Simplicity and Mastery. Meter and Rhythm in Part II of the “Concerto for Piano in G major” by Maurice Ravel

Abstract

The present study is a tribute paid to Maurice Ravel’s musical ingenuity and craftsmanship as is evident in the second part the Concerto for Piano Orchestra in G major. The composer expands the conceptual interpretation of metre and allows it a freedom similar to that of rhythm. Within this context, a comparison with geometrical shapes and the angles from which they can be viewed can easily be accepted. Ravel shows how abstract metric thinking is completely assimilated by the expression of the aesthetic experience he aims at conveying to the public. Thus, music has an ethereal slightly melancholy texture, pervaded by a unique French “flavour”.