Style features of M. Ravel's piano works. General characteristics of the work of Maurice Ravel Biography of Maurice Ravel

26. Maurice Chevalier She did not yet know what this ominous silence meant. Suddenly she found that Balle's scarf was lying at her feet. And everyone sees her ridiculous sweater without one sleeve. Tears of despair shone in Edith's eyes. And suddenly there was applause ... No, not applause -

Epilogue Love, Maurice Dear Laurie, I am writing this letter to you to tell you about the impact you have had on my life. When I remember myself and my past, I understand that I would never have become what I became if I had not met you. I am eternally grateful for your love

French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel, one of the representatives of the world musical culture of the first half of the 20th century.

Joseph Maurice Ravel was born on March 7, 1875 in the southern part of France, in the small town of Ciboure. Ravel's musical abilities are discovered in early childhood, and already at the age of seven he is playing the piano. And in 1889 he entered the preparatory piano class at the Paris Conservatory.

While studying at the conservatory, Maurice wrote several works, such as: "Old Minuet" and the pianoforte "Pavane on the death of an infanta." There he met the Spanish pianist R. Viñes, who was the first to perform his compositions.

In 1901, he makes an attempt to win the Prize of Rome, but fails. New attempts in 1902 and 1903 to participate in the competition are also unsuccessful.

Since 1905, Ravel Maurice has become widely known in Paris as an innovative musician. His fame is growing every day, compositions are performed like hot cakes. And despite the defeat in Rome, the composer feels like a winner in the eyes of the musical and intellectual society.

An artist of high culture, Ravel paid special attention to French literature (both classical and modern) and painting (he was fond of the Impressionists). He showed great interest in folklore (French, Spanish, etc.). Spanish themes occupy a significant place in his work (Ravel's mother is of Spanish-Basque origin).

Ravel gave concerts as a pianist and conductor, performed mainly his own compositions (in the 1920s he made a concert tour of Europe and North America), and appeared with musical critical articles.

During the First World War of 1914-1918 he volunteered for the active army. The war gave rise to deeply dramatic works by Ravel, including a piano concerto for the left hand, written at the request of the Austrian pianist P. Wittgepstein, who lost his right hand at the front; he dedicated the piano suite The Tomb of Couperin (1917) to his dead friends.

At the same time, neoclassical tendencies appeared in a number of works. Ravel's works represent a variety of genres: Spanish Rhapsody (1907), Waltz (1920), and Bolero (1928) for orchestra - one of the pinnacles of French symphony of the 20th century, the opera Spanish Hour (1907) , the opera-ballet The Child and the Magic (1925), etc. Ravel is subject to the elements of dance rhythms of different times, which is reflected in the “dance” compositions - the ballet (choreography, symphony) “Daphnis and Chloe” (to the libretto by M. M. Fokina, 1912), Bolero,

“Noble and Sentimental Waltzes” (for piano, 1911), etc., as well as in such works as the Sonata for Violin and Piano (2nd movement - blues), the opera “Child and Magic” (foxtrot of the Teapot and Cup) and etc. Creativity, Ravel's discoveries in the field of harmony, rhythm, mode, orchestration led to new stylistic trends in the musical art of the 20th century.

In 1933, the composer gets into a car accident, as a result of the injury, a brain tumor develops. Due to a progressive illness, Maurice ceases his creative activity.

In 1937, he undergoes a complex operation, but the operation fails and the composer dies at the age of 62. He was buried in the suburbs of Paris at the Levallois-Perret cemetery.

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a younger contemporary of Debussy and for a long time was regarded simply as his imitator. The “shadow” of the founder of musical impressionism made it difficult to see the true face of Ravel, and meanwhile, his creative style is in many respects different from the style of Debussy, which Ravel survived for two decades. His creative biography began at the time of the heyday of impressionism, and continued after World War I, when Impressionism has exhausted itself, giving way to new artistic trends. The war became the frontier that delimited Ravel's creative path into two periods:

I - from 1895 (when the "Old Minuet" was published, the first published work) to 1914;

II - 1917-1932 ("3 Songs of Don Quixote", the last work of the composer).

At the Paris Conservatory, where Ravel entered at the age of 14, he went through a strict school of musical professionalism. His composition teacher was Gabriel Fauré. Even then, the independence of Ravel's artistic tastes manifested itself. He was interested in the “non-traditional” works of Eric Satie, “Afternoon of a Faun” and “Nocturnes” by Debussy (Ravel made their piano arrangements), works by Rimsky-Korsakov (Ravel first got acquainted with Russian music during the World Exhibition, which opened in the year of his admission to conservatory). He always read a lot (his favorites were Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Allan Poe), was fond of modern painting by Monet, Van Gogh. Interest in new art was whimsically mixed with an attraction to the rationalism of the 18th century. Ravel studied classical French philosophy, the works of Denis Diderot ("The Paradox of the Actor"), the poetry of Ronsard and Marot (poets of the French Renaissance), admired the work of the French. keyboardists. Consequently, Ravel's artistic tastes were formed under the influence of various, sometimes opposing factors. Ravel found his like-minded people in a circle of young poets, artists, musicians who jokingly called themselves "apaches" ("tramps", "tramps"). Apache meetings were devoted mainly to music-making. In addition, Ravel visited the artistic salon of the Polish Godebsky family (with whom Toulouse-Lautrec was friends). The artistic and artistic color of Paris gathered in the salon of the Godebskys.

1 period of creativity (1895-1914)

In the first period of creativity were created:

· piano works "Pavane for the Death of the Infanta", "The Play of Water", Sonatina, cycles "Reflections", "Night Gaspard", "My Mother Goose";

· vocal cycles "Scheherazade", "Natural stories", romances and poems based on verses of symbolist poets;

Opera "Spanish Hour";

ballet "Daphnis and Chloe";

"Spanish Rhapsody".

These works are dominated by poetry. pictures of nature, folk life, images of the East, his native Spain. The composer turns to a poetic dance, a fairy tale, the motifs of antiquity (thus, there is no social theme). Ravel's melody avoids introduction tones (the theme "Pavanes"), it often contains second-quarter, pentatonic revolutions. Rhythms are very active, polyrhythmic combinations, shifts in emphasis, and complex meters are characteristic. Unusual chords are found in harmony (for example, a “prickly” chord with unprepared delay), polyphonic chord complexes (up to 12-sound). The tertiary structure includes side tones, alterations (consonances with the mind are characteristic). Archaic modes are used, the modes of Spanish music.

The orchestration is refined and brilliant, with frequent solos, unusual sound effects, harmonics and glissando, the most complex passages of strings and woods. In general, interest in colorfulness, admiring the “beautiful moment” dominates.

2 period of creativity (1917-1932)

The events of World War I deeply shocked Ravel. Despite the release from military service, he voluntarily joined the army and only after suffering serious illnesses in the spring of 1917 was demobilized. This year he composed his last piano cycle, the Tomb of Couperin suite, "a tribute not only to Couperin, but to all French music of the 18th century." Dedicated to dead friends.

"The Tomb of Couperin" opened a new - post-war period in the work of Ravel. If earlier it developed in line with impressionism, now the impressionistic features are losing their dominance, although they do not disappear without a trace. Ravel understood and reflected the bitterness of the war with its unheard of victims. His work evolves from a joyful perception of life to a greater drama of hotel works (“Waltz”, 2nd piano concerto).

His style is changing, the composer himself defined this trend as "laconicism taken to the limit." New features have appeared:

A. - the desire for the distinctness of the melodic pattern and its predominance over color; at the same time, short motifs are replaced by extended melodies of wide breathing (they have met sporadically before). A striking example is the Bolero theme.

B. - the role of polyphony increases;

C. - the role of the constructive beginning is enhanced;

D. - the contrast of the musical form, the effectiveness of development are enhanced;

E. - in the works of the post-war years, Ravel often refers to the traditions of past centuries, to the art of the 17th - 18th centuries, thus. his style is in contact with the aesthetics of neoclassicism. This was very clearly manifested in the "Tomb of Couperin", in the First Piano Concerto.

F. - the passion for jazz was also new. Ravel was among the musicians who saw in jazz a source of renewal of traditional forms.

Works of the 2nd period

Piano - cycle "Tomb of Couperin", two piano concertos;

Vocal - "Madagascar Songs", "3 Songs of Don Quixote";

symphonic - choreographic. poem "Waltz", "Bolero";

chamber - sonata for violin and cello; sonata for skipka and piano; opera-ballet "The Child and the Magic".

Speaking about the stylistic differences between the works of the 1st and 2nd periods, some common features of the Ravel style should also be highlighted:

gravitation towards relief thematics, in which folk origins are clearly felt;

interest in folklore, especially Spanish;

a huge role of dance elements; attraction to dance rhythms of various genres, from the minuet to the foxtrot;

clarity of musical form. To Ravel, unlike many other composers of the turn of the century, the criteria of classicism (slimness, balance of form) are quite applicable. Unlike Debussy, Ravel is quite loyal to traditional forms, in particular, to the sonata, which he often uses;

mastery of orchestral writing ("virtuoso of orchestration"

9. Orchestral compositions by M. Ravel. "Spanish Rhapsody", "Bolero"

A clear rhythmic figure, beaten by a snare drum with a sparing accompaniment of violas and pizzicato cellos, opens the piece. This two-bar (here it is repeated twice before the theme enters) will sound continuously throughout the Bolero. The flute barely audibly sings a tortuous, elastic, purely instrumental melody, which is clearly divided into two, and its second part acquires a passionately suffering character. Having finished the tune, the flute joins the drum, duplicating its rhythm on the dominant sound (G), and the clarinet begins to sing the melody. Then she moves on to the bassoon, then to the piccolo clarinet, oboe d "amour, flute and trumpet duet, saxophone. (That rare case when the saxophone is included in the symphony orchestra.) Its intense, full of expression sound gives a special color to the melody passing saxophones - tenor, soprano and sopranino in turn. Simultaneously with the transition of the theme from one instrument to another, the power of the accompaniment also increases. From the barely audible pizzicato of the beginning, it grows: new instruments enter, the strings have arpeggios in the rhythm set by the snare drum, instead of individual colorful chordal spots are heard.A gradual, steady orchestral crescendo leads to a grandiose climax at the end: all three lines (melody, accompaniment and rhythmic figure) are repeatedly duplicated in a full-sounding tutti, and in the final bars Ravel uses an extremely rare and very strong effect - a trombone glissando. Everything ends abruptly at the highest point of climax.

Spanish Rhapsody

The Spanish Rhapsody opens with the prelude "Toward the Night" - an image of a nighttime southern landscape. The finest orchestral sound recording conjures up a mysterious, full of love yearning night. Against the background of the quiet tremolo of the violins, a motif of four descending sounds is continuously heard. It passes first at the violins and violas, then is passed to the oboe, cor anglais, flute, celesta. In delicate orchestral colors, in modal, rhythmic and harmonic variability, an exquisite impressionistic picture is created. Two clarinets enter the octave with a sad melancholic tune, which is replaced by a dance motif, then a new cadenza enters - this time bassoons, which is accompanied by quiet rustles, vague echoes of the dance, fragments of tunes, mixing in the general movement. The part is closed by the return of the descending motif of the night.

"Malagueña" is a love song-dance, one of the most widespread in Andalusia. Here it is a colorful dance scene, elegant, imbued with a genuine Spanish spirit. It opens with a short (only three measures) embossed theme that sounds mysterious, even disturbing, on the cellos and pizzicato double basses. It repeats itself, bizarrely painted. A new, impulsive theme, at the trumpet with a mute, then dreamily repeated by the violins, conjures up the entrance of solo dancers, a gentleman and a lady. The increasingly lively dance is suddenly interrupted by the monologue of the English horn - inviting, full of passionate languor. A descending motif from the first movement bursts into its final cadenza (celesta, solo violins, violas and a cello with a mute). The movement of the dance returns briefly, with which Malagenya ends.

“Full of fiction, the poetic Habanera enchants us with its quiveringly languid character, rhythm and nostalgic imagery; the charm of rich and precise orchestration gives the play timbre richness and brilliance,” writes A. Cortot about the third part of the Rhapsody. Throughout almost the entire "Habanera" one and the same sound is heard repeated in an unchanged rhythm - a kind of core around which short motives, exquisite harmonies, full of languid bliss, wrap around. Dance melodies seem to float from afar and disappear again, dressed in a colorful, original orchestral outfit. Separate short descending intonations, conflicting with the general ascending movement of melodies, give a special lyric-dramatic tension to the music. The short bursts of the violins evoke associations with impetuous dance movements (the habanera "is danced with the whole camp and especially with the hands that fly up like birds").

