RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937) - photo 1
RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937) - photo 2

RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937)

Sold
£ 756
Auction dateClassic
14.12.2022 10:30UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 870861
Lot 107 | RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937)
RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937)

Autograph letter signed ('Maurice Ravel') to Edwin Evans, Avenue Carnot, 4, Paris, 5 April 1915.

In French. One page, 88 x 138mm, on a correspondence card. Provenance: with David Schulson Autographs, 1995.



On his military career, with references to Ma mère l'Oye and the Piano Trio. Ravel is on leave, which enables him to reply to Evans by return, something which has been unusual since his enlistment: 'I have barely any free time, even if I hardly do anything at the 13th Artillery other than to attach my nomination to the position of an air-bombardier'. In a deliberately cryptic reference reference to his suite Ma mère l'Oye (whose title he refers to in English), Ravel writes 'The captain of "my mother goose" is consoling himself for the mishap which occurred to his ship whilst hoping that later on he will be present at its launch – unless he has taken the great dive himself before then'. He concludes with a more straightforward musical reference: 'The trio cannot come out for another month. You will know as soon as it does'.



Ravel had joined the Thirteenth Artillery Regiment as a lorry driver in the previous month at the age of 40, although his real aspiration had been to join the air force, for which he felt his diminutive size suited him. The reference to Ma mère l'Oye is presumably deliberately coded so as not to catch the eye of the military censor, but may be interpreted as meaning that he (the 'captain of "my mother goose"') is disappointed at not being able to join the air force, but has not yet given up hope. Ravel had finished his Piano Trio in a flurry of activity at the outbreak of the war: it was performed for the first time in January 1915. The music critic Edwin Evans (1874-1945) had grown up in France, and was a specialist in French and Russian music.





Special notice


This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
10.12.2022 – 13.12.2022
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)
£1 300
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
£7 500

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.