Maurice   Ravel  

    Maurice Ravel was born on March 7, 1875, to a little French family on the boarders of Spain.   He became a very important composer of Impressionistic music.

     Although they married and lived in France, Ravel’s parents were Spanish and Swiss.  His father was a successful inventor who often took Ravel and his brothers for excursions to factories so they could see how things worked.  Yet, Ravel was much closer to his mother, who sang him Spanish folk songs.

     Ravel started piano and theory lessons when he was 7 years old.  He had his first public recital when he was 14.  Ravel was very good at playing the piano, but he much preferred composing.  So, as a young teenager, Ravel’s parents sent him to the conservatorium in Paris.  He studied piano and won an important student prize.  But, he was not an organised student - he was in trouble often for not working properly.

     Ravel was introduced to some of the ‘new’ style composers – the Bohemians.  Although this influenced his music, he didn’t take on much of the style of his peers.  He was a well-dressed and intellectual young man who read widely.  He was thoughtful and sensitive, but good humoured.  He was also intrigued by the music and ideas of the Russian composers.

     Eventually, Ravel was expelled from the conservatorium for ‘underachievement’.  He found a new teacher, Gabriel Fauré, who he worked with for fourteen years and who became a long term friend. Fauré was a very important composer in France at the time, and for ages afterwards.  He was a great teacher for Ravel, who was keen to focus on composing.  Ravel also worked with André Gédalge, whom Ravel stated was the greatest influence on his composition style. 

     While learning to compose, Ravel studied closely the possibilities and sounds of every instrument he wrote for.  This gave him a great understanding of how the instruments could sound together.  He became very good at transcribing music for different instruments.

     Around 1900, Ravel joined a group of young artists – composers, writers, painters and philosophers.  They had great discussions about art, life and anything that could be interesting.  They encouraged one another to explore new ideas and to stray from traditions, and thus were frowned upon by ‘proper’ society of the time.  Out of gatherings like this developed what is now called Impressionism.  Among Ravel’s acquaintances were Igor Stravinsky and Manuel de Falla.  Two of his best known piano pieces, Jeux d’eau and Pavane pour une Infante Défunte, were first performed for these meetings.

     Since Ravel’s music and ideas were straying from the traditions, critics were often very harsh on him.  Debussy and other artists suffered likewise, finding it difficult to be accepted and to present their works publicly.  The rejection of Ravel’s music as radical among the conservatives generated an important media debate that eventually led to interest and favour.

     Ravel became established as a composer, although disapproval and disagreement from any imaginable direction never really stopped.  For some time he wrote music with a slight Spanish flavour – such as Rapsodie Espagnole.  During the War, WWI, he wrote less, lost in grief for his mother and friends who were killed in battle.  His commemorative work from this time is Le Tombeau do Couperin.  His music was sensitive and evocative, but more structured than the works of many contemporaries.

     Ravel was formally acknowledged as a leading French composer and offered government honours, which he rejected, during the 1920s.  By this time, Ravel believed even his once considered radical music was not really keeping up with the likes of the younger generation.  He received commissions to write for ballets, operas and orchestras.  He toured Europe and America.  He wrote in Impressionistic and evolving 20^th Century styles, even fostering some jazz that he learnt while visiting George Gershwin and other Americans. 

     His musical expression evolved a lot, reflecting the enormously changing cultures between the 1900s to the 1930s.  Most of his compositions are very significant and well known works.  Many are played as concert pieces for piano.  Much of his work is melodic, well-structured and refined, compared to his contemporaries, showing respect for composers such as Scarlatti, Mozart and Chopin.  His music is technically and expressively very demanding to perform.

     Ravel died in 1937, a perfectionist with a warm personality.         

Last modified: April 13, 2009