Maurice Ravel

Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure, France, on March 7, 1875. A superlative and perfectionist orchestrator, Ravel composed one of the finest French ballets ever written, Daphnis et Chloe. However, his most composition may be Bolero, which was his experimental 17-minute "piece of orchestration without music" and never liked. 

There were no musicians in Ravel's middle-class family, but he was encouraged to take lessons and started to study under Faure at the Paris Conservatory at age 14. During his 16 years there, Ravel struggled to win the prestigious Prix de Rome: he failed in 1901, 1902, and 1903, and was rejected in 1905. HIs rejection in 1905 led to a scandal and the resignation of the conservatory's director, but added to his reputation and helped boost his prewar masterpieces such as Gaspard de la Nuit, one of the most important piano works of the 20th century, and the ballet Daphnis et Chloe. 

During World War I, Ravel was too small and slim to be a soldier, so he volunteered to be an ambulance driver at the front. His experiences led to physical and emotional trauma, which was amplified after his mother's death. Ravel began to suffer from nervous problems. 

Ravel continued to pour his emotions into his music in the postwar years. He composed the Piano Concerto in G, La