Mutual Admiration Society

At first glance, George Gershwin and Maurice Ravel might seem to occupy two very different musical worlds, yet they both shared a passion for jazz.

French composer Joseph Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure, France, in 1875. He studied at the famous Paris Conservatoire; however, his tendency to experiment with musical form often clashed with the conservative establishment at the school. Ravel found his musical style, including elements of modernism, neoclassicism, and American jazz. That same jazz inspiration Ravel felt was shared by fellow French composers Satie and Debussy. 

George Gershwin’s background was very different than Ravel’s. Born in 1898, Gershwin started writing Broadway musicals with his brother Ira, before temporarily moving to Paris in 1926 to study with French composer and teacher Juliette Boulanger. Boulanger rejected Gershwin as a student as she was afraid rigorous classical study would negatively impact his jazz-influenced style. Gershwin subsequently wrote the amazing An American in Paris, returned to New York and wrote Porgy and Bess, widely considered one of the most important American operas of the 20th century and an American cultural classic.

During Ravel’s first and only visit to America, he visited New York City, where he saw a performance of Gershwin’s new musical, Funny Face. Ravel was interested in meeting Gershwin and hearing him play Rhapsody in Blue and other jazz-influenced music. Ravel and Gershwin spent several nights together taking in live jazz performances, including Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club. 

The thing that astonished Ravel about Gershwin was his ability to scale the most demanding musical passages while weaving complicated rhythms and his great gift of melody. The admiration was reportedly mutual for Gershwin. He asked Ravel to give him lessons in composition, but Ravel turned down the request for the very same reason that Juliette Boulanger had years earlier.

Gershwin visited Havana in the summer of 1932 and was inspired by the distinctive Cuban rhythms. Cuban Overture was originally entitled "Rumba" (named for the Cuban rumba musical and dance genre). It’s a rich and exciting symphonic overture that embodies the essence of Cuban music and dance.

Ravel’s intention for his Piano Concerto in G Major in the early 1930s was something light and fanciful, “in the spirit of Mozart and Saint-Saëns.” A playful, percussive whip-crack opens the piece. The concerto contains jazz-tinged outer movements, which bookend a slow, serene movement that further confirms his status as a master of melody.