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Course: Music | All-Star Orchestra > Unit 3
Lesson 8: Maurice Ravel: Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et ChloeMaurice Ravel: "Daphnis et Chloé", analysis by Gerard Schwarz
Watch full performance here. Created by All Star Orchestra.
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Does anyone know what musical period Ravel composed in?(6 votes)
Ravel was actively composing during the very late-Romantic/early-Modern period, and continued to work well into the modern era when composers were experimenting with atonality and twelve-tone. Ravel, though, composed music in his own way, with influences from the Rococo and Impressionist periods.(10 votes)
I've recently heard that Ravel was an Impressionist composer. Previously, I'd only heard the term "impressionist" used when referring to the art historical period. Is there really a defined Impressionist period in classical music, and if so, who were its main figures?(4 votes)- Instead of being an actual period in the way that the Baroque and Classical periods were, Impressionism is a term that is applied to a stylistic way of composing. It was most popular in France during the early-1900s, but Impressionist forms of writing have continued since then. Claude Debussy was considered the "founder" of Impressionism, with his vague, blurred, and hazily-colored music. Maurice Ravel is also considered the second great figure of Impressionism, but his works have more melodic and rhythmic vigor and structure. Other composers associated with Impressionist forms of writing include Sibelius, Dukas, and Resphighi.(8 votes)
- Does the instrumentation of Ravel and his contemporaries generally differ from earlier periods? If so, how?(4 votes)
- If you are referring to the choice of instruments used in orchestral scores when you mention instrumentation, then yes, Ravel's instrument choice was very different from preceding composers. He often called for unique instruments (saxophone, ethnic percussion, and special woodwinds) that other classical composers rarely, if ever, used. His contemporaries also used unique instrumentation, although Ravel (an Impressionist) is often considered one of the greatest masters of orchestral color.
If you are referring to Ravel's orchestration techniques, then yes, his orchestration was certainly different than other composers' writing. Ravel often muted his instruments, giving his scores unique sounds. He also relied heavily on percussion and specialty instruments such as harps, pianos, and celestas to give his scores brilliance. Compared to his contemporaries, Ravel's scores are more defined and vivid. It is often said that while Debussy's music sparkles, Ravel's glitters (Debussy was the other great Impressionist composer of Ravel's era).(5 votes)
Gerard often refers to Pan being in love with something, a cerynx? Not sure on the spelling, but what exactly is that? I assume a type of mythological animal?(3 votes)
Syrinx was a mythical mountain nymph who was transformed into the reed which Pan used to make the panpipe.(5 votes)
at1:22he says the second suite is usually played. why don't people play the first suite?(3 votes)- Over time, certain compositions just become more popular. It is not that Ravel's first Daphnis et Chloe suite is lesser than the second suite; it is just that the latter work has more of a showpiece quality to it (with its ethereal opening, flute solo, and barbaric dances), something that audiences want more of.(3 votes)
- at0:50Gerard said pan was the god of the flute, i thought he was god of pan pipes. whose right?(2 votes)
- The name pan pipe (an early form of the flute) did originate from the Greek deity Pan, who was also the god of nature and shepherds. Since pan pipes were an early form of the flute, it is common to see composers refer to Pan as the god of the flutes.(5 votes)
What is an E-Flat clarinet, isn't there just a Clarinet? Is there more altered instruments?(2 votes)- An E-flat clarinet is a clarinet that is tuned to E-flat. Thus, instead of playing a C, it plays an E-flat, and an F instead of a D, and so on. The E-flat clarinet is used in orchestras and bands for higher pitched notes. The B-flat clarinet is much more common, and is the "normal" clarinet that most people think about or reference. Other clarinets include the A clarinet, the bass clarinet, and the contrabass clarinet.(2 votes)
- Who painted the pictures(2 votes)
Maurice may have painted them, you should look this up(1 vote)
I place the violin and how dose the violinist play so fast and move there fingrs fast too(1 vote)
It takes an enormous amount of practice. Talent is also helpful but not required.(3 votes)
I've never heard the term glissando before, what exactly does it mean?(1 vote)
On the piano at least, it's a very very quick slide you do on the keys.(1 vote)
1:22Video transcript
(gentle orchestral music) - [Gerard] Maurice Ravel,
one of the great composers of the 20th century,
he was commissioned by Diaghilev to do a ballet,
"Daphnis and Chloe", premiered two years after "The Firebird". Very much the same cast of characters, the same choreographers, the same dancers, the same huge orchestra
except Ravel added a chorus besides the huge orchestra. A kind of similar type story. In this case it was a story about the love between Daphnis and Chloe,
and Chloe was abducted and then through the intervention of Pan, who was the God of playing the flute, and his love for Syrinx,
and Chloe was found and Daphnis and Chloe
