As his first Opera, Ravel's l'Heure Espagnole is a particularly significant milestone in the composer's career. Ravel, being part of the impressionist persuasion, had in mind a sort of musical bouffonerie, with a great deal of colour, ironic humour, short interjections, and identifiably Spanish flair. The opera's libretto, based off of the librettist's (Franc Nohain) own play of the same name was nothing short of silliness. In fact it was Ravel's direct intention to "revive" the Italian muse of "Opera Buffa" –literally 'Buffooning' with his composition(1), and in doing so, make audiences subconsciously aware of the disembodied nature of the French Grand Opera where larger than life characters made way into vile and persuasive situations– think Bizet's Carmen, or Meyerbeer's l'Africaine. The effects of a one act Opéra Bouffe on the ears of the 1911 Opéra Comique were undoubtedly a welcome but apprehensive change. Still, l'Heure remains a virtuosic and Idyllic glimpse into quintessential musical impressionism.
The opera was first performed on May 19th, 1911 in Paris, France at the Opéra Comique (Dir. Carré) on a double bill with Massenet's Thérèse after being composed fervently for a period of less than three months in 1907. The original score was published in 1910.
Ravel is thought to have first gathered the idea for the writing of l'Heure Espagnole after seeing Nohain's play and becoming sentimental about the ailing health of his father, who he'd hoped would see the opera before his passing. However, due to the nearly four year delay in approval from the directeur of the Opéra Comique before the Opera's premiere, this dream did not become realized, and it is speculated that Ravel's Spanish opera was indeed a continued hommage to his upbringing in Ciboure (see 'Maurice Ravel'). This was, after all, just after his completion of Rhapsodie Espagnole in 1907, and the finalization of Histoires Naturelles. It is without a doubt that Ravel gave light to the idea of an ode to Spanish nationalism because he was in 'the right place for it'. In his words, he was primed for the 'quasi parlando' formation of the vocal writing from his creation of Histoires Naturelles in which he wanted the affinity of the spoken French language to be of the highest importance(2).
Perhaps one of the most distinct features of the Opera, the five characters, with the exception of Gonsalve, the Tenor, were to sing lines only where appropriate, leaving the speech-like patterns to be the most important sounds in performing the text. Concepcion, the leading role, is heralded as incredibly difficult to perform musically, as well as vocally, and for good reason. Ravel wanted nothing more than the irony of automaton-like people to have as human an affectation as possible, so as to pervade the thought of human life becoming contingent on time and keeping time with age.
This unique effect was the most discussed issue with critics (namely M. Édouard Lalo) as it was reminiscent of the highly controversial premiere of Ravel's contemporary Claude Debussy's Pélléas et Mélisande, also premiered at the Opéra Comique. Yet instead of lengthy, wordy, and poetic, l'Heure was taken as an alarming allowance of feministic interpolation, ludic, mixed with Italian gallantry, all slightly uncomfortable to the feet of the french audience. In a letter to Ida Godebska, in 1908, after an unsuccessful showing of l'Heure Espagnole to the Comique, Ravel extrapolates on why the materials of the piece were at first admonished by Monsieur Carré:
"...It is impossible to impose such a subject on the innocent ears of the Opéra-Comique subscribers. Imagine: those lovers are concealed in clocks which are carried up to the bedroom! We know very well what they are going to do there!!...Thanks to that severe moralist the director of the Opéra-Comique, I now see that my interpretation was shameful, and that the most serious faux pas of Carmen, Manon, Chrysis, and Queen Fiamette was putting their finger in their nose too often. And besides, isn't it unbelievable: a woman who admires the biceps of a man! I find this deacon-like mentality rather surprising in Carré. Isn't he still very young to be thinking of becoming a hermit?"(3)
It is clear that the conception of l'Heure Espagnole was done with the best of intentions towards the expansion of the minds alive in the demi-monde. Yet, it is all the more interesting that the eventual success of the work is essentially what made Ravel's music become quite popular.(4) And, it is what set the precedent for his second opera, l'Enfant et les Sortilèges, as well as the continuation of the Spanish spirit alive throughout his entire oeuvre.
The opera was first performed on May 19th, 1911 in Paris, France at the Opéra Comique (Dir. Carré) on a double bill with Massenet's Thérèse after being composed fervently for a period of less than three months in 1907. The original score was published in 1910.
Ravel is thought to have first gathered the idea for the writing of l'Heure Espagnole after seeing Nohain's play and becoming sentimental about the ailing health of his father, who he'd hoped would see the opera before his passing. However, due to the nearly four year delay in approval from the directeur of the Opéra Comique before the Opera's premiere, this dream did not become realized, and it is speculated that Ravel's Spanish opera was indeed a continued hommage to his upbringing in Ciboure (see 'Maurice Ravel'). This was, after all, just after his completion of Rhapsodie Espagnole in 1907, and the finalization of Histoires Naturelles. It is without a doubt that Ravel gave light to the idea of an ode to Spanish nationalism because he was in 'the right place for it'. In his words, he was primed for the 'quasi parlando' formation of the vocal writing from his creation of Histoires Naturelles in which he wanted the affinity of the spoken French language to be of the highest importance(2).
Perhaps one of the most distinct features of the Opera, the five characters, with the exception of Gonsalve, the Tenor, were to sing lines only where appropriate, leaving the speech-like patterns to be the most important sounds in performing the text. Concepcion, the leading role, is heralded as incredibly difficult to perform musically, as well as vocally, and for good reason. Ravel wanted nothing more than the irony of automaton-like people to have as human an affectation as possible, so as to pervade the thought of human life becoming contingent on time and keeping time with age.
This unique effect was the most discussed issue with critics (namely M. Édouard Lalo) as it was reminiscent of the highly controversial premiere of Ravel's contemporary Claude Debussy's Pélléas et Mélisande, also premiered at the Opéra Comique. Yet instead of lengthy, wordy, and poetic, l'Heure was taken as an alarming allowance of feministic interpolation, ludic, mixed with Italian gallantry, all slightly uncomfortable to the feet of the french audience. In a letter to Ida Godebska, in 1908, after an unsuccessful showing of l'Heure Espagnole to the Comique, Ravel extrapolates on why the materials of the piece were at first admonished by Monsieur Carré:
"...It is impossible to impose such a subject on the innocent ears of the Opéra-Comique subscribers. Imagine: those lovers are concealed in clocks which are carried up to the bedroom! We know very well what they are going to do there!!...Thanks to that severe moralist the director of the Opéra-Comique, I now see that my interpretation was shameful, and that the most serious faux pas of Carmen, Manon, Chrysis, and Queen Fiamette was putting their finger in their nose too often. And besides, isn't it unbelievable: a woman who admires the biceps of a man! I find this deacon-like mentality rather surprising in Carré. Isn't he still very young to be thinking of becoming a hermit?"(3)
It is clear that the conception of l'Heure Espagnole was done with the best of intentions towards the expansion of the minds alive in the demi-monde. Yet, it is all the more interesting that the eventual success of the work is essentially what made Ravel's music become quite popular.(4) And, it is what set the precedent for his second opera, l'Enfant et les Sortilèges, as well as the continuation of the Spanish spirit alive throughout his entire oeuvre.