MAURICE RAVEL Introduction and Allegro for Harp , Flute , Clarinet and String Orchestra
“ Music – I feel must be emotional first and intellectual second .” – Ravel
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1875 in Ciboure , France ; died 1937 in Paris , France
• Ravel was born in a Basque town in France just 11 miles from the Spanish border . His mother ’ s Basque heritage had a significant influence on Ravel ’ s music and life .
• In 1889 , Ravel was accepted into the Paris Conservatory , but he was a difficult student and was expelled not once , but twice ! The director of the school disliked Ravel , and the two would continue to butt heads in later years .
• Ravel was seemingly ambivalent about praise and criticism , and the only opinion he truly valued was his own . This served him well , as he endured mixed criticism for the earlier part of his career .
• Around 1900 , Ravel and a group of artists , musicians , and poets formed an informal group known as Les Apaches ( The Hooligans ).
• Ravel and Debussy were often compared to each other , which neither composer liked . Ravel once said , “ If I had the time , I would reorchestrate La mer .”
• Ravel enlisted in the French military for WWI , during which he served as a lorry driver at the age of 40 . After the war , Ravel ’ s reputation as a composer took off , and he was considered the leading French composer of the time .
• A perfectionist , Ravel had a relatively small musical output throughout his life and worked in a slow , painstaking way . While he may have written few pieces , their impact was considerable . His most prolific works include La valse , his orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition , and Bolero .
• Toward the end of his life , Ravel suffered from a brain injury after a taxi accident , which prevented him from being able to write . His funeral was attended by Stravinsky who once compared Ravel to “ the most perfect watchmaker .”
FUN FACT
Ravel once caused a major scandal at the Paris Conservatory . After a piece he submitted for the coveted Prix de Rome scholarship was rejected , there was such an uproar that the director of the conservatory resigned .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
1905
MUSIC Arnold Schoenberg ’ s Pelleas und Melisande
ART Henri Matisse ’ s The Open Window
LITERATURE Mark Twain ’ s King Leopold ’ s Soliloquy
ABOUT THE PIECE
• The impetus behind this piece can be attributed to dueling harp manufacturers . In 1904 , the French piano manufacturing firm Pleyel and Company commissioned Debussy to write a piece for harp and orchestra in order to showcase their new chromatic harp . In response , a rival company , The Érard Company , commissioned Ravel to write a piece showcasing their new double-action pedal harp .
• Ravel did not have much time to write the piece and was forced to compose quickly , which went against his usual style of working . Though Ravel rarely mentioned the piece in his written correspondence , it is nonetheless a beautiful piece that enjoys frequent performances and was one of Ravel ’ s earliest recorded compositions .
SCIENCE Albert Einstein publishes his equation E = mc 2
HISTORY The Russian Revolution of 1905
8 BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA