Ravel - Introduction et allegro, for harp, flute, clarinet, and string quartet (1905)
At the turn of the century, two different harp manufacturers developed different mechanics for allowing the harp to carry a more chromatic range. Debussy and Ravel were the two âstarsâ of French music, and so the companies reached out to them to write music to display their respected harps capabilities. Pleyel commissioned Debussy to write music for their chromatic harp, and Ărard commissioned Ravel to write for their pedal harp. This relatively dull backstory helped to produce one of the most beautiful works of chamber music in history. Itâs also an unusual work because of the unique ensemble, which in a way is looking forward to contemporary music [writing for small chamber ensembles of unique combinations is much cheaper than a full orchestra, and you can still get the benefits of contrasting sonorities]. But by putting the sound of the plucked harp against winds and strings, Ravel uses their contrast to highlight each other. Also, because it is a display piece for the harp, the harpist acts almost like a concerto soloist, taking over the main melody, filling the music with decorations, and even getting its own cadenza. It opens with the first main melody, played in the winds, a slow drawl wavering in the air, kind of mysterious. Then the second main melody comes in on the strings, very simple, bare, but surprisingly moving. Four notes falling, then rising up. Then the melancholy tune introduces the harpâs glissandos. Then the instruments trade melodies, the strings play the mystery motif and the winds play the melancholy one. This dreamy opening shifts into a gloriously orchestrated passage of fluttering winds over a melody in the cello, creating such a luscious sound from a small ensemble. This bleeds into the Allegro, opening with the harp playing a new main melody, modal and soft, with complicated figuration around it. For the rest of the work, the three melodies come back again and again, with different colors and harmonies. There is a great passage that makes use of the strings plucking, complimenting the harp. Then, a polyphonic section where the harp plays the âmelancholyâ melody over the stringâs âmysteriousâ melody. The first harp cadenza is intense, and unlike previous flute writing, the notes are deliberate, not just decoration. The music continues to build up to intensity, until the harpâs âofficialâ cadenza, which opens with a Beethoven-like dramatic scale, then bringing back the melancholy melody that here sounds so stark and haunting. When the rest of the ensemble comes back, they play a happier re-write of the melancholy theme, and the ending has a more cheerful pastorale mood. The work is dreamlike, and itâs amazing to hear how much emotion is concentrated into such a short time. Unfortunately, the unique ensemble makes it rare to play in concert, and thatâs a shame because this is one of Ravelâs most beautiful treasures.















