Interesting Notation in Ravel’s Ondine

[John Ruggero]

At the end of Ondine, Ravel writes (first edition):

Ravel Ondine 1st ed.png (407.01 KiB) Viewed 3870 times

Shouldn’t that be (Peters edition):

Ravel Ondine Peters.png (279.44 KiB) Viewed 3870 times

What do members think?

[Wescott]

The Peters is correct, but did Ravel really write it as shown in the first version or did the engravers make a mistake? If he did write it like that then I'm guessing it was just an oversight.

[John Ruggero]

Thanks, Wescott. Don't have the original manuscript, but the notation seems deliberate to me. The bass part matches the notation of the middle voice: dotted half note then half note. That makes a lot of mistakes in a piece that is actually quite accurately notated.

I think that something else was afoot, but will wait to see if anyone else wants comment.

[John Ruggero]

Here is the beginning of the piece

Ondine A.png (200.68 KiB) Viewed 2968 times

and the music immediately before the example in the OP, which could have a bearing on the issue:

Ondine B.png (299.92 KiB) Viewed 2967 times

[John Ruggero]

Here is a possible explanation of this notation.

Most of the piece moves at a slow pace of about = 60 with the accompaniment in constant 32nd notes. At the end of the piece a kind of recitative section enters Trés lent (see example above). Then the Rapid et brillant cadenza-like passage bursts in, notated in small 32nd notes. At the end of this passage a ritardando (Retenez peu a peu) takes the 32nd notes back to their original speed to end the piece.

It is noticeable that the groups of four 32nd notes are beamed in fours in the middle part of the cadenza, while they are in groups of two in most the piece. This suggests that Ravel thought of the 32nd notes in the cadenza as being approximately twice as fast as the the large 32nd notes of the piece, that is, as if they were 64th notes in the original tempo. However, he refrained from writing 64th notes because he wanted to show clearly the tempo transformations of the 32nd notes. The transformation back to the original tempo starts to happen where the 32nd note beaming changes to groups of two at the first arrow in the first example. At this point the G#-F#-C#-D# ostinato tenor melody enters in beamed 16ths notes perhaps to show that they are to be played at the speed of the original Lent tempo; and they will be if the 32nd notes are played like 64th notes of the original tempo. This is reinforced by the notation of the bass part. Ravel obviously cannot suddenly write 64th notes at this point and continues to write 32nd notes.

The 16th notes now also gradually slow. At the point where here writes them as 8th notes their speed has not yet become the quarter notes of tempo primo (Lent) and he thus chooses to show them as eighth notes. (At the second arrow). This also allows him to continue beaming these notes which more clearly shows their melodic connection and rhythmic transformation from the beamed 16th notes.