The final part, "Feria", is a vivid picture of the folk festival. One can hear flute tunes, the rumble of snare drums, the characteristic clicking of castanets, the ringing of guitars imitated by strings. Jota unfolds: starting at the flute, its theme gradually captures the entire orchestra. Genuine motives of the brightest folk dance of Spain, familiar from Glinka's Aragonese Jota, sound. There are also motifs from the previous parts of the Rhapsody. After an exciting tutti comes a sudden downturn. Against the background of barely audible "sighs" of low strings, an improvisation of the English horn sounds, as in the second part. Motifs reminiscent of the prelude "To the Night" lead to the return of the opening section. Jota unfolds brighter and more incendiary, ending in a blinding whirlwind.

10. Piano creativity of M. Ravel in his evolution. "Tomb of Couperin", Concertos for Piano and Orchestra. G major, D major. Like Debussy, Ravel composed a lot in the field of piano music, creating his own special piano style. He was also a brilliant pianist and often performed his compositions. Ravel began his career with piano works, so we can say that it was here that his creative individuality was formed. \ Debussy and Ravel updated piano music, based on similar sources - romantic pianism and the work of French harpsichordists. But if Debussy implemented mainly Chopin's tradition, then Ravel was closer to Liszt's "Old Minuet" - the first work that Ravel considered worthy of publication - testifies to his desire to revive old national genres, which is an important sign of neoclassicism. Proximity to this trend is manifested in Ravel more clearly than in Debussy, especially in his later compositions (“The Tomb of Couperin” and the 1st piano concerto, stylized in the spirit of Mozart). Death of the Infanta” and “The Play of Water”. It is inseparable from the texture and, at the same time, is not obscured by it. Simple at first glance, this melody is original and characteristic of Ravel: it avoids lead-in tones. The character of the play is contemplatively calm, in which light sadness is slightly perceptible. From the lyrical image of the sleeping infanta, semantic threads stretch to the suite of musical tales “Mother Goose” (as the nanny is called in France). Monet's "Sunrise" or Debussy's orchestral prelude "Afternoon of a Faun". Created in 1901, this piece preceded Debussy's impressionist piano works; thus, Ravel can rightfully challenge Debussy's fame as the founder of a new piano style. Poetry of the water element is a favorite theme of piano music, especially romantic music. The texture of the "Water Play" shows that Ravel took a lot from Liszt's picturesque plays from the "Years of Wanderings" ("By the Stream", "On the Wallenstadt Lake", "Fountains of Villa d, Este"). Developing these traditions, the composer creates a colorful landscape sketch, the music of which, in its continuous movement, does not go anywhere: it captures a “beautiful moment”. Sonatina (1905) is painted with the same poetic mood. It consists of three miniature parts, devoid of strong contrasts. The lyrical melody of the first movement is replaced by the dancing grace of the Minuet and the clear passage of the finale. The overall composition is united by a thematic “arch”: the main part of the first movement returns in a slightly modified form in the side part of the finale. The atmosphere is completely different in the piano cycle “Night Gaspard” (1908). This is the first manifestation of drama in the work of Ravel. Here the tradition of "Mephistophelian" images of Liszt developed. The cycle consists of three pieces: “Ondine”, “Gallows”, “Skarbo”, the music of which is dominated by the atmosphere of gloomy visions.

"Thumb boy"

"Ugly Girl, Empress of Chinese Statuettes",

"Beauty's Conversation with the Beast"

"Magic Garden".

They seem to take the listener to the world of childhood, good fairies. Ravel subsequently created an orchestral version of this cycle, and then, having written a script, turned it into a children's ballet "Florina's Dream", the plot of which resembles the fairy tale of the Sleeping Beauty.

Likewise fp. cycle "Noble and Sentimental Waltzes" was eventually reworked into the ballet "Adelaide, or the Language of Flowers".

