French Exoticism, while not necessarily confined to a certain time period, and all encompassing of both the ideals of Orientalisme, and perhaps Chinoiserie, is a vital part of the development of the presence of Spanish themes in the Romantic Arts as a whole. It is hard to define what exactly it is that attracted French audiences so fanatically to their southernmost neighbors, but it is without a doubt that the two cultures, inexorably mixed, shared much from each other by way of music and dance.
Maurice Ravel, being of Basque origin, was located right on the border of the two, and strangely enough, was always drawn to Spanish influence from an early age, although his ultimate allegiance was with France. It was perhaps the thrill of something new that made audiences swoon over his l'Heure Espagnole, much in the same way as people reacted to Bizet's Carmen as the newest exposing of primal Gypsy life, or a glimpse into the lives of a gypsy infused culture.
l'Heure Espagnole, unfortunately or fortunately fits into the vein of French Exoticism as a piece about the allure of the bizarre. The enchanted world, or sense of wonderment at the strange. By no means however, should we see the characters and themes of l'Heure diminished into an exposé on barbarians or hyper-sexualized individuals, as they once may have been seen. But, a more progressive view is that of the feminine liberation; of a tale where a woman is free to make her own choices, and in doing so holds a great amount of power in her ability to manage her time.
Maurice Ravel, being of Basque origin, was located right on the border of the two, and strangely enough, was always drawn to Spanish influence from an early age, although his ultimate allegiance was with France. It was perhaps the thrill of something new that made audiences swoon over his l'Heure Espagnole, much in the same way as people reacted to Bizet's Carmen as the newest exposing of primal Gypsy life, or a glimpse into the lives of a gypsy infused culture.
l'Heure Espagnole, unfortunately or fortunately fits into the vein of French Exoticism as a piece about the allure of the bizarre. The enchanted world, or sense of wonderment at the strange. By no means however, should we see the characters and themes of l'Heure diminished into an exposé on barbarians or hyper-sexualized individuals, as they once may have been seen. But, a more progressive view is that of the feminine liberation; of a tale where a woman is free to make her own choices, and in doing so holds a great amount of power in her ability to manage her time.