sad birds ravel

Question 1

Who was Maurice Ravel?

Answer 1

A French composer (1875-1937) known for his role in the impressionist style, alongside Claude Debussy.

Question 2

Where did Ravel study music?

Answer 2

At the Paris Conservatoire under Gabriel Fauré.

Question 3

What scandal was associated with Ravel’s attempts to win the Prix de Rome?

Answer 3

His last attempt in 1905 was controversial because he was overlooked in favor of Victor Gallois. He had made 5 attempts in total

Question 4

What style is Ravel known for, and who was his contemporary in this style?

Answer 4

French impressionism; his contemporary was Claude Debussy.

Question 5

Name two of Ravel’s early piano works.

Answer 5

Jeux d’eau and Miroirs.

Question 6

What is “Oiseaux tristes” and when was it composed?

Answer 6

It is a piece from the Miroirs collection, composed in 1904-5.

Question 7

To whom was “Oiseaux tristes” dedicated?

Answer 7

Ricardo Viñes, a Spanish pianist and friend of Ravel.

Question 8

What musical style characterizes “Oiseaux tristes”?

Answer 8

It is impressionistic, using pedal notes, ostinatos, and unresolved dissonances, parallel 5th and a slow rate of harmonic change. There are no “themes” as such, but rather short motives. There is a general lack of harmonic direction, although the main key is closest to Eb minor.

Question 9

What is the main key of “Oiseaux tristes”?

Answer 9

Eb minor

Question 10

What form does “Oiseaux tristes” follow?

Answer 10

A loose ternary form.

Question 11

What does the term “Très lent” mean in music?

Answer 11

very slow

Question 12

What is the meaning of “pressez”

Answer 12

It means becoming quicker (hurrying or pressing on)

Question 13

m.d and m.g meaning

Answer 13

m.d (main droite) means right hand; m.g (main gauche) means left hand

Question 14

expressif meaning

Answer 14

expressif means expressively

Question 15

lointain meaning

Answer 15

loitain means distantly

Question 16

revenez au mouvement meaning

Answer 16

revenes au mouvement means returning to the former speed

Question 17

LÉGÈREMENT meaning

Answer 17

means very lightly

Question 18

presque ad lib meaning

Answer 18

means quite freely (presque means almost)

Question 19

encore plus lent meaning

Answer 19

means even slower

Question 20

sombre meaning

Answer 20

sombre means dark, sombre

Question 21

perdendo meaning

Answer 21

means dying away

Question 22

what was ravel’s musical style?

Answer 22

Ravel was, with Debussy, at the forefront of the French impressionist style at the beginning of the 20th Century. His early piano works, such as Jeux d’eau and Miroirs displayed a virtuosity in the tradition of Liszt, exploring new sonorities and using lush harmonies. His later works such as Le Tombeau de Couperin and Valses nobles et sentimentales became leaner in style. He was also a master of orchestral colour, and his orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition has become even more well known than the original piano version.

Question 23

other contemporaries of ravel?

Answer 23

French: Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, Erik Satie
Other: Béla Bartók, Frederick Delius, Arnold Schoenberg, Igor Stravinsky

Question 24

Tell me about the life and training of Maurice Ravel

Answer 24

Ravel was born in the Basque region (in south-west France, bordering Spain), but grew up in Paris. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, coming under Fauré’s tutelage. He made five attempts to win the Prix de Rome; the last of these was in 1905, when he was an established composer, and the fact that he was overlooked for the prize, in favour of Victor Gallois, caused a great scandal. Ravel served in the first world war as a driver. In 1920, as the pre-eminent French composer, he was offered the Légion d’honneur (which he refused). He suffered from aphasia in his final years, and he died in Paris after unsuccessful brain surgery. Maurice was born 1875 and died 1937

Question 25

List all of Ravel’s compositions:

Answer 25

For piano:
Pavane for a dead Princess
Jeux d’eau
Sonatine
Miroirs
Gaspard de la nuit
Valses nobles et sentimentales
Le tombeau de Couperin
Piano Concerto for the left hand
Piano Concerto in G

Other:
Operas, including L’heure espagnole and L’enfant et les sortilèges
Ballets, including Ma mère l’oye, Daphnis et Chloé and Boléro
Orchestral music, including Rapsodie espagnole
Chamber music, including a string quartet and a piano trio
Songs and song cycles, including Chansons madécasses