Ravel's last piece for piano is the Tomb of Couperin suite. According to the composer himself, this is a monument to all French music of the 18th century. It consists of 6 pieces: a prelude with a fugue is preceded by three dances - forlana, rigaudon, minuet, after which the final toccata follows. The first performer of the cycle was Marguerite Long.

11. M. Ravel and musical theater (opera "Spanish Hour", opera-ballet "Child and Magic")

The value of Ravel is determined by the bright originality of his music, the exceptional perfection of his composing skills. Ravel's music is characterized by compressed forms, a clear and unconstrained construction of melodic phrases, and great dynamism. A large place in the work of Ravel is occupied by choreography, folk dance.

His one-act ballet "Daphnis and Chloe" was an innovative work in this genre. The ballet uses the sonority of the choir (without words), the music is distinguished by a truly symphonic character, liveliness of rhythms and brightness of orchestral colors. The second one-act ballet - "My Mother Goose" (based on French fairy tales, remade from a piano suite, staged in 1915, Paris) is imbued with a deeply folk style of music, it manifested the richest talent of Ravel as a melodist. All of Ravel's choreographic works are included in the symphonic repertoire of orchestras in many countries.

Ravel's first opera The Spanish Hour (1907, post. 1911, Paris) renews the genre of lyrical musical comedy; it is marked by subtle humor, brilliance of vocal and orchestral style. His second one-act opera, The Child and the Magic, is called by the author a "lyrical fantasy"; a fantastic world of toys, animals, even household items - a clock, a couch, etc. comes to life in it. The opera is fanned with the poetry of childhood. At the same time, Ravel's subtle irony appeared in it. Natural Histories prepared me for the composition of The Spanish Hour, a musical comedy based on a text by Mr. Franck-Noin, which is nothing more than a kind of musical conversation. works - the revival of the buff opera genre. "The Child and the Magic" is of a completely different plan, a lyrical fantasy in two acts, in which, however, the same goals are pursued. The melodic principle that dominates it is based on a plot that I wanted to interpret in the spirit American operetta. The libretto of Madame Colette allowed similar liberties in the musical extravaganza. Singing dominates here. The orchestra, although not without virtuosity, remains in the background. "CHILD AND MAGIC" In an opera that the author himself called "lyrical fantasy" the world of toys, animals and household items comes to life.Among the characters are an old armchair, a broken cup, trees, animals, birds and even... an arithmetic textbook - everything is fanned with the poetry of childhood. Its hero is a six-year-old boy punished by his mother for disobedience. He vents his discontent, trying to "spite" everything to break and spoil. In his dream, the world is unrecognizably transformed, and the boy begins to comprehend that everything around him is full of life. The tree wounded by his knife sighs heavily, the squirrel complains that the boy is torturing her girlfriend. He tries to make friends with animals and plants, but they are afraid of him because of the insults that he caused them when they were still inanimate ... During World War II, the director of the Paris Opera, Jacques Roucher, asked the famous French writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette to prepare a text for fabulous ballet. The original title of the story was Divertissement for My Daughter. After Colette chose Ravel, a text was sent to him at the front in 1916, but the letter was lost. In 1917, Ravel finally received a copy of the text and agreed to write the score. The work lasted a long time, and Colette had already lost hope that it would ever be completed, but on March 21, 1925, the opera was staged in Monte Carlo with choreography by Georges Balanchine. Ravel compared it to his previous work (Spanish Hour) “More than ever I am for the melody. Yes, melody, bel canto, vocalizations, vocal virtuosity are the main things. Here the lyrical fantasy calls to the melody and nothing but the melody... The score of "The Child and the Magic" is a mixture of styles and eras, from Bach to... Ravel. The opera "The Child and the Magic" is a recognized masterpiece of Maurice Ravel. The musical language of the composition testifies to the active experiments of the composer in the field of harmony, rhythm, mode, and orchestration. This is manifested in the appeal to everyday genres (waltz, march, urban chanson), the rhythms of dances new for that time (foxtrot, cancan, ragtime), the use of non- "musical" sounds (noises, creaking, cod). The music of individual scenes, such as the march-scherzo of the Hours, the foxtrot of the Cup and the Teapot, the task scene, the duet of the Cat and the Cat contains jazz and blues sounds that are characteristic of the aesthetics of the musical, the music hall.

