the exuberance of Chabrier, the suavity of Fauré, the atmo-
sphere and impressionistic tendencies of Debussy and the ex-
oticism of the Neo-Russians—yet he is indeed no empty re-
flection of these men, for he has his own bold, fantastic style
and has been a daring experimenter in freedom of harmony and
structure. One finds a power of ironic brilliance and of unex-
pected harmonic transformations certainly new in modern lit-
erature. Ravel[302] is one of the most versatile and prolific of
all the younger Frenchmen having composed significant works
in at least four fields: songs, particularly the set entitledHis-
toires Naturelles, which reveal an unusual instinct for delicate
description; and pianoforte pieces of whichMiroirs, the dazzling
tour de forceJeux d’eau, theValses nobles et sentimentales, the
Sonatine, thePavaneand, above all, the Poems,Gaspard de la
Nuit(Ondine,Le Gibbet[303] andScarbo) are conspicuous ex-
amples of his style. Furthermore in the field of chamber music
are found a String Quartet, remarkable for inspiration and for
certainty of workmanship, and a Trio (for pianoforte, violin and
’cello) which is one of the most brilliant modern works, of con-
vincing originality in its freedom of rhythm,e.g., the opening
measures of the first movement.
[Music]
[Footnote 302: The best account of his works and style is to
be found in the volumeMaurice Ravel et son oeuvreby Roland
Manuel.]
[Footnote 303: Le Gibbet is without doubt the most realistic
piece of musical description in our time.]
Finally, for orchestra hisSpanish Rhapsodyranks with Chabrier’s
Españaand Debussy’sIbériaas the acme of descriptive power
and of orchestral color. HisMother Goose Suite(originally a
set of four-hand pieces but since orchestrated with incompa-
rable finesse) illustrates his humor and play of fancy. It has
become a truly popular concert number. Ravel’s chef d’oeuvre
the “choreographic symphony”Daphnis et Chloédisplays an ex-
traordinary synthetic grasp, for all the factors—plot, action, the
musical fabric, a large orchestra and a chorus of mixed voices
behind the scenes—are held together with a master hand. This
work ranks with Debussy’sPelléas et Mélisande as the most
significant dramatic work of recent years.
It is evident, we trust, from the foregoing somewhat condensed