Ravel on Debussy

In a lecture in 1928 in Houston, Texas, Ravel described the differences between Debussy and his approach to composition:

For Debussy the musician and the man I have had profound admiration, but by nature I am different from him. Although he may not be quite a stranger from my own personal heritage, I would at the first stage of my own evolution come nearer to Gabriel Fauré, Emmanuel Chabrier and Erik Satie. The aesthetic of Edgar Allan Poe, your great American, has been of singular importance to me, as also has been the poetry of Mallarmé – illimitable visions but of precise design enclosed a mystery of sombre abstractions, an art where all the elements are so intimately linked among themselves that one cannot always analyse the effects but only perceive them. Nevertheless, I think I have always personally followed a direction opposed to that of the symbolism of Debussy.

B. James, Ravel: his life and times, New York, Midas Books, 1983, pp. 19-20.

Posted

in

by

Greg

Tags:

,

Featured Content

The artist’s soul
There is, behind the soul and the whole life of the artist, perhaps a suffering soul … The moment one day will come in which perhaps yourself – if you possess a soul as I wish to believe – you will be able to see through feeling without any explanation. – Dimitri Mitropoulos to Leonard […]
The need for books
We wouldn’t need books quite so much if everyone around us understood us well. But they don’t. Even those who love us get us wrong. They tell us who we are but miss things out. They claim to know what we need, but forget to ask us properly first. They can’t understand what we feel […]
How to win over an orchestra
Haydn was in London in 1791 when he performed in a concert led by Johann Salomon (a violinist/composer).   Salomon played the first violin and led the orchestra, and Haydn sat at the harpsichord, keeping the band together by an occasional chord or two, as the practice then was. Great composers have not always been […]
Composition services
A Child is Born in Bethlehem
Title: A Child is Born in Bethlehem. Five Christmastide arrangements for piano by Greg Smith Arranger: Greg Smith Instrumentation: Piano Product medium: PDF score Contents: A child is born in Bethlehem (Danish melody) High from the tree's green top (E. Horneman) In a basement black as coal (C. M. Bellman) Lovely is the blue sky […]
Form and content
“I think that one way toward a more intelligent and involved appraisal is through a connection with the pieces, and that one way to develop that connection is to talk about what the pieces mean to people who have spent a lot of time with them: the content, if you will. This approach can also […]
Air III
Title: Air III Composer: Greg Smith Instrumentation: Piano Duet Level: Piano I – level 1 (five finger positions, left and right hands) Product medium: PDF score & MP3 accompaniment track (Audio sample of accompaniment track only)
Satie’s day
Satie wrote that “An artist must organise his life.” In 1913, he set said out a schedule in which he stated he would be inspired between 10:23 and 11:47am, and 3:12 to 4:10pm. The timetable allowed for daily house riding, and various other activities such as fencing, reflection, immobility, visits, contemplation, swimming, etc. The day […]
A musical solution
“Every disease is a music problem, its cure a musical solution.” Novalis, 18th century German author, mystic and philosopher. Cited in: Inge Kjemtrup, “The power of music therapy”, Pianist, Issue 59, April-May 2011. Warners Group Publications, p.66.
The addictive nature of song writing
“You know it’s sort of addictive because there is all this gold just floating in the ether around you. The process of song writing is this process of just discovering and putting together these beautiful animals that live on their own and run around the world and make people feel good or go on trips […]