Soloist aspects of the Snare Drum in “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel

Abstract

The article entitled “Soloist Aspects of the Snare Drum in Bolero by Maurice Ravel” is divided into three chapters. The first chapter describes Ravel as a composer and fundamental exponent of French music; maybe one of his most popular works is Bolero, a wonderfully clear example of the way a symphonic orchestra can be used. The second chapter focuses on composition patterns regarding rhythm, melody, and harmony. The first rhythmic pattern is the one opening the work, assigned to the snare drum, and is obsessively repeated all along the musical act. The last chapter focuses on the organizational form of the musical material and the way the work evolves based on well-defined cyclic structures. The conclusions of this article underline the technical and interpretative difficulties of Ravel’s Bolero.