12. "Daphnis and Chloe" by M. Ravel and ways of symphonizing the ballet

Daphnis and Chloe tend their flock. With other shepherds, they bring gifts to the statues of three nymphs, towering over the grotto in the sacred grove. Daphnis and Chloe are the most beautiful of all, and the shepherdess is trying to seduce the girls, and the boys are courting Chloe. Both cause jealousy. She is especially strong in Daphnis, who sees how Chloe wants to kiss the Bootes Darkon. The girls encourage Darkon to compete with Daphnis in a dance. Daphnis wins and Chloe kisses the winner. Everyone disperses, Daphnis lies down on the ground. Lykeyon, who is in love with him, takes advantage of the shepherd's loneliness to seduce him, but he remains indifferent. Annoyed, Lykeyon runs away, and the silence of the grove is broken by screams and the clanging of weapons: pirates are running through the forest. They kidnap girls, rob and kill men. Daphnis rushes to find Chloe, who seeks protection from three nymphs. The pirates grab Chloe, and Daphnis, who has come running to the screams, sees only scraps of her clothes. In prayer, he falls at the foot of the nymphs. They descend from the pedestal and invoke Pan. God appears to Daphnis.

In the robber camp, a feast on the occasion of rich booty. There is a division. The most beautiful prey is the shepherdess Chloe. Brixis makes her dance with her hands tied, under the blows of whips. The unfortunate woman prays to Pan for salvation, and God sends panic terror to the pirates. The bonds fall off Chloe, a pine wreath appears on her head, as a sign of Pan's patronage. She offers prayers of thanksgiving to Pan.

“The silence, broken only by the murmur of dew streams flowing down from the rocks ... Gradually dawns” (Ravel). Daphnis comes to his senses in front of the grotto of the nymphs. Friends bring a rescued Chloe. Old Lamon connects Daphnis and Chloe, they vow to love each other forever. Lamon tells the legend of Pan and the nymph Syrinx, who turned into a reed from which Pan made his flute. He plays the flute, and Daphnis and Chloe dance to convey the content of the myth of the god and the nymph running away from him.

Ravel called Daphnis and Chloe a choreographic symphony. “This work is built symphonically, according to a strict tonal plan, on several themes, the development of which achieves the unity of the whole,” we read in one of his letters. In the score of the ballet, plasticity and danceability are organically combined with the continuity of development. The music of "Daphnis and Chloe" is distinguished by restrained passion, which makes it related to romantic works, the brightness of harmonic colors, the variety and elegance of orchestral means. In this case, a special paint plays a significant role - a choir singing with its mouth closed.

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a younger contemporary of Debussy and for a long time was regarded simply as his imitator. The "shadow" of the founder of musical impressionism made it difficult to see the true face of Ravel, and meanwhile, his creative style is in many respects different from the style of Debussy, which Ravel survived for two decades.

His creative biography began at the time of the heyday of impressionism, and continued after World War I, when impressionism had exhausted itself, giving way to new artistic trends. The war became the frontier that delimited Ravel's creative path into two periods:

• I - from 1895 (when the "Old Minuet", the first published work, was published) to 1914;
• II - 1917-1932 ("3 Songs of Don Quixote", the last work of the composer).

At the Paris Conservatory, where Ravel entered at the age of 14, he went through a strict school of musical professionalism. His composition teacher was Gabriel Fauré. Even then, the independence of Ravel's artistic tastes manifested itself. He was interested in the "non-traditional" works of Erik Satie, "Afternoon of a Faun" and "Nocturnes" by Debussy (Ravel made their piano arrangements), (Ravel first got acquainted with Russian music during the World Exhibition, which opened in the year of his admission to the conservatory). He always read a lot (his favorites were Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Allan Poe), was fond of modern painting by Monet, Van Gogh.

Interest in the new art bizarrely mixed with the attraction to the rationalism of the eighteenth century. Ravel studied classical French philosophy, the works of Denis Diderot ("The Paradox of the Actor"), the poetry of Ronsard and Marot (poets of the French Renaissance), admired the work of the French. keyboardists. Hence, Ravel's artistic tastes were formed under the influence of various, sometimes opposing factors.

Ravel found his like-minded people in a circle of young poets, artists, musicians, who jokingly called themselves "apaches" ("tramps", "tramps"). Apache meetings were devoted mainly to music-making. In addition, Ravel visited the artistic salon of the Polish Godebsky family (with whom Toulouse-Lautrec was friends). The artistic and artistic color of Paris gathered in the salon of the Godebskys.

1 period of creativity (1895-1914)

In the first period of creativity were created:

• piano works Pavane on the Death of an Infanta”, “Water Play”, Sonatina, cycles “Reflections”, “Night Gaspard”, “My Mother Goose”;
• vocal cycles"Scheherazade", "Natural Histories", romances and poems based on poems by symbolist poets;
• opera"Spanish Hour";
• ballet"Daphnis and Chloe";
• "Spanish Rhapsody".

These works are dominated by poetry. pictures of nature, folk life, images of the East, his native Spain. The composer turns to a poetic dance, a fairy tale, the motifs of antiquity (thus, there is no social theme). Ravel's melody avoids introduction tones (the theme "Pavanes"), it often contains second-quarter, pentatonic revolutions. Rhythms are very active, polyrhythmic combinations, shifts in emphasis, and complex meters are characteristic. Unusual chords are found in harmony (for example, a “prickly” chord with unprepared delay), polyphonic chord complexes (up to 12-sound). The tertiary structure includes side tones, alterations (consonances with the mind are characteristic). Archaic modes are used, the modes of Spanish music.

The orchestration is refined and brilliant, with frequent solos, unusual sound effects, harmonics and glissando, the most complex passages of strings and woods. Generally - dominated by interest in colorfulness, admiring the "beautiful moment".

2 period of creativity (1917-1932)

The events of World War I deeply shocked Ravel. Despite the release from military service, he voluntarily joined the army and only after suffering serious illnesses in the spring of 1917 was demobilized. In this year he composed his last piano cycle, the suite "The Tomb of Couperin" - "a tribute not only to Couperin, but to all French music of the 18th century." Dedicated to dead friends.

"Tomb of Couperin" opened a new - post-war period in the work of Ravel. If earlier it developed in line with impressionism, now the impressionistic features are losing their dominance, although they do not disappear without a trace. Ravel understood and reflected the bitterness of the war with its unheard of victims. His work evolves from a joyful perception of life to a greater drama of hotel works (“Waltz”, 2nd piano concerto).

His style is changing, the composer himself defined this trend as "laconicism taken to the limit." New features have appeared:

1. - striving for the distinctness of the melodic pattern and its predominance over color; at the same time, short motives are replaced by extended melodies of wide breathing (they met sporadically and earlier). A striking example is the theme "Bolero".
2. - the role of polyphony increases;
3. - the role of the constructive beginning is strengthened;
4. - the contrast of the musical form, the effectiveness of development is enhanced;
5. - in the works of the post-war years, Ravel often refers to the traditions of past centuries, to the art of the 17th - 18th centuries, thus. his style is in contact with the aesthetics of neoclassicism. This was very clearly manifested in the "Tomb of Couperin", in the First Piano Concerto.
6. - the passion for jazz was also new. Ravel was among the musicians who saw in jazz a source of renewal of traditional forms.

Works of the 2nd period

• piano- Cycle "Tomb of Couperin", two piano concertos;
• vocal- "Madagascar Songs", "3 Songs of Don Quixote";
• symphonic - choreographic poem "Waltz", "Bolero";
• chamber- sonata for violin and cello; sonata for skipka and piano; opera-ballet "The Child and the Magic".

Speaking about the stylistic differences between the works of the 1st and 2nd periods, it is necessary to highlight some common signs Ravel style:

• attraction to relief thematics, in which folk origins are clearly felt;
• interest in folklore, especially Spanish;
• the huge role of dance elements; attraction to dance rhythms of various genres, from the minuet to the foxtrot;
• clarity of musical form. To Ravel, unlike many other composers of the turn of the century, the criteria of classicism (slimness, balance of form) are quite applicable. Unlike Debussy, Ravel is quite loyal to traditional forms, in particular, to the sonata, which he often uses;
• mastery of orchestral writing ("virtuoso of orchestration").