Maurice Ravel - Le Tombeau De Couperin Urtext Piano Solo Book

Piano / Grade 8 / List D

• Menuet No. 5 from Le Tombeau de Couperin

Piano / Licentiate / List B

• Prelude No. 1 and Fugue No. 2 from Le tombeau de Couperin

Piano / Licentiate / List D

• Toccata No. 6 from Le tombeau de Couperin

Piano for Leisure / Certificate of Performance / Open Manual list

• Prelude 1st movement from Le tombeau de Couperin

Who Was Maurice Ravel?

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) was a French composer, known primarily for his contributions to the Impressionist movement in music, although he himself preferred to avoid that label. Born in Ciboure, France, Ravel showed musical talent at an early age and eventually studied at the Conservatoire de Paris. Despite his talent, he faced various setbacks in his academic career, including being expelled from the Conservatoire for not winning enough prizes.

Ravel had a penchant for experimentation and was particularly adept at orchestration. His works often explore the potential of color and texture, and he had a mastery of form and structure. Some of his best-known works include the orchestral composition "Boléro," the piano pieces "Pavane pour une infante défunte" and "Jeux d'eau," and the string quartet in F major. His compositions for piano were often adapted for large orchestral settings, revealing his skill in orchestration. He was also a master of smaller forms, producing a variety of songs and shorter piano pieces.

In addition to his contributions to piano and orchestral music, Ravel was an important composer of ballets and operas. His collaboration with impresario Sergei Diaghilev led to the creation of the ballet "Daphnis et Chloé," which is considered one of his masterpieces. He was influenced by various musical traditions, including American jazz and Spanish music, which can be heard in works like "Rapsodie espagnole" and "L'Heure espagnole."

Ravel served in World War I as a driver in medical units, and the experience had a profound effect on him. This is evident in works like "Le Tombeau de Couperin," a suite for solo piano later orchestrated, where each movement is dedicated to the memory of a friend who died in the war.

He was highly respected by his contemporaries, although he had a somewhat competitive relationship with Claude Debussy, another leading French composer of the time. The two are often mentioned together, although their styles and approaches to composition were quite different.

Ravel's health declined significantly after a taxi accident in 1932, which led to an inability to continue composing. He died in 1937 following an unsuccessful experimental surgery to address his deteriorating condition. Despite his relatively small output—compared to other composers of his stature—Ravel's influence on 20th-century music is immense, and his works continue to be widely performed and recorded today.