In 1924, Maurice Ravel, the composer of the famous Bolero, talks about his daily life and his creative difficulties.
- Letter written by Maurice Ravel to Lucian Garban of Durand & Co, in Paris.
- One page.
- In French.
- Montfort L´Amaury, France, on February 27, 1924.
- Average state of conservation.
- Unique piece.
Excerpts
(...) I will come to Paris (a few hours) Saturday, Sunday or Monday. As I probably won't have time to see you, I will leave the prints at the hotel... unless I forget to take them, like the melody that day.
(...) New problem with the sonata. I think I found where it got stuck. I always gave it space: we'll see.
Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), the famous French composer and pianist, began to take an interest in music and the piano at the age of 7. Influenced by Debussy, Strauss, Liszt and Mozart, he managed to create his own style marked by the Impressionism of the time. He became world renowned for his Bolero, which is still the most performed French musical work around the world.
Lucien Garban (1877 - 1959), also a musician and composer, was a close friend and trusted assistant of Ravel. He helped the composer resolve difficulties with scores or contracts, but officially worked for Durand & Co, a music publisher and regular partner of Maurice Ravel.
It was in the Montford L'Amaury house, which he bought in 1921 to escape Paris, that Ravel wrote his famous Bolero. Enamored by the view of this small town, the countryside and the forest, he considered the house a more appropriate environment for composing than the Paris apartment where he had lived until then. He worked tirelessly, with a legendary perfectionism, but as a single man, he regularly went on tour, on beach holidays or on frequent trips to Paris.
This letter, headed "MR" by Maurice Ravel, portrays the day-to-day life of the brilliant French composer, divided between his friends and the intense - and sometimes painful - work of composition.
