Maurice Ravel

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

Maurice Ravel nasceva in Ciboure le 7 (septe de) martio, 1875 (mille octo centos septanta e cinque). Tres menses plus tarde, su familia se installava in Paris, ubi Pierre Joseph, su patre, habeva trovate un empleo como un ingeniero.

Ben que le franceses acceptava Ravel como un "français de souche", ille se identificava fortemente con su matre, Marie Deluarte, un basca del Pyreneos qui habeva passate su annos de infantia in Madrid.

Le relationes inter le membros de su familia esseva exceptionalmente forte, ben que Maurice habeva con su matre un relation special, e sub su influentia ille disveloppava un vita emotional exceptional ric ma anque private.

Le juvene Maurice esseva exceptionalmente felice, ma ille non esseva un studente specialmente diligente durante su annos scholar. Ille habeva un interesse special in le musica del piano, e a dece duo annos ille comenciava su vita como compositor, producente compositiones que su tutor, Charles-René, describeva como "obras de interesse genuin indicante un stilo elevate e impeccabile".

In 1888 (mille octo centos octanta e octo) Ravel faceva le cognoscentia de un puero espaniol, Ricardo Viñes, e le duo juvenes deveniva amicos firme. Ricardo anque esseva un pianista, e ille e Maurice sovente musicava sur le piano durante que lor matres conversava in espaniol.

Le duo pueros matriculava in le conservatorio de musica in Paris le mesme die in Novembre, 1889 (mille octo centos octanta [e] nove). Illes passava multe horas musicante sur le piano e discoperiente multe compositiones foras del curriculo del conservatorio. Illes anque explorava altere obras del artistas parisian de lor epochia, includente autores como Baudelaire, Mallarmé, e Verlaine.

In 1893 (mille octocentos noventa e tres) le duo musicos juvene cognosceva Emmanuel Chabrier, un compositor francese multo original. Iste contacto impressionava Ravel multissimo, e postea ille componeva su "Sérénade grotesque" in le stilo de Chabrier.

Le mesme anno le patre de Ravel le presentava a Eric Satie, un compositor autodidacte e povre qui usava le piano pro musicar al café Chat Noir a Montmartre in Paris.

Satie esseva un spirito independente con talentos satiric grande. Respondente al "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune" (Preludio al postmeridie de un cervo infante) de Debussy, ille scribeva "Véritables préludes flasques pour un chien" (Veritabile preludios flacide pro un can).

Altere titulos satiric de Satie esseva "Trois morceaux en forme de poire" (Tres morsellos in le forma de un pira), "Airs a faire fuir" (Ares pro facer fugir), e "Embryons desséche's" (Embryones desiccate).

Il pare que Satie esseva convencite que multe arte de su epocha esseva construite pro deciper un publico pretentiose, ignorante e characterisate per le snobismo. Satie was my kind of guy.

Satie habeva un influentia importante sur le juvene Ravel e multe altere compositores usque su morte in 1925. Pro Ravel, su importantia se trovava in su talentos pro construer un nove simplicitate exotic in su compositiones con radices in le musica modal del grecos.

Ravel passava six annos al conservatorio absorbente solmente lo que ille trovava necesse pro su proprie disveloppamento como compositor durante que ille explorava in su tempore libere le musica de compositores innovative como Chabrier e Satie.

Le curriculo del conservatorio de plus in plus le enoiava, e in 1895 (mille octo cenos novanta e cinque) on le expelleva de su classes de piano e harmonia. In 1897 (mille octo centos novanta e septe) tamen ille sentiva le necessitate de instruction ulterior in le composition. Le conservatorio recognosceva su crescente talentos original e le lassava studiar in le classes de Gabriel Fauré. Iste instruction, con altere studio con André Gédage, le dava omne le cognoscimentos technic que ille requireva pro continuar su carriera como compositor.

Ravel admirava le musica de Debussy, ma ille prefereva un stilo plus precise. Ille revelava plus apertemente su rhytmos e generalmente prefereva melodias plus plenmente elaborate al melodias fragmentari de Debussy. Ravel sovente disveloppava su melodias secundo normas classic traditional. Igor Stravinsky diceva que ille componeva le musica como un switzo qui faceva horologios--un complimento multo ambigue.

Le influentia impressioniste sur Ravel se vide multo clarmente in obras que ille componeva pro le piano, como "Jeux d'eau" (Fontanas) e "Gaspard de la nuit" (Gaspard del nocte). Le influentia classic sur ille se vide in "Le Tombeau de Couperin" (le tumba de Couperin), un collection de dansas simile a illos del seculo dece octave.

Le destruction del Prime Guerra Mundial confirmava in Ravel un conviction que le Europa vetule e confidente esseva completemente morte. Post le guerra ille componeva pro un certe Paul Wittgenstein, un pianista e amico sue qui habeva perdite su brachio dextre in le guerra, su "Concerto pro le mano sinistre".

Le incoherentia del mundo europee que comenciava con iste guerra anque se reflecte fortissimemente in "La valse", un responsa al walzers facile e felice de Strauss. "La valse" displica in le organisation de su melodias, harmonias, e rhytmos tensiones multo stranie que monstra nonobstante richissime valores esthetic durante que illos pare predicer le destruction eventual del cultura europee.

