Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

The distinguished prose of Nichols (The Life of Debussy), who writes chiefly on the subject of 20th-century French music, has earned him the Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur. In this excellent new volume, he takes as a starting point his 1977 biography of composer Maurice Ravel (Ravel), availing himself of recent scholarship to triple the size of his original work. He also acknowledges a debt of gratitude to Arbie Orenstein, whose 1991 Ravel: Man and Musician had been the definitive biographical and analytical study until now. Ravel (1875-1937), one of the most revered and oft-performed French composers of the 20th century, is also one its most enigmatic figures, variously described as aloof, dandyish, and, most famously by Igor Stravinsky, "the most perfect of Swiss clockmakers," though his richly colorful and evocative music has often belied these images. Nichols proceeds chronologically and includes a reflective postlude that puts Ravel into the larger context of his era. Verdict This work is breathtakingly thorough in its biographical detail, with ample references to the music itself, including score excerpts. An essential purchase.-Larry Lipkis, Moravian Coll., Bethlehem, PA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

A leading scholar of 19th- and 20th-century French music, Nichols has written a detailed biography of Ravel (1875-1937). Ravel's father was a Swiss engineer who was also a skilled trained pianist, and his mother, from the Basque area of Spain, loved to sing Basque and Spanish lullabies. Nichols describes Ravel's education, his repeated attempts and failures to win the Prix de Rome, his service in WW I, and his closeness to his mother and long grieving after her death in 1917. He tells of Ravel's friendships along with his dislike of numerous other musicians and describes Ravel's periods of creativity and the premier performances of many of his compositions. Insomnia often troubled Ravel, but it seemed to disappear during his successful North American tour in 1928. However, the insomnia returned in late 1928. From then until his death, it and the realization that he was losing the ability to think and to compose, plagued him. Nichols concludes, "The beauty of Ravel's music conceals disturbing depths, the same as that of Mozart." Includes exhaustive notes, a ten-page bibliography, a superb chronology of Ravel's life, and a complete catalog of his works. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. R. Pitts McLennan Community College

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Roger Nichols is a writer & broadcaster, specializing in French music of the nineteenth & twentieth centuries. He is the author of "Ravel Remembered" (Faber, 2000) & "Conversations with Madeleine Milhaud" (Faber, 1996).

(Bowker Author Biography)