The Cambridge Companion to Ravel

A comprehensive introduction to the life, music and compositional aesthetic of Maurice Ravel.

This Companion provides a comprehensive introduction to the life, music and compositional aesthetic of French composer Maurice Ravel (1875–1937). Leading international scholars offer a powerful reassessment of this most private and elusive musician, examining his work in detail within its cultural context. Supported by many music examples, the volume explores the full range of Ravel's work - piano repertory, chamber works, orchestral music, ballets, songs and operas - and makes illuminating comparisons with the music of Couperin, Gounod, Chabrier and Debussy. The essays present the latest research focusing on topics such as Ravel's exoticism and Spanishness and conclude by analysing the performance and reception of his music, including previously untranslated reviews. Marking the 125th anniversary of Ravel's birth, the Companion as a whole aims to secure a solid foundation for Ravel studies in the twenty-first century and will appeal to all enthusiasts and students of his music.

List of contributors; Acknowledgements; Chronology of Ravel's life and career; Note on the text; Introduction Deborah Mawer; Part I. Cultural and Aesthetic: 1. History and homage Barbara L. Kelly; 2. Evocations of exoticism Robert Orledge; 3. Musical objects and machines Deborah Mawer; Part II. Musical Explorations: 4. Ravel and the piano Roy Howat; 5. Harmony in the chamber music Mark DeVoto; 6. Ravel and the orchestra Michael Russ; 7. Ballet and the apotheosis of the dance Deborah Mawer; 8. Vocal music and the lures of exoticism and irony Peter Kaminsky; 9. Ravel's operatic spectacles: L'Heure and L'Enfant Richard Langham Smith; Part III. Performance and Reception: 10. Performing Ravel: style and practice in early recordings Ronald Woodley; 11. Ravel and the twentieth century Roger Nichols; Appendix: Early reception of Ravel's music (1899–1939) Roger Nichols and Deborah Mawer; Notes; Select bibliography; Index of names and works.

This Companion provides a comprehensive introduction to the life, music and compositional aesthetic of French composer Maurice Ravel. Leading scholars offer a powerful reassessment of this most private and elusive musician, examining his work in detail within its cultural context. The volume marks the 125th anniversary of Ravel's birth.