Maurice Ravel's operas L'Heure espagnole (1907/1911) and L'Enfant et les sortilèges (1919–25) are pivotal works in the composer's relatively small œuvre. Emerging from periods shaped by very distinct ...musical concerns and historical circumstances, these two vastly different works nevertheless share qualities that reveal the heart of Ravel's compositional aesthetic. In this comprehensive study, Emily Kilpatrick unites musical, literary, biographical and cultural perspectives to shed new light on Ravel's operas. In documenting the operas' history, setting them within the cultural canvas of their creation and pursuing diverse strands of analytical and thematic exploration, Kilpatrick reveals crucial aspects of the composer's working life: his approach to creative collaboration, his responsiveness to cultural, aesthetic and musical debate, and the centrality of language and literature in his compositional practice. The first study of its kind, this book is an invaluable resource for students, specialists, opera-goers and devotees of French music.
French composer Maurice Ravel was described by critics as a
magician, conjurer, and illusionist. Scholars have been aware of
this historical curiosity, but none so far have explained why Ravel
...attracted such critiques or what they might tell us about how to
interpret his music. Magician of Sound examines Ravel's
music through the lens of illusory experience, considering how
timbre, orchestral effects, figure/ground relationships, and
impressions of motion and stasis might be experienced as if they
were conjuring tricks. Applying concepts from music theory,
psychology, philosophy, and the history of magic, Jessie Fillerup
develops an approach to musical illusion that newly illuminates
Ravel's fascination with machines and creates compelling links
between his music and other forms of aesthetic illusion, from
painting and poetry to fiction and phantasmagoria. Fillerup
analyzes scenes of enchantment and illusory effects in Ravel's most
popular works, including Boléro , La Valse ,
Daphnis et Chloé , and Rapsodie espagnole ,
relating his methods and musical effects to the practice of
theatrical conjurers. Drawing on a rich well of primary sources,
Magician of Sound provides a new interdisciplinary
framework for interpreting this enigmatic composer, linking magic
and music.
Maurice Ravel Zank, Stephen
2005, 20130524, 2004, 2013-05-24
eBook
Maurice Ravel: A Research and Information Guide is an annotated bibliography concerning both the nature of primary sources related to the composer and the scope and significance of the secondary ...sources which deal with him, his compositions, and his influence as a composer and theorist.
Ravel the Decadent offers a bold new perspective on the music of Maurice Ravel by locating its aesthetic origins in the French Decadence and demonstrating this influence across the length of his ...oeuvre. The notions of memory, sublimation, and desire are invoked to delineate the Decadent profile of this music.
An essential resource for scholars and performers, this study by a world-renowned specialist illuminates the piano music of four major French composers, in comparative and reciprocal context. Howat ...explores the musical language and artistic ethos of this repertoire, juxtaposing structural analysis with editorial and performing issues. He also relates his four composers historically and stylistically to such predecessors as Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, the French harpsichord school, and Russian and Spanish music. Challenging long-held assumptions about performance practice, Howat elucidates the rhythmic vitality and invention inherent in French music. In granting Fauré and Chabrier equal consideration with Debussy and Ravel, he redresses a historic imbalance and reshapes our perceptions of this entire musical tradition. Outstanding historical documentation and analysis are supported by Howat's direct references to performing traditions shaped by the composers themselves. The book balances accessibility with scholarly and analytic rigor, combining a lifetime's scholarship with practical experience of teaching and the concert platform
Portret van een veelzijdig componist.
‘De meester van de klinkende maskers’, zo karakteriseerde de muziekfilosoof Theodor Adorno ooit Maurice Ravel. Als geen ander kan Ravel feilloos een muzikaal ...karakter oproepen, waarachter hij zich vervolgens behaaglijk verschanst. Zo spat de Spaanse vurigheid van het blad in Rapsodie espagnole, terwijl de onderkoelde barok-imitatie in Le tombeau de Couperin de luisteraar koude rillingen bezorgt. En wie zou denken dat de rokerige jazzy-atmosfeer van het Pianoconcerto en de geoliede orkestmachine van de Boléro uit het brein van dezelfde componist komen? Dit boek biedt een kennismaking met een componist die zich niet gemakkelijk laat kennen. De kroniek van leven en werk en de vijf thematische hoofdstukken willen de luisteraar niet alleen iets laten begrijpen. Bovenal wil dit boek smaak geven in Ravels muziek, die klinkende maskers waarop men maar niet uitgekeken raakt.
Code reviews Rethinking Debussy edited by Elliott Antokoletz and Marianne Wheeldon and Unmasking Ravel: New Perspective on the Music edited by Peter Kaminsky.
