Brief Analysis of Concepcion's Aria "La Pitoyable Aventure!"
One of the most thrilling parts of Ravel's composition is his approach to musical form. It is known that Ravel didn't necessarily abhor conventional form, he simply believed that if things were laid out in a logical and cohesive way, that form would work itself out. He was strict with counterpoint, and all of the minute details of his compositions, but form was something he played around with greatly. He also allowed the natural flow of language to propel form. Dance music, also, led him to several formal conceptions.
In l'Heure Espagnole we see Ravel's true musical genius encompassing both the flow of the French language, as well as the traditional spanish dances that he undoubtedly heard while growing up in the Basque region. The conglomerate is its own sound world, allowing the audience member to flow in and out of familiarity. One special moment –and equally as famous- is Concepcion's madness aria "La Pitoyable Aventure!" or "The Pitiful Adventure", where the disheartened woman unleashes her pent up frustration at her unhappy situation in a series of loud outbursts, with equally treacherous music from the orchestra.
Upon first listening, one wouldn't suspect any type of conventional musical form. In fact, the entirety of the text seems so erratic that form isn't of the least importance compared to the drama of it all. But, if one looks closely at the inspiration of Ravel's writing in the aria, we get a clean and clear reference to the traditional Castilian dance of the Sevillana, a folk dance from Andalusia that takes on a repetitive and flagrant air. Ravel's translation of this style to the voice of his Spanish heroine is truly remarkable.
Here is a video of the aria itself:
In l'Heure Espagnole we see Ravel's true musical genius encompassing both the flow of the French language, as well as the traditional spanish dances that he undoubtedly heard while growing up in the Basque region. The conglomerate is its own sound world, allowing the audience member to flow in and out of familiarity. One special moment –and equally as famous- is Concepcion's madness aria "La Pitoyable Aventure!" or "The Pitiful Adventure", where the disheartened woman unleashes her pent up frustration at her unhappy situation in a series of loud outbursts, with equally treacherous music from the orchestra.
Upon first listening, one wouldn't suspect any type of conventional musical form. In fact, the entirety of the text seems so erratic that form isn't of the least importance compared to the drama of it all. But, if one looks closely at the inspiration of Ravel's writing in the aria, we get a clean and clear reference to the traditional Castilian dance of the Sevillana, a folk dance from Andalusia that takes on a repetitive and flagrant air. Ravel's translation of this style to the voice of his Spanish heroine is truly remarkable.
Here is a video of the aria itself:
The crux of the analysis of this aria is that Ravel never directly writes within the confines of a true Sevillana form, which is really a simple yet strict dance that feels in 3/4 but usually is 6/8, with 4 strophes or Coplas. Rather, he creates a series of 'Andalusian moods' that emphasize the association the ear is having to the Sevillana dance.
Each strophe contains passionate and fiery poetry that usually relates to love or nationalistic nostalgia, much along the lines of having no home to call one's own, as the Andalusian Gypsy's truly did not. Much like Japanese Haiku, the Sevillanas compact a great deal of meaning into a small amount of space, usually with double entendre, or hidden meaning. An example of a strophe from the following video of typical sevillanas goes like this:
"El que me habla de amor
Me vuelve mochales
Yo no tengo la culpa
De que sean los hombres así
Tan especiales"
"The Talking I Love
It drives me crazy
It's not my fault
They are men and
so special"
This theme of love and hate of men all at once sounds a lot like the text of "La Pitoyable Aventure", which in French and English looks like this:
Each strophe contains passionate and fiery poetry that usually relates to love or nationalistic nostalgia, much along the lines of having no home to call one's own, as the Andalusian Gypsy's truly did not. Much like Japanese Haiku, the Sevillanas compact a great deal of meaning into a small amount of space, usually with double entendre, or hidden meaning. An example of a strophe from the following video of typical sevillanas goes like this:
"El que me habla de amor
Me vuelve mochales
Yo no tengo la culpa
De que sean los hombres así
Tan especiales"
"The Talking I Love
It drives me crazy
It's not my fault
They are men and
so special"
This theme of love and hate of men all at once sounds a lot like the text of "La Pitoyable Aventure", which in French and English looks like this:
O! La Pitoyable aventure!
Et Faut-il que les deux amants L'un manque de tempérament, Et l'autre, à ce point de nature! Oh! la pitoyable aventure! Et ces gens là se disent Espagnols Dans le pays de dona Sol, À deux pas de l'Estramadure!.... Le temps me dure, dure, dure… Oh! la pitoyable aventure! L'un ne veut mettre ses efforts, Qu'à composer des vers baroques, Et l'autre, plus grotesque encor, De l'horloge n'a pu sortir rien qu'à mi corps, Avec son ventre empêtré des breloques!... Maintenant, le jour va finir. Et mon époux va revenir: Et je reste fidèle et pure... À deux pas de l'Estramadure Au pays du Guadalquivir!... Le temps me dure, dure, dure… Ah! pour ma colère passer, Avoir quelque chose à casser, À mettre en bouillie, en salade! |
Oh! What a pitiful adventure!
And should it be, that the two lovers, One, lacking temperament, And the other at this insanity! Oh what a Pitiful Adventure! And these people call themselves Spaniards! In the country of Doña Sol, Two steps from Estramadura! Time wears on and on and on! Oh the pitiful jest, One can only write poems Or strange verses, And the other, more grotesque, Could only get his fat body halfway out the clock, With his stomach covered in sprockets and trinkets! But now the Day will Finish And my husband will come home; And, I'll stay faithful and pure... Two steps from Estramadura In the country of Guadalquivir! Time wears on, and on! Oh, to let my anger pass! To have something to break, to break apart, in shreds! |
There are four strophes here in the text, that mimic those of the Sevillana form, each beginning with an exclamation of either "Oh!" or "Ah!". In the case of the music itself, there is a great deal of interest in the way Ravel has written out the repetitive first line of each strophe. Sevillana, often confused with flamenco, has a distinct sound that often mimics what is termed the "Andalucian Cadence" which is a descending vocal line that begins a song on the feel of a phyrigian mode. If we look simply at "Oh! La Pitoyable Aventure" we see that the predominance of a D Harmonic Minor feel beginning on F gives us this cadence.
The Sevillana form also oscillates between Major and Minor modes. One Copla to the next changes the mood and color. Ravel, instead of just making the aria sound major or minor, oscillates between downward harmonic minor descending scales and frequent chordal planing upward to give the illusion of being in between the two keys of D minor and A minor. This bitonal tendency gives way to the insertion of the octatonic scale on the words "l'un ne veut mettre ses efforts...", and then later, an octatonic reminiscence under more chromatic descents, all which give the listener the impression of true unsettling, which is later resolved with a true romp of a dance after the last words "...en salade!", pictured below:
This aria is a pristine example of how Ravel wanted his art to reflect his internal world. The sounds of his youth, the allure of Spain, was all captured here in lyric fantasy.