lived happily ever after. More or less something like that. From this great ballet that Ravel wrote, he created two suites, and Ravel used basically the first part of
the ballet for Suite No. 1, and the second part of the
ballet for Suite No. 2. Suite No. 2 is the one
that's done the most often. The piece begins in the
most remarkable way. The woodwinds, two flutes
and then two clarinets, play these incredibly fast notes, one of the most important orchestral excerpts for these instruments. And hard, and fast, and soft. The harp, playing
glissandos underneath that, and the double basses, just
underpinning the whole thing with kind of a melodic gesture,
not a melody, certainly. It is an incredible moment. It creates such an atmosphere. (Orchestra plays "Daphnis
et Chloe", Suite No. 2) It is just about to be daybreak. You can just feel how the
sun is about to come up. And Ravel uses this melody, (Gerard plays piano) and this melody can go on forever. (piano plays) It's a kind of melody that you can repeat over and over again and just keeps going, but if you think of that little gesture, this little melody, and
if you orchestrate it, put it in different instruments and do it in interesting ways,
it can be a glorious moment. (Orchestra plays "Daphnis
et Chloe", Suite No. 2) And the little bird comes in the piccolo and the solo violins. (piccolo plays) (violins play) So as the day break and
the sun is coming up, birds are there, shepherds
start to be seen coming through. Obviously they're getting up and getting ready to
take care of their sheep, and doing their job in a sense. You can hear this little
solo from the piccolo and a little solo from
the E-flat clarinet. We have a group of herdsmen come in. And for the herdsmen Ravel uses
a slightly different melody. I mean, you can hear the similarities. (Gerard plays melody on piano) (gentle orchestral music) So we have all of this filagree. The glissandos of the harp. There's melodies that are being developed, but nothing, no great gestures yet, and some new material comes
in, played by the viola and the clarinet. And you can feel that
what's happening now, of course, is that Daphnis
is trying to find Chloe. Now, if you didn't know
that, it wouldn't matter. It's just, it's what was
needed at the moment. You could tell, musically,
after all of this, all these beautiful gestures, you can't just do beautiful gestures forever. And he gets a little, a
little agitated section. In the story, Daphnis is looking for Chloe and she appears surrounded
by the shepherds. (Orchestra plays "Daphnis
et Chloe", Suite No. 2) In the next juncture of this ballet, we get the the part where, of course, Chloe has been abducted,
and now Pan is helping Daphnis to find her. In fact, they kind of reverse roles. Daphnis becomes Pan and
Chloe becomes the Syrinx that Pan loved. And it leads to the sensual
section of the piece which is this incredible flute solo. The greatest flute solo
probably ever written. Very simple accompaniment,
pizzicato strings, second and fourth horn, harp,
and this beautiful flute solo. (flute and orchestra play) The flute solo becomes
more and more agitated, and eventually, Chloe
falls into Daphnis' arms. And it's this mini
concerto for flute section. So you see the first flute
playing a cascading scale and the second flute picks it up. The alto flute is the final one. Starts with the piccolo and
works it's way down the section. And then, in fact, what Ravel
does is he continues that, and it continues to be a little, a little flute section concerto right in the middle of this piece. Phenomenal use of the instruments. (Agitated flute and orchestra music) Finally comes to an end and at this moment the nymphs are falling in love and they pledge their love for each other and they dedicate some
sheep to their joy together. And it is represented by this
somewhat gorgeous chorale. (Orchestra plays chorale in
"Daphnis et Chloe", Suite No. 2) This leads us to first
inkling of the fast section, 'cause everything 'til now, I believe, has been relatively slow,
a build up for the flutes and then it comes back again and then we have this little chorale for the sheep and the shepherds. The women of the company, in
this case the dance company, enter to do a special general dance. It starts out where the music
that is going to permeate the rest of the piece is
sounded, but only a few bars, because immediately it comes back down, and we hear that same beautiful chorale, a solo for the alto flute, and then, the general dance begins. This is the dance that's
basically in five. There are a few moments that are in three, but basically in five. So, it's five beats
per bar, accent on two. And that in itself is unusual. (Orchestra plays "Daphnis
et Chloe", Suite No. 2) At one point, after this
tremendous build-up, like any great composer he
could have ended it just there. Instead he brings everything back down. Everything back down to the
essence, which is the rhythm, and in a very soft way, the
snare drum and the double basses play this bum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba. And it's starts over again. And it's so interesting
that composers do this, because you know it could
end, he brings it back, and then when it does end
it's even more exciting. And the end of "Daphnis
and Chloe" second suite, is among the most exciting pieces of music one could ever hear. Using seven percussion,
four trumpets, four flutes, oboes, English horn, clarinet,
I mean, its a huge orchestra. And full of what we know of Ravel, one of the greatest
orchestrators of all time. (Orchestra plays "Daphnis
et Chloe", Suite No. 2)