Maurice Ravel and Erik Satie: A Comparative Study of Two Musical Pioneers
Ravel 1875-1937
As a person and as a musician does not look or Debussy or Satie. He had studied music.
Sign in with Faure Conservatory and study. Early works with the personality of composer and marcados.Fauré, to the failures of the Grand Prix in Rome that I can not win, increasing his popularity, and causing a scandal that puts Fauré as director of the conservatory. It is grouped with anyone. Lives of the classes and their compositions exclusively, has no bohemian attitude, posture should be named artistic craft, art is not loaded with deep meanings or reference to the other arts, the design is neither symbolic nor impressionist. It is considered serious musician, neoclassical style, representative of pure music, compared to Debussy Romantic decadent. In common with Debussy: evoking atmosphere, using exotic scales and resources (Spanish), evoking old harpsichord. In works like “Habanera 1895, which was later orchestrated is included in the Rhapsodie espagnole 1907In the opera L’eure anglaise brief set in Toledo and in 1928 the famous Bolero. Wouldalsoapply compared with Jeux d’eau, 1901. It is common during this early period after the slight Prix. The evocation of the Spanish atmosphere accompanied by a dreamy attitude may well be called impressionistic (pedal resonances, precious harmonics). The Spanish image is accentuated rhythm, symmetrical and harmonized. In the Bolero, with a sweeping symphony and the obsessive repetition of the melody with the huge orchestral crescendo that builds on recurrente.A pace after 1907 began to define a more personal, nothing to do with impressionistic and decidedly modernist. It is the second time after the execution of natural history, prose choose to put music on a bestiary ironic and solving in a recitation unpoetic. This irony was characterized in this respect an anti dominated by Stravinsky in 1911 and Satie.Importante contribution to the Parisian atmosphere before and after the war. In theTrois Poemes de Mallarme with EXTS, 1913, which reveals the collaboration of Stravinsky and Schoenberg’s influence after the premiere of Pierrot Lunaire. Vibrate sounds harsh in the upper register of the piano pedals harmonics, superimposed tones, speech abstract. The voice just sings and it almost seems declaimed. The last thing that made this was “Don Quichotte Dulcinea” “Pavana x Dead Princess” 1899
Ravel is at the conservatory, and in 1910 the orchestra. He hates this book for its simplicity, although like all because he could be touched. Classical aesthetic, clearer melodies, chromatic harmony, does not use whole-tone scales, unlike what debussy.
REACTION SATIE, GROUP 6
Attitude of playing the music itself and away from the Germanic. It is against Impressionism and especially against the academic. This romantic Debussy was decadent. Satie, was the leader, and was the most combative. His music was full of irony. They took their name from the Group of Russia. Their validity ranges from 1911 to 1917, which launched Satie, during the 1st World War.
1866-1925 composer Satie challenged his ideas not only broke new ground in the field of harmony and rhythm, but introduced new ways of thinking about the value and purpose of twentieth century music itself. Independent music creators, simple and ironic, a pioneer in several areas. Debussy saw him as a discoverer of new harmonies. Cage as the pioneer of the music without intention. Insecure about their worth as a musician and nearly forty years (1905) he enrolled at the Schola Cantorum to receive lessons in counterpoint, fugue and orchestration with d’Indy and Roussel. He remained there until 1908 and apparently the result was much more profitable than its passage through the Paris Conservatory during her youth (1879-1886).
The first major works of Satie were Sarabandes cycles (1887), Gymnopedies (1888) and Gnossiennes (1890), where his harmonic adventures included the rediscovery of ancient church modes. This was due in part to his interest in medieval Christianity, which in turn led to a partnership with the Rosicrucian movement. In fact, most of the scores written between 1891 and 1895 were thought imaginary esoteric ceremonies. Activities included piano performance at the Cafe Chat Noir in Montmartre
In 1898 he moved to the outskirts of Paris, but continued working as a pianist of coffee in Montmartre. Part of this informal music was incorporated into the Three pear-shaped parts are said to owe their name to a criticism made by Debussy on his way. But Satie did not compose much until 1913, when it began to be promoted for Vines, Ravel and, since 1915, by Cocteau. Diaghilev commissioned a ballet, Parade, whose score was structured as a suite of small pieces for orchestra, which also uses a typewriter and a siren. Most were aimed Satie compositions on piano. Consisted of miniatures were absurd titles and had a flat and repetitive style. But Satie continued to work with novel harmonies, as in the Nocturnes (1919), and venturing into technical aspects, as he did with his score for a film of his ballet sequence Relâche (1924), with which Cage and Antheil anticipated to raise the music depending on the length of the sections.
Satie also wanted to extend his language towards more ambitious projects like the symphonic drama Socrate (1918), as follows vocal modes of Gregorian chant accompanied by a modest with instrumental support. Music also introduced the concept of furniture for those written works such as “background music” and therefore could be ignored (something similar to what is now known as ambient music).
In the years after the war, and thanks to Cocteau, Satie became the artistic model of a group of young composers,
Les Six,
Their music is basically rebelling against Impressionism and Wagnerism. Were strongly influenced by the ideas of Erik Satie and Jean Cocteau. Although some work collectively written, each resulted in an own personal style. Georges Auric (1899-1983). Louis Durey (1888-1979). Arthur Honegger (1892-1955). Darius Milhaud (1892-1974). Francis Poulenc (1899-1963). Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) (only woman). Jean Cocteau (One non-musician, manager)
In 1918, a series of domestic mishaps led the march of Erik Satie and enmity with the group and it’s professional relationship with Jean Cocteau. Some blamed the blame on Arthur Honegger for his romantic style (breached the foundations of the group), but even so, Durey would remain in contact with Erik Satie outside the group, until the death of Satie. Other composers such as Manuel de Falla (especially the latter), Impressionists, sought to keep distance with the group, because the ideals antiimpresionistas. Anyway, Tailleferre frecuentaría Ravel’s house, only to receive instruction in orchestration, a simple artistic relationship. No longer were the most since 1930, refusing to explain. Also, Satie fell out with the group, but gained the friendship of Falla, Ravel and Stravinsky, among others, and continued to maintain an artistic relationship with Tailleferre and Durey, despite earning the hatred especially from Darius Milhaud and Arthur Honegger.