This new biography of Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), by one of the leading scholars of nineteenth- and twentieth-century French music, is based on a wealth of written and oral evidence, some newly translated and some derived from interviews with the composer's friends and associates. As well as describing the circumstances in which Ravel composed, the book explores new evidence to present radical views of the composer's background and upbringing, his notorious failure in the Prix de Rome, his incisive and often combative character, his sexual preferences, and his long final illness. It also contains the most detailed account so far published of his hugely successful American tour of 1928. The world of Maurice Ravel – including friendships (and some fallings-out) with Debussy, Faure, Diaghilev, Gershwin, and Toscanini – is deftly uncovered in this sensitive portrait.
About the Author
Roger Nichols read Music at Worcester College, Oxford, with Edmund Rubbra and Frederick Sternfeld. He taught both Music and Classics in various schools and universities, before becoming a freelance writer, broadcaster and pianist in 1981. He was decorated as Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur in 2006 for his 40 years of service to French music. He has written and contributed to over twenty books on music and has edited the bulk of Ravel's piano music for Peters Edition.
Reviews
"Although little is known about Ravel's private life – usually the key area of interest for non-academics – Roger Nichols has produced an exceptionally comprehensive work. He attaches himself fully to his subject, weaving the successes, failures and travels with illuminating trivia" – Anna Britten, Classic FM Magazine
"A compelling new biography unravels the mysteries surrounding Ravel... Mysterious to the end, the fascination of its subject remains fresh throughout this thorough and sympathetic account" – Robert Maycock, BBC Music Magazine
"An insightful biography" – Michael Downes, Times Literary Supplement
"Roger Nichols' volume on Ravel in the Master Musicians series dates from 1977, but this new book is far more than a mere reworking. The availability of much new material has led to a threefold expansion of the original, beautifully produced and very reasonably priced... One could hardly wish for a more authoritative guide to Ravel" – Philip Borg-Wheeler, Classical Music
"A major work of scholarship by a leading authority on French repertoire, bristling with insight, interest and authority" – Michael White, The Tablet
"There is no more thoroughly researched study of the life of Maurice Ravel than this latest, and best, of Roger Nichols's several books on French music. No clue remains unexplored, no publication or personal reminiscence not taken into account" – Gerald Larner, Opera
"This biography is manifestly a labour of love... But it is very much more than that. Full of generous insights into both the man and his music, most elegantly written, a monument of clarity in exposition and structure, deeply scholarly yet at the same time eminently accessible to the non-specialist, it is surely destined to remain the last word on Maurice Ravel, in any language, for a long time to come. Buy now while stocks last!" – Piers Burton-Page, International Record Review
"A quite superb book, simply entitled 'Ravel', written by the Englishmen who knows his work better than any other, Roger Nichols" – Simon Heffer, Sunday Telegraph
"This new book about the life and works of Ravel follows Nichols useful Ravel Remembered (Faber) scrutinising facts and compositions with lapidary attention... Nichols is an invaluably thorough guide" – Benjamin Ivry, International Piano
