Rapsodie espagnole

• A four-movement piece for orchestra composed in 1907
  • Fun fact – Rapsodie espagnole was Ravel’s first published work for orchestra.
• Premiered in 1908 in Paris with the Orchestre des Concerts Colonne conducted by Édouard Colonne
• Dedicated to “À mon cher maître, Charles de Bériot” (Ravel’s teacher at the Paris Conservatory)
• Four movements:
  • Prélude à la nuit
  • Malagueña
  • Habanera*
  • Feria (festival)

*”Habanera” was taken directly from an earlier work for two pianos by Ravel: Sites auriculaires (1895).¹

• Even though he had not yet visited Spain at this point in his life, Ravel’s understanding of Spanish musical character was praised by Manuel de Falla, who noted that the piece felt genuine.²

1. “Rapsodie espagnole, M.54 (Ravel, Maurice),” IMSLP, accessed September 19, 2024, https://imslp.org/wiki/Rapsodie_espagnole%2C_M.54_(Ravel%2C_Maurice).
2. Jeff Counts, “Ravel – Rapsodie espagnole,” Utah Symphony (2012), accessed September 19, 2024, https://utahsymphony.org/explore/2012/11/ravel-rapsodie-espagnole/.