Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure, Basses Pyrénées, France on March 7, 1875 and died in Paris on December 28, 1937. His Mother Goose Suite began its life as a set of short pieces for piano, four-hands. This version was first performed by Jeanne Leleu and Geneviève Durony on April 20, 1910. The composer orchestrated it in 1910, adding additional movements in 1911 to form it into a ballet. The ballet received its first performance on January 28, 1912. The work is scored for 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 2 horns, celesta, timpani, glockenspiel, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, xylophone, harp, and strings.
One of Ravel’s most charming scores, Mother Goose began its life (1908-1910) as a set of five piano duets (Ma mère l’oye: Cinq pièces enfantines) written for the talented children of his friends, Ida and Cyprien (“Cipa”) Godebski. In 1911, Ravel orchestrated these pieces, but then changed their order and interpolated two additional movements and several interludes to form a ballet which was first performed at the Théâtre des Arts in Paris on January 28, 1912. What is referred to as the Mother Goose Suite is Ravel’s orchestration of the five original movements in their original order.
The source for the stories of “Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty” and “Hop-o’ my Thumb” (better known as “Tom Thumb”) were taken from an 1697 anthology, Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralitez (Histories or tales from days of yore, with morals) by Charles Perrault. Countess d’Aulnoy, a contemporary of Perrault, was the source for “Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas.” Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s 1757 Children’s Magazine of Moral Tales (Magazin des Enfants, Contes Moraux). The final movement, “The Fairy Garden” stems from Ravel’s own vivid and childlike imagination.
I. Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty (Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant). A gentle flute begins the slow dance symbolizing the Good Fairy who watches over Florine, the sleeping Princess.
II. Hop-o’ my Thumb (Petit Poucet). Ravel placed a quotation from Perrault at the head of the score: “He believed that he would have no trouble finding his way because of the breadcrumbs that he had strewn whereever he went. But he was surprised when he could not find a single piece; the birds had come and eaten them all.” Meandering figures in the violins portray the lost Tom Thumb. In the middle of the movement one can hear the birds arrive.
III. The Ugly Little Girl, Princess of the Pagodas (Laideronnette, Impératrice des Pagodes). This story is from Mme d’Aulnoy’s “Green Serpent” (Serpentin Vert). A princess has been turned into an ugly little girl by a wicked witch. One day, as she was walking through a forest, she happened upon a Green Serpent, a handsome young prince who also had been transformed. They take a voyage together, and find themselves shipwrecked in a country populated by small people with bodies made of jewels, crystal, and porcelain (Pagodas), and whose king is none other than the Green Serpent. The story ends happily as the two travellers are restored to their original form and are married. Again Ravel provides the specific part of the story portrayed in the music: “She disrobed and placed herself in the bath. Suddenly, pagodas and pagodines began to sing and play their instruments. Some had theorbos made of walnut shells; some had violas made of almond shells, because they had to adjust the instruments to their shape.” The delightful piccolo solo introduces an oriental theme based on a pentatonic (five-note) scale. The middle section presents a new, more solemn melody, whose cadences are punctuated by the tam-tam. Ravel’s vaunted orchestrational skills are highly evident in this charming movement.
IV. The Conversations of the Beauty and the Beast (Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête). This moving story is known by one and all. In Mme Leprince de Beaumont’s own words (again affixed to Ravel’s score): “‘-- When I think of your good heart, you no longer seem ugly to me’ -- ‘O! damsel, yes! I have a good heart, but I am a monster’ -- ‘There are many men more monstrous than you.’ -- ‘If I had the intelligence, I would pay you a great compliment in reply, but I am only a Beast . . . Beauty, do you wish to be my bride?’ -- ‘No, Beast! . . .’ . . . ‘I would die contented since I had the pleasure of seeing you one more time.’ -- ‘No, my dear Beast, you will not die. You will live to become my spouse!’ . . . The Beast had disappeared, having been replaced by a prince, more beautiful than Love itself, who thanked her for breaking the spell.”
Ravel’s transforms these dialogues into a waltz, with the clarinet representing the voice of the Beauty and the contrabassoon portraying the Beast.
V. The Fairy Garden (Le jardin féerique). Beginning quietly in the strings, this epilogue grows in intensity, ending joyously with the orchestra in full array displaying all its colors.
Notes by David B. Levy © 2006