MAURICE RAVEL BETWEEN IMPRESSIONISM, SYMBOLISM AND NEOCLASSICISM

Abstract

Maurice Ravel together with Claude Debussy are considered the two great impressionist composers of the twentieth century, however both of them refused this appellation. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle: although Ravel’s music through his harmonies belongs to Impressionism, through the thematism of his works belongs to Symbolism and through the use of traditional forms belongs to Neoclassicism, each association can be only partially correct. This study tries to demonstrate this affirmation through a short overview of the composer’s art.

Keywords

• Ravel, Impressionism, Symbolism, Neoclassicism, Skills.