Letter signed by Maurice Ravel (1924)

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In 1924, Maurice Ravel, the composer of the famous Bolero, tells of 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. Single piece.

extracts

(...) I will come to Paris (a few hours) Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Since I probably won't have time to see it, I'll 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 stuck. I always gave space : let's see.

Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), the famous French composer and pianist, became interested in music and 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, even today, the most played French musical work around the world.

Lucien Garban (1877 - 1959), also a musician and composer, was a close friend and trusted assistant to Ravel. He helped the composer resolve difficulties with scores or contracts, but he officially worked for Durand & Co, a music publisher and regular partner of Maurice Ravel.

It was in the house of Montford L'Amaury, acquired in 1921 to escape Paris, that Ravel wrote his famous Bolero. Passionate about the view of this small city, the countryside and the forest, he considered the house a more appropriate environment for composing than the apartment in Paris, where he had lived until then. He worked tirelessly, with legendary perfectionism, but single, he used to go out regularly on tour, beach vacations or frequent trips to Paris.

This letter, headed "MR" by Maurice Ravel, portrays the day-to-day life of the genius French composer, divided between his friends and the intense work - and sometimes painful - of composition.