{"id":748,"date":"2020-04-29T23:20:57","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T04:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/?p=748"},"modified":"2020-04-29T23:20:57","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T04:20:57","slug":"ravel-tzigane-and-virtuosic-female-violinists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/2020\/04\/29\/ravel-tzigane-and-virtuosic-female-violinists\/","title":{"rendered":"Ravel, Tzigane, and virtuosic female violinists"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ravel: Tzigane\" width=\"580\" height=\"326\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FlhkbVTAO2E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">Check out this performance by the St. Olaf Orchestra and Professor Anderegg!<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My first attempts at researching Ravel were slightly troubling. You think there would be an abundance of online resources examining such a well-known composer, and his piece, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tzigane, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">which has become a staple of the violin repertoire. There are many dissertations, concert reviews, and articles examining<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Tzigane<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, but I initially found it difficult to find sources that frame the premiere and reception of this piece in its original time. It seemed the popularity of the piece on concert programs around the world after the 1920s ended up masking the earlier opinions surrounding the work. Has the earlier meaning of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tzigane<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> become less important than its role as a piece for generations of violinists to demonstrate their virtuosity?<\/span><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 303px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/collectionimages.npg.org.uk\/large\/mw07269\/Jelly-DAranyi.jpg\" alt=\"NPG 5735; Jelly D'Aranyi - Portrait - National Portrait Gallery\" width=\"303\" height=\"379\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jelly D&#8217;Aranyi, National Portrait Gallery of UK<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After a lot of searching I found a newspaper announcement of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tzigane\u2019s <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">premiere &#8211;\u00a0 on April 26th, 1924, in a concert solely comprised of Ravel\u2019s works.<a class=\"sdfootnoteanc\" href=\"#sdfootnote1sym\" name=\"sdfootnote1anc\"><sup>1 <\/sup><\/a>The concert was in London and featured violinist Jelly D\u2019Aranyi. Ravel heard D\u2019Aranyi playing his Sonata for violin and cello a couple years before, and became fascinated with her ability, eventually writing and dedicating <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tzigane <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to her. <a class=\"sdfootnoteanc\" href=\"#sdfootnote1sym\" name=\"sdfootnote2anc\"><sup>2 <\/sup><\/a>He met with D\u2019Aranyi a few months after he saw her perform and asked the Hungarian violinist to play gypsy melodies for him until 5 in the morning.<a class=\"sdfootnoteanc\" href=\"#sdfootnote3sym\" name=\"sdfootnote3anc\"><sup>3 <\/sup><\/a>But what was the meaning of the piece beyond this inspiration? <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ravel said of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tzigane:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t attempt to evoke Hungary, which I do not know. My Tzigane is not to Budapest what, among my other works, La Valse is to Vienna or La Rapsodie Espagnole to Spain &#8211; it is merely a piece for the violin.&#8221;<a class=\"sdfootnoteanc\" href=\"#sdfootnote4sym\" name=\"sdfootnote4anc\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.radiofrance.fr\/s3\/cruiser-production\/2017\/03\/2969e7a8-fe7c-45aa-ac42-997119e67bfc\/600x337_portrait_maurice_ravel.jpg\" alt=\"10 (little) things you (perhaps) do not know about Maurice Ravel\" width=\"600\" height=\"337\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maurice Ravel https:\/\/www.francemusique.fr\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So perhaps there is some truth to the idea of this piece as a mere vehicle for violin virtuosity. Some critics did view <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tzigane <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">as a parody of Hungarian violin music, otherwise framing the piece as Ravel\u2019s \u201cattempt to get away from the limited sphere of his previous compositions, to infuse into his work a little of that warm blood that it needs.\u201d <a class=\"sdfootnoteanc\" href=\"#sdfootnote5sym\" name=\"sdfootnote5anc\"><sup>5 <\/sup><\/a>Regardless of its initial reception there is evidence of continuous interest in this piece.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was left wondering about why Ravel chose Hungary as a musical subject when he claimed to not know the country or culture. Does he write some pieces, such as<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> La Rapsodie Espagnole<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, with intentions to defy stereotypes or the imposition of French nationalism? Or is Ravel just fascinated with the exotic? I plan to continue to research the way French national identity affected Ravel. I am particularly interested in the way he was elevated as a composer after Debussy\u2019s death, and in his isolation from Les Six and other French composers of the time.