INTERPRETING THE SONGS OF MAURICE RAVEL

By Robert Gartside

Not only does this edition exemplify Professor Gartside’s credentials as an interpreter of Ravel’s songs, with his cogent observations of many aspects of the infinite nuances involved in exploring performance possibilities, but it also presents word-for-word translations of Ravel’s French, Greek, Spanish, Italian, Yiddish and Hebrew texts and the International Phonetic Alphabet spelling of these texts, as well. These aids are invaluable in helping students, singers and teachers become more self-sufficient.

"...One of a relatively small number of interpretive manuals centered on a single composer, this excellent book is paradigmatic for that genre. .... Chapter 5 constitutes the bulk of the book. Here all 45 songs are presented chronologically in a three-line format: the upper line shows IPA symbols; the middle line presents the original text in bold print; the bottom line is a word-by-word English translation. Sometimes particularly awkward renderings are parenthetically reworked into smoother English. The translations are carefully done and are of the highest caliber. Each selection is followed by the date of composition, identification of the poet, and a short essay on performance hints, based upon the author’s considerable insight and experience..... this highly recommended little tome continues the publisher’s tradition of excellence."
Richard Dale Sjoerdsma
The NATS Journal, [Now Journal of Singing] Nov./Dec. 1992
 

128 Pages Smyth-Sewn Paper

ISBN 1-878617-03-6