Joseph Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure France to a Basque mother and a swiss father.

He
entered the paris conservatory at the age of 14 where he studied with the eminent French
composer Gabriel Faure. During his stint with the school where he stayed until his early 20s,
he composed a number of masterpieces.

The compositional style of Ravel is mainly characterized by its uniquely innovative but not
atonal style of harmonic treatment. It is defined with intricate and sometimes modal
melodies and extended chordal components. It demands considerable technical virtuosity
from the perfomer- with a virtuoso being a person who exhibits exceptional musical
technique or execution.
The harmonic progressions and modulations in Ravel’s works are not only musically
satisfying but also preasantly dissonant and elegantly sophisticated. His refined delicacy and
color , contrasts and effects add to the difficulty in the proper execution of the musical
passage. are extensively used in his works of a programmatic .

These are nature, wherein visual imagery is either suggested or portrayed. Many of his works
deal with water in its flowing or stormy moods, as well as with human characterizations.
Ravel was a perfectionist and every bit a musical craftsman. He strongly adhered to the
classical form, specifically its ternary structure. A strong advocate of Russian music, he also
admired the music of Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, and Mendelssohn.

Ravel’s works include the following:

:Pavane for a Dead Princess (1899)- a slow but lyrical requiem

:Jeux d’Eau or Water Fountains (1901)
:String Quartet (1903)
:Sonatine for Piano (c.1904)
:Miroirs (Mirrors)(1905) – a work for a piano known for its harmonic evolution and
imagination
:Gaspard de la Nuit (1908)- a set of demonic inspired pieces based on the poems of Aloysius
Bertrans which is arguably the most difficult piece in the piano repertoire

Valses Nobles et Sentimentales (1911)

:Le Tombeau de Couperin (c1917)-a commemoration of the musical advocacies of the early
18th century French composer Francois Couperin
:Rhapsodie Espagnole (1907-1908)
:Bolero (1875-1937)
:Daphnis et Chloe (1912)- a ballet commissioned by master choreographer Sergie Diaghilev
that contained by rythmic diversity , evocation of nature , and a choral esemble
:La Valse (t1920)- awaltz with a frightening undertone hat had been composed for ballet and
arranged well for solo and duo piano
:Tziagane (1922)-a violin virtuosic piece
:Two paino concerti (1929)

These works comprise the relatively meager compositional output of ravel , totalling
approximately 60 pieces for piano ,chamber music ,song cycles, ballet , and opera. He died in
Paris in 1937.

Comparative Style of Debussy and Ravel

As the two major exponents of FRANCE impressionism in music, Debussy and Ravel had
crossed paths during their lifetime, although Debussy was 13 years older than Ravel. While
their harmonic and textural characteristics, the two differed greatly in their personalities and
approach to music. Whereas Debussy was more spontanaeous and liberal form, Ravel was
very attentive to the classical norms of musical structure and compositional craftmanship.
Debussy was more casual in his portayal of visual imagery while Ravel was more formal and
exacting in the development of his motive ideas.

MEMBER:
Meah O. Janohan
Jho-Ann Arboleras
Christine Mae Bolong
Lorenz Salamanca
JhEn Hingpit Calapuan
Melody Tangkawan