The operas of Maurice Ravel / Emily Kilpatrick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kilpatrick, Emily, author.

Series:

Music in context.

Music in context

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ravel, Maurice, 1875-1937.

Ravel, Maurice.

Opera--France--20th century.

Opera.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 267 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Maurice Ravel's operas L'Heure espagnole (1907/1911) and L'Enfant et les sortilèges (1919-25) are pivotal works in the composer's relatively small œuvre. Emerging from periods shaped by very distinct musical concerns and historical circumstances, these two vastly different works nevertheless share qualities that reveal the heart of Ravel's compositional aesthetic. In this comprehensive study, Emily Kilpatrick unites musical, literary, biographical and cultural perspectives to shed new light on Ravel's operas. In documenting the operas' history, setting them within the cultural canvas of their creation and pursuing diverse strands of analytical and thematic exploration, Kilpatrick reveals crucial aspects of the composer's working life: his approach to creative collaboration, his responsiveness to cultural, aesthetic and musical debate, and the centrality of language and literature in his compositional practice. The first study of its kind, this book is an invaluable resource for students, specialists, opera-goers and devotees of French music.

Contents:

Opera synopses

Making operas. Introduction : A single act at the opera-comique ; Ravel's hour ; The child and the impresarios

Words and music. The collaborative process ; Songs into operas ; 'This archaic attempt at a modern fantasy'

A portrait of an opera-ballet. The compositional web ; The 'calling cards' of L'heure espagnole ; From Carmen to Concepcion ; The 'big, small world' of L'enfant et les sortileges

A child of his time.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 11 Nov 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-316-39408-5

1-316-39732-7

1-316-39952-4

1-316-40114-6

1-316-40006-9

1-316-39894-3

1-316-33923-8