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

RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937)

Lot 107
14.12.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 756
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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Archive
ID 870861
Lot 107 | RAVEL, Maurice (1875-1937)
Estimate value
£ 1 200 – 1 800
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
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