<a class=\"sdfootnoteanc\" href=\"#sdfootnote6sym\" name=\"sdfootnote6anc\"><sup>6 <\/sup><\/a>It seems unlikely that a composer would continuously choose \u2018exotic\u2019 musical elements, like the gypsy melodies of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tzigane,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> without being influenced by the nationalist and political ideas of the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"sdfootnote1\">\n<p class=\"sdfootnote\"><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote1anc\" name=\"sdfootnote1sym\">1 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cMusic, Singing, Elocution\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Times (London, England), <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">April 26th, 1924, 8.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"sdfootnote2\">\n<p class=\"sdfootnote\"><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote1anc\" name=\"sdfootnote2sym\">2 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ciarla, Luca, and Mark Rush. \u201cMaurice Ravel\u2019s \u2018Tzigane\u2019: A Link Between Theclassical and the Hungarian-Gypsy Traditions\u201d. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2002. <\/span><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/search.proquest.com\/docview\/304803729\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">http:\/\/search.proquest.com\/docview\/304803729\/<\/span><\/a><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote1anc\" name=\"sdfootnote2sym\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/a><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote1anc\" name=\"sdfootnote2sym\"> <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"sdfootnote\"><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote3anc\" name=\"sdfootnote3sym\">3 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Arbie Orenstein. Ravel: Man and Musician (New York: Columbia University Press. 1975). 85-6.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"sdfootnote\"><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote3anc\" name=\"sdfootnote3sym\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"sdfootnote4\">\n<p class=\"sdfootnote\"><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote4anc\" name=\"sdfootnote4sym\">4 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nemet, Mary. \u201cMusic Review: Fiery Ravel Showpiece Gets Welcomed Urtext Treatment.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Strings<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. San Anselmo, Calif.: String Letter Publishing, Inc, August 1, 2013. <\/span><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/search.proquest.com\/docview\/1433232528\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">http:\/\/search.proquest.com\/docview\/1433232528\/<\/span><\/a><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote4anc\" name=\"sdfootnote4sym\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"sdfootnote5\">\n<p class=\"sdfootnote\"><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote5anc\" name=\"sdfootnote5sym\">5 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWeek-End Concerts: New Work by M. Ravel,\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Times (London, England), <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">April 28th, 1924, 10.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"sdfootnote6\">\n<p class=\"sdfootnote\"><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote6anc\" name=\"sdfootnote6sym\">6 <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kelly, Barbara L. &#8220;Ravel, (Joseph) Maurice.&#8221; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Grove Music Online.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 2001; Accessed 29 Apr. 2020. <\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www-oxfordmusiconline-com.ezproxy.stolaf.edu\/grovemusic\/view\/10.1093\/gmo\/9781561592630.001.0001\/omo-9781561592630-e-0000052145\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www-oxfordmusiconline-com.ezproxy.stolaf.edu\/grovemusic\/view\/10.1093\/gmo\/9781561592630.001.0001\/omo-9781561592630-e-0000052145<\/span><\/a><a class=\"sdfootnotesym\" href=\"#sdfootnote6anc\" name=\"sdfootnote6sym\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Check out this performance by the St. Olaf Orchestra and Professor Anderegg! My first attempts at researching Ravel were slightly troubling. You think there would be an abundance of online resources examining such a well-known composer, and his piece, Tzigane, which has become a staple of the violin repertoire. There are many dissertations, concert reviews, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3393,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[70,72,12,71,2,68,69],"class_list":["post-748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-exoticism","tag-francesca-anderegg","tag-french-nationalism","tag-jelly-daranyi","tag-maurice-ravel","tag-tzigane","tag-violin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3393"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=748"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":765,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/748\/revisions\/765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/performinghistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}