuvre. Except for this work, Ravel wrote almost exclusively for instrumental genres; this composition is his only a cappella choral contribution. Additionally, the texts of each chanson are by the composer. The purpose of this document is to demonstrate that Trois Chansons represents a level of involvement in WWI through composition and contains Ravel’s both explicit and implicit commentary on WWI. This research encompasses general information about Chansons and commentary on Ravel’s attempts to enlist in the Armée de Terre. Also included are summaries of Ravel’s compositional components including text, genre, and personal dedications. Furthermore, this document outlines specific compositional devices utilized in Trois Chansons and includes representative musical analysis. Finally, through both compositional components and devices, this study suggests aspects of Ravel’s personal commentary on WWI. This document concludes with suggestions for further research on Trois Chansons. In addition to a compiled bibliography, appendices containing Ravel’s original poetry for Trois Chansons and conductor’s analysis pertaining to each chanson accompany the main body of research. -
Maurice Ravel: a Catalogue of the Orchestral Music
MAURICE RAVEL: A CATALOGUE OF THE ORCHESTRAL MUSIC 1895/1929: “Menuet antique” for orchestra: 6 minutes 1898: Overture “Sheherazade” 1899/1910: “Pavane pour une infante defunte” for orchestra: 6 minutes 1900: Cantata “Callerhoe” (Lost) “Les Bayaderes” for soprano, chorus and orchestra: 4 minutes “Tout est lumiere” for soprano, chorus and orchestra: 4 minutes 1901: Cantata “Myrrha” for soprano, tenor, baritone and orchestra: 23 minutes 1902: Cantata “Semiramis” (lost) “La nuit” for soprano, chorus and orchestra: 6 minutes Cantata “Alcyone” for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and orchestra: 25 minutes 1903: “Matinee en Provence” for soprano, chorus and orchestra3 minutes Cantata “Alyssa” for soprano, tenor, baritone and orchestra: 25 minutes “Sheherazade” for mezzo-soprano and orchestra: 16 minutes 1904-05/06: “Une barque sur l’ocean” for orchestra: 7 minute 1904-05/18: “Alborada del Gracioso” for orchestra: 7 minutes 1905: “L’Aurore” for tenor, chorus and orchestra: 6 minutes 1905/06: “Noels des jouets” for mezzo-soprano and orchestra: 3 minutes 1907: “Rapsodie espagnole” for orchestra: 15 minutes 1909-10: “Saint Francois d’Assisse” for soloists, chorus and orchestra (lost) 1909-12: Ballet “Daphnis et Chloe”: 56 minutes (and Ballet Suite No.1: 12 minutes; Ballet Suite No.2: 15 minutes) 1908-10/11-12:Ballet “Ma Mere l’Oye”: 28 minutes (and Ballet Suite) 1911/12: “Valses nobles et sentimentales” for orchestra: 16 minutes 1913-14: “Zazpiak-Bat”-Sketches on Basque themes for Piano and Orchestra (unfinished) 1914: Two Hebrew Songs for soprano