Musical dramaturgy in “Jeux d’eau” by Maurice Ravel

Abstract

Before being staged, any interpreting act (be it instrumental or vocal) needs to go through a careful analysis that should take into account the structure of the work performed, but also the style of the composer and the age to which it belongs. In this paper, I aim to sketch a possible structural analysis of the work Jeux d’eau by Maurice Ravel while also presenting its musical dramaturgy. Referring to the same work, this study also puts forth a partial analysis of the elements that make up Ravel’s musical language, proposing some tentative pieces of advice relative to the interpretation of this piano miniature.