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He was born in Ciboure, France (near Biarritz, part of the French Basque region, bordering on Spain). His mother was Basque while his father was a SwissThe Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in central Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international c inventor and industrialist. His parents encouraged his musical pursuits and sent him to the Conservatoire de ParisFamous alumni Paris Conservatoire has been central to the evolution of music in France, and in western Europe and lists amoungst its former students: Georges Bizet (1838-1875) Alfred Cortot (1877-1962) Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Theodore Dubois (1837-1924. During his schooling in Paris Ravel joined with a number of innovative young composers who referred to themselves as the "Apaches" because of their wild abandon. The group was well known for its drunken revelry.
He studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris in ParisEiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. Paris is the capital and largest city of France. The city is built on an arc of the River Seine, and is thus divided into two parts: the Right Bank to the north and the smaller Left Bank to, under Gabriel FauréGabriel Urbain Faur ( May 12, 1845 November 4, 1924) was a French composer. Born in Pamiers, Ariege, Midi-Pyrenees, he studied at the Niedermeyer school of religious music in Paris with several of the greats including Camille Saint-Saens. He eventually be for a remarkable fourteen years. During his years at the conservatory, Ravel tried numerous times to win the prestigious Prix de RomeThe Prix de Rome is a scholarship for students of the arts. It originated in 1663 in France under the reign of King Louis XIV as an annual reward for promising young painters, sculptors and architects, who demonstrated their excellence by participating in, but to no avail. After a scandal involving his loss of the prize, even though he was considered the favorite to win that year, Ravel left the conservatory. Ravel was heavily influenced by composer DebussyClaude Achille Debussy ( August 22, 1862 March 25, 1918), composer of impressionistic classical music. Born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines, France, Claude Debussy studied with Guiraud and others at the Paris Conservatoire ( 1872- 84) and as an 1884 Pr's impressionist style. Ravel was also highly influenced by music from around the world including American Jazz, Asian music, and traditional folk songs from across Europe. Ravel was not religious and was probably an atheist. He disliked the overtly religious themes of other composers, such as Wagner, and instead preferred to look to classical mythology for inspiration.
Ravel never married, but he did have several long-running relationships. He was also known to frequent the bordellos of Paris.
During the First World War Ravel was not allowed to enlist because of his age and weak health and instead he became an ambulance driver.
In 1932 Ravel was involved in an automobile accident that severely undermined his health. His output dropped dramatically. In 1937 he had an operation that he hoped would restore much of his health, but the operation was a failure and he died soon afterwards.
When American composer George Gershwin met Ravel, he mentioned that he would have liked to study with the French composer if that were possible. The Frenchman retorted, "Why should you be a second-rate Ravel when you can be a first-rate Gershwin?"
Stravinsky once referred to Ravel as the "Swiss Watchmaker", a reference to the intricacy and precision of Ravel's works.| Politics | Business | Finance |
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