Written by Anna Vorhes

Born
March 7, 1875, Ciborne, Basses-Pyrénées

Died
December 28, 1973, Paris

Duration
16 minutes

Composed
1907 - 1908

World Premiere
The work was first performed in Paris on March 15, 1908 by the Orchestre des Concerts Colonne under Édouard Colonne, conductor.

Instrumentation
four flutes (two doubling piccolo), three oboes (one doubling English horn), two clarinets and bass clarinet, three bassoons and contra bassoon, four French horns, three trumpets, three trombones, one tuba, timpani, bass drum,  cymbals, snare drum, triangle, tamonbourine, tamtam, xylophone, two harps, celeste, strings.

Something interesting to listen for
Ravel is a master of instrumentation, choosing just the right instruments to depict the picture he is creating.  Listen to how he begins the work with the first movement using a repeated descending ostinato.  Ostinato means stubborn in Italian, and in music it is a pattern that repeats often enough to become background rather than important melody.  By changing instruments the character of the movement changes.  The whole work is filled with the careful consideration of timbre to create the engrossing sense of a Spanish rhapsody.   This is a good place to discuss what a rhapsody is in music.  In the Merriam Webster Dictionary, there are several meanings.  The fourth one is specifically musical: "a musical composition of irregular form having an improvisatory character".  But the third definition speaks to the rhapsodies we hear in tonight's concert" "effusively rapturous or extravagant discourse" or "a highly emotional utterance".

Program Notes

Maurice Ravel was very close to his mother, perhaps his strongest emotional connection through life.   She was a Basque, from the region where France and Spain meet and where the composer himself was born.  She had spent many of her young adult years in Madrid, and shared her love of Spanish music with her son.  His father was Swiss and encouraged the young composer as well, with the Spanish influence pervading much of Ravel's music.

Ravel attended the Paris Conservatoire from the age of fourteen.  One of the most prestigious competitions for  young composers at the Conservatoire was the Prix de Rome which awarded four years of support in Rome and either Germany or Austria.  Ravel was establishing himself as a composer with a public following.  He tried for the Prix de Rome four times.  The public watched intently as he was rejected.  Admittedly if one follows the rules of traditional composition, especially formal counterpoint, Ravel made some obvious errors.  The first lessons of counterpoint include avoiding parallel fifths (that is following C and G with D and A for instance), and Ravel used them for effect.  But this was a n academic prize.

When Ravel was denied the prize four times the public interest turned the process into a scandal.  Newspapers wrote articles about the competition.  And the fact that all the other entrants were students of one teacher who also served as a judge became so scandalous that it led to resignations at the Conservatoire.  Ravel's name became a household word with this scrutiny of the Prix.

Soon after this public outcry, Ravel presented Rhapsody espagnole.  He composed with the rhythm and atmosphere of three Spanish traditional dances-the malaguena, the habanera, and the feria-along with an introductory movement titled Prelude a la nuit (Prelude of the Night).  The reaction was like that to his compositions for the Prix de Rome.  Some listeners loved it and others found it lacking in skill.  Its enduring place in the symphonic repertoire demonstrates the work's innate worth.

The Prelude a la nuit (Prelude of the Night) begins with an ostinato descending four note figure that permeates the movement.  In a demonstration of his awareness of the abilities of different instruments Ravel creates a sense of a night filled with both calm and the animals and night creatures one might see.

The second movement sounds like it is going to be a dance but doesn't stay with the steady rhythm that a true dance requires.  Indeed, the whole work feels like a walk in a Spanish village, starting with coming into the village at night.  Each of the subsequent movements includes a bit of dance rhythm but without the feeling you should get up and join the dance.  Instead you're observing from a distance, still taking in the village around you as well as the dance.

The rhythm of the second movement suggests a malaguena, a triple meter dance from Andalusia.  In its fold music form there is a common harmonic pattern, which doesn't really intrigue Ravel.  Snatches of melody suggest the dance without becoming a steady rhythm.

The third movement suggests a habanera, that dance made famous by Bizet in Carmen.  This version is a mere suggestion, however.  The harp and the percussion, especially create atmospheric moments while the strings offer the habanera rhythm in short bursts.

The final movement is a feria.  In Seville this is an annual dance festival occurring about two weeks after Easter and lasting about a week.  It includes parades, traditional costumes, and dance events.  Flamenco highly influences the dance patterns.  As you hear the sections in strong dance rhythm, imagine the feet of the flamenco dancers emphasizing the first beat of each bar.  This movement is the most consistently dance-like of the work.  It ends with an excellent sense of celebration, though the harmony is definitely Ravel's.