20th CENTURY COMPOSITION TECHNIQUES

Music 313
Fall Semester 2002

FINAL PROJECT
RAVEL, TROIS POEMES DE STEPHANE MALLARME, NO. III,
SURGI DE LA CROUPE ET DU BOND

Instructor: Professor Minturn

Student: Jailton Santana
Columbia, December 12th of 2002
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT COLUMBIA
SCHOOL OF MUSIC

A BRIEF ANALYSIS OF RAVEL, MALLARME SONGS,

SURGI DE LACROUPE ET DU BOND

Introduction

Maurice Ravel expresses in this piece, an aggregation of voice and

instruments, where all the parts contribute to the whole.

He based this

composition basically on octatonic, chromaticism and repeated chords.

The

analysis below shows my interpretation of how the piece was conceived. It shows
also the form of the whole piece, and characters of each section. We are going
to see some materials Ravel uses to change these characters. These will be
used as evidence of cooperation between voice and instruments. This analysis
is based on the piano reduced score and the record of it. Some of our
conclusions here are based not only on what we see at the music score or hear
in the record, but the union of both.
There are four diagrams at the end of this analysis that will be helpful to
better understand all the ideas written here. The first diagram explains the form
of this piece; the left-hand column shows how I categorized to analyze the form
of this piece. The second, third and fourth columns show what happens in each
section. The other three musical examples annexed to this paper were extracted
from Ravels score and will help to understand my explanations below.

Form and Analysis

Although the poem has four verses, I have divided this piece into three big
sections. The first section starts with an instrumental introduction when Ravel
uses musical elements that he is going to use in the whole piece.

This

introduction is not just a way to prepare the singers entrance but also a summary
of what is going to happen in musical ways. When the voice starts to sing at
the end of measure five, it sounds like a complement to what the instruments
have already done. It works as an aggregation, where each individual part, gets
together, to make the whole complete part. All the elements conjoin, helping
each other, reinforcing what the other has said, sometimes expressing a new
idea and being supported by the others.
If we think about chord progression or harmonic flowing, the first section
does not show up many different sets. Ravel uses a simple sequence with such
creativity that the results are full of beauty and show wise organized thoughts.
To be more specific, the first notes in this section are an octatonic scale C C# Eb E F# - G A Bb (see example 2). The composer uses these notes,
sometimes in different order, for four measures. I call this scale a D9- chord. If
we want to increment this chord, we can add a minor second and a minor sixth
and it will be a perfect octatonic scale (see first chord of measure 2 and 3, left
hand). I treat both these minors, second and sixth as an appoggiatura. Besides
our D9- chord, we find only a Dm in the first three measures.

The next new element to be introduced is the chromatic scale. It does not
conflict with the octatonic scale. This, in fact appears at measure three (right
hand) together with the octatonic scale (see example 3). The way that this new
element was introduced does not sound like a division of ideas but an addition of
thoughts. When the voice starts to sing, the elements that are used are notes
from the octatonic scale by minor second and third intervals (see pick up to
measure 6 until measure 8). By the first entrance of voice, four chords appear to
be preparing the harmonic support for the new melody. The chords are: D#7,
C#7, B7, and G#7. The three last ones are also repeated on measure five. If we
think of those chords as three notes, C#, B, and G# or {18e} written by pitch
class in a prime form, we can call them {035}. Those notes are used several
times at the voice line. If we just look for minor third followed by a major second,
we will find several. The first section ends with two measures long notes (see
measures 7 and 8) that are in preparation or transition to the second section.
The second section starts at measure nine and it finishes at measure
eighteen. Ravel introduces at measures nine, a Bb ostinato note that appears in
all measures, until the last measure of the piece. In fact, the ostinato starts two
measures before with an enharmonic note. This ostinato is basically supported
by a perfect fifth note below.

Sometimes this ostinato is reinforced by its

dominant (F) as in measures twelve and fourteen, or subdominant as in

measures nine, eleven and thirteen. This section is characterized by long notes
and a harmonic sequence of D, A/C#, D, A/C#, D, G/B, C. At the same time, we
have a lowest bass playing Tonic, Dominant or Subdominant of Eb major. Note

that the basses of these chords are far from each other by minor second or minor
third, one variant of our primer form {035}. The last three measures from this
section (from sixteen to eighteen) are a transition to the next section. The
composer repeats the C chord in the first beat of each measure yet at the same
time, repeating the Dominant bass (Bb) not just as a bass, but as a Dominant
seven chord, creating more tension in preparing for the next section. I consider
these three last measures from the second section, a bridge.
The last section of this piece starts at measures nineteen and goes until
the end (21). The first chord of this section is the climax of the piece, like a gold
chord. It is based, as in the first section, on an octatonic scale. Ravel uses also a
solo instrument (flute on highest notes and clarinet on the lowest notes) to
reinforce the human voice melody. We can identify basically two chords, E9 and
G#7, excepting the last measure. The last measure summaries the whole piece
(se example 4). We find two different octatonics in the first chord (D#m), a whole
tone in the second chord G7/F7, and the follow intervals: minor and major 2nd,
minor and major 3rd, perfect and augmented 4th in the voice line.
There is a pedal note (C) followed by three chords in the last measure.
Each hand has a sequence of chords. The right hand has D#m9m, G7 and A;
the left hand has D#m9, F7 and C9(11). The first two chords from both hands
together, are part of two different octatonic scales (G, A, A#, C / D, D#, F, F#).
The voice line is based on tritons, chromatics, minor third and octatonic scales.
Those notes come from scales that have been played along the instruments line.
There is a Bb ostinato note, which appeared at the second section, here in all

measures. The sequence of octatonic scale is broken by a whole tone scale

(G#, Bb, C, D, E), measure 22, indicating the conclusion of the piece. There is
also a changing of tempo (Ralenti and Tres lent) that helps to support this idea.
After the whole tone break, Ravel puts back other octatonics to continue his idea
until the end.
Although Ravels piece is not a traditional tonal piece, we can affirm that it
is neither atonal. He wrote in a way that the dissonances are treated, without the
expectation of tension-rest, with freedom. He used a new way to put old things
together. The voice is part of the orchestration as well as a participant of each
new element exposed. The orchestra is not a mere accompaniment but one
which expresses ideas and thoughts, suggesting words, and supporting the text
ideas, as that reflected by the chamber.

Example 1 FORM
SECTIONS
SUBSECTIONS
MEASURES

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

Introduction
1-5

SECTION 3

Bridge
8

16-18

Conclusion
19

22-24

NUMBER
NEW ELEMENTS

Octatonic

Ostinato

Whole tone

Chromaticism
Whole tone