The Music of Maurice Ravel

Maurice Ravel was one of the leading French composers and pianists of the early 20th century. His music brilliantly balances Classical restraint with striking harmonic color and imagination. Though often paired with Debussy under the umbrella of Impressionism, Ravel forged a unique musical identity by drawing on Spanish idioms, jazz, and early historical forms to create a body of work admired for its precision and orchestral brilliance. This course surveys Ravel’s output across a variety of genres. We begin with the orchestral works that showcase his vivid use of symphonic color and rhythmic vitality: the evocative Rapsodie espagnole, the obsessive Boléro, the full-length ballet Daphnis et Chloé, and the spinning world of La Valse. In his piano music, we explore the fluidly beautiful Jeux d'eau, the virtuosic and poetic demands of Gaspard de la nuit, and the melancholic neoclassicism of Le Tombeau de Couperin. Moreover, we explore Ravel's contributions to song and chamber music, with attention to the exoticism of Shéhérazade and works such as the String Quartet and Piano Trio. Throughout this course we consider Ravel's place in early modernism and his lasting influence on later 20th-century composers.