Inter 1920 (mille nove centos vinti) e 1930 (mille nove centos trenta), Ravel viagiava al Statos Unite e cognosceva George Gershwin, un compositor american que ille admirava multissimo pro su compositiones usante le nove linguage musical del jazz american, que ille anque usava in su proprie compositiones, ma non tan obviemente como Gershwin.

Gershwin non habeva multe confidentia in su cognoscimentos technic como compositor e voleva que Ravel le instrueva. Ravel refusava, dicente que ille poterea apprender plus de Gershwin que Gershwin poteva apprender de ille. Ille esseva convencite que sin un infusion de traditiones musical de altere culturas, le musica francese tosto degenerarea e esserea restringite a formulas academic obsolete que eventualmente devenirea completemente sterile.

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Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure on March 7, 1875. Three months later, his family moved to Paris, where Pierre Joseph, his father, had found a job as an engineer.

Though the French accepted Ravel as a "true-blooded Frenchman," he identified himself strongly with his mother, Marie Deluarte, a Basque from the Pyrenees who had spent her childhood years in Madrid.

Relations among the family members were exceptionally close, though Maurice had a special relationship with his mother, and under her influence he developed an exceptionally rich, though private, emotional life.

In his childhood years he was exceptionally happy, but was not an exceptionally diligent student during his school years. He had a special interest in piano music, and at the age of twelve he started his life as a composer, producing compositions that his tutor, Charles René, described as "genuinely interesting works displaying an elevated and impeccable style."

In 1888 (eighteen eighty-eight), Ravel met a Spanish boy, Ricardo Viñes, and the two boys became firm friends. Ricardo was also a pianist, and he and Maurice often played the piano while their mothers talked to each other in Spanish.

The two boys enrolled in the Paris Conservatory the same day in November, 1889 (eighteen eighty-nine). They spent a lot of time playing the piano and discovering many compositions outside the strict curriculum of the conservatory. They also explored other works of Parisian artists of their era, such as Baudelaire, Mallarmé, and Verlaine.

In 1893 (eighteen ninety-three) the two young musicians met Emmanuel Chabrier, a very original French composer. This contact greatly impressed Ravel, and later on he composed his "Sérénade grotesque" in Chabrier's style.

The same year Ravel's father introduced him to Eric Satie, a self-taught, poverty-stricken composer who played the piano at the Chat Noir café at Montmartre, in Paris.

Satie was a free spirit with great satirical talents. Responding to Debussy "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune," he wrote "Véritables préludes flasques pour un chien" (True Flabby Preludes for a Dog).

Other satirical titles Satie came up with were "Trois morceaux en forme de poire" (Three Morsels in the Form of a Pear), "Airs a faire fuir" (Airs to Scare People Away), and "Embryons desséchés" (Dried Up Embryos).

It seems that Satie was convinced that much of the art of his era was created to put on e a pretentious, ignorant, and snobbish public. Satie was my kind of guy.

Satie had an important influence on the young Ravel and many other composers up to his death in 1925. For Ravel, his importance was found in his talents for constructing a new, exotic simplicity in his compositions with roots in Greek modal music.

Ravel spent six years at the conservatory absorbing only what he found necessary for his own development as a composer as he explored the music of innovative composers like Chabrier and Satie in his free time.

The curriculum of the conservatory annoyed him more and more, and in 1895 (eighteen ninety-five) he was expelled from his piano and harmony classes. In 1897 (eighteen ninety-seven), however, he felt the need for further instruction in composition. The conservatory recognized his growing original talents and let him study in Gabriel Fauré’s classes. This instruction, with other work he was doing with André Gédage, gave him all the technical knowledge he needed to continue his career as a composer.

Ravel admired Debussy's music, but he preferred a more precise style. He revealed his rhythms more openly and generally preferred more fully elaborated melodies to the fragmented ones by Debussy. Ravel often developed his melodies according to traditional classical norms. Igor Stravinsky said that he wrote music like a Swiss watchmaker--a decidedly left-handed compliment.

The impressionist influence on Ravel can be very clearly seen in works he wrote for the piano, such as "Jeux d'eau" (Waterworks) and "Gaspard de la nuit" (Gaspard of the Night). The classical influence on Ravel can be seen in "Le Tombeau de Couperin" (Couperin's Tomb), a collection of dances similar the ones produced in the Eighteenth Century.

The destruction of the First World War confirmed in Ravel a conviction that the old and confident Europe had completely died out. After the war he wrote for a certain Paul Wittgenstein, a pianist and friend of his who had lost his right arm in the war, his "Concerto for the Left Hand."

The incoherence of the European world that started with this war is strongly reflected in "La valse," a response to the happy and easy walzes of Strauss. "La valse" displays in the organization of its melodies, harmonies, and rhythms some very strange tensions that nevertheless embody very rich aesthetic values as they seem to predict the eventual destruction of European culture.

Between 1920 (nineteen twenty) and 1930 (nineteen thirty) Ravel traveled to the United States and got to know George Gershwin, an American composer he admired greatly for his compositions using the new musical language of American Jazz, which he used in his own compositions, though not as obviously as Gershwin.

Gershwin did not have a lot of confidence in his technical knowledge as a composer and wanted Ravel to give him some lessons. Ravel refused, saying that he could learn more from Gershwin than Gershwin could learn from him. He was convinced that without an infusion of musical traditions from other cultures, French music would soon decay and be restricted to obsolete academic formulas that would eventually become completely sterile.