Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) - photo 1

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Lot 126
08.11.2023 11:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 30 240
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1053240
Lot 126 | Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Estimate value
£ 8 000 – 12 000
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Autograph manuscript quotation signed ('Maurice Ravel'), the opening of Boléro, n.d. [?c.1930]
A lavish quotation of the opening of Ravel's most famous work, and one of the most frequently performed works in the classical canon.

Title ('Bolero') and 7 bars scored for 2 flutes, 2 snare drums and strings on a single system of 7 staves. On 20-stave paper, one leaf, 348 x 268mm, the verso bearing an unidentified 8-bar sketch for an orchestral or vocal work.

Provenance:
(1) Alde, Paris, 17 June 2016, lot 297.

(2) Schøyen Collection, MS 5573.

The drums set the bolero rhythm, accompanied by pizzicato strings, before the solo flute enters with the famous theme. The tempo is given as 'Tempo di Bolero moderato assai', with a crochet = 66: this follows the autograph emendation to the printed crochet = 76 in Ravel's own copy of the first edition; later editions adopted a tempo of 72. The unidentified sketch on the verso comprises only a repeated figure in the bass, with the remaining five staves blank.

In spite of its fame, Boléro remains a strikingly experimental, almost subversive work, with musical development abandoned in favour of repetition over a continuous crescendo from pianissimo to fortissimo possibile in the course of 16 minutes. The ostinato rhythm which is established in the snare drums in the first two bars is repeated unchanged 169 times, and the only variation lies in the re-orchestration of the two alternating melodies – an effect the composer described as 'orchestral tissue without music'. The work was first performed as a ballet at the Paris Opéra on 22 November 1938, although it is now principally performed as a purely orchestral work.
Artist:Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937)
Place of origin:France
Auction house category:Letters, documents and manuscripts
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
02.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
03.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
04.11.2023 12:00 – 17:00
05.11.2023 12:00 – 17:00
06.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
07.11.2023 09:00 – 17:00
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
£25 000
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
£25 000
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
£1 300
RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937)
RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937)
£1 200

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.