Maurice Ravel

5 Melodies Populaires Grecques

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) wrote the first of his CINQ MÉLODIES POPULAIRES GRECQUES (Five Greek Folk Melodies) in 1904 at the urgent request of Pierre Aubry, who wished to illustrate a lecture he was giving on Greek folksong. Initially given five folksongs from which to choose, Ravel supplied a piano accompaniment for them in only thirty-six hours. Having impressed those who supplied the original five, three more were produced, which Ravel also quickly set to piano accompaniment, in a style imitative of the Mediterranean lands, but remaining distinctly French in its execution. The five melodies in this collection were selected from those eight. Ravel had started orchestrating all five as well, completing two, leaving Manuel Rosenthal to complete the remaining three. Songs in the collection: I. Le Réveil de la Mariée (Wake Up, My Dear), II. Là-bas, vers l'église (Out There, Where the Church Tower), III. Quel galant m'est comparable (Which Gallant Can Compare With Me?), IV. Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques (Song of the Lentisk Gatherers), and V. Tout gai! (Be Gay!). The Ravel/Rosenthal orchestrations have been edited by Clinton Nieweg in an edition available from E.F. Kalmus.