Ravel, Ma Mère l'Oye (Mother Goose) Piano Solo Version

Arr. Jacques Charlot

General Remarks

This work, arranged by Lieutenant Jacques Charlot (18??-1915) based on Ravel's four-hand piano version composed in 1908-10, was published in 1910. Charlot was the nephew of publisher Jacques Durand and was close to Ravel and Debussy, but he died in World War I. Later, Ravel dedicated the 'Prélude' from Le Tombeau de Couperin and Debussy dedicated the second movement of En blanc et noir to him. The original four-hand parts are transferred almost faithfully to two hands. Consequently, in contrast to the original work, which was written relatively simply for children, this arrangement demands advanced technique in many places.

Movement 1: 'Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant' (Pavane of Sleeping Beauty)

Slow, A minor (Aeolian mode), 4/4 time.

 The opening theme consists of an antecedent phrase and a consequent phrase, each four measures long. While the antecedent phrase (mm. 1-4) is simple, in the consequent phrase (mm. 5-8), where inner voices are added, care must be taken to maintain the pp atmosphere. After a transitional passage (mm. 9-12), the main opening melody returns, but in the antecedent phrase (mm. 13-16), the texture thickens with added voices. In contrast, the consequent phrase (mm. 17-20) is a recapitulation of mm. 5-8.

Movement 2: 'Petit Poucet' (Tom Thumb)

Très modéré (Very moderately), C minor, 2/4 time.

 Part 1 (mm. 1-50) begins with an introduction, after which the main melody in the right hand is played accompanied by parallel thirds in the left hand. In Part 2 (mm. 51-60), pp bird chirps are depicted in the right hand. Care should be taken that other voices do not obstruct these chirps. Part 3 (mm. 61-79) is a recapitulation of Part 1. The left hand in mm. 67-70 will likely require flexibility to grasp wide-ranging chords.

Movement 3: 'Laideronnette, Impératrice des Pagodes' (Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas)

Mouvement de Marche (March tempo), F-sharp major, 2/4 time.

 Although it can be perceived as a three-part form, the boundaries between sections are blurred due to the overlapping of the end of one section and the beginning of the next. In Part 1 (mm. 1-65), following an 8-measure introduction, a light main melody based on the pentatonic scale (F-sharp - G-sharp - A-sharp - C-sharp - D-sharp) is played in the right hand. After the glissando in m. 55, tension gradually builds in the codetta. Part 2 (mm. 65-138), which begins simultaneously with the end of Part 1, employs a new, leisurely theme contrasting with that of Part 1. Part 3 (mm. 138-196) begins with the opening theme returning in the right hand, while the left hand continues the leisurely motion of Part 2. From m. 153 onwards, the left hand also regains the lively rhythm of Part 1, concluding brilliantly.

Movement 4: 'Les Entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête' (The Conversations of Beauty and the Beast)

Mouvement de Valse très modéré (Very moderately, waltz tempo), F major, 3/4 time.

 Three-part form. Part 1 (mm. 1-48) presents the gentle theme of Beauty, set to a waltz rhythm. This is the section where the alleged homage to Satie's Gymnopédies is most strongly felt. In Part 2 (mm. 49-105), the Beast's theme appears in the left hand, and tension gradually increases. Part 3 + Coda (mm. 106-171) is a synthesis of Part 1 and Part 2. It begins with a superimposition of the two themes—Beauty's theme in the right hand and the Beast's theme in the left—leading to a climax where the Beast collapses. After a full measure of rest, a glissando depicting the Beast's transformation into a prince leads into the coda from m. 147; however, the expanded range here makes performance by no means easy.

Movement 5: 'Le Jardin féerique' (The Fairy Garden)

Lent et grave (Slow and solemn), C major, 3/4 time.

The opening (mm. 1-22) depicts the prince's appearance at dawn and his discovery of the princess through gradually ascending notes. The subsequent section, beginning with arpeggios in both hands (mm. 23-50), portrays the princess's awakening and the gathering of people, with tension building towards the grand finale. The final section (mm. 51-55), where the fairy blesses the prince and princess, is depicted majestically and brilliantly by glissandos; however, in the piano solo version, this passage requires ingenuity in fingering and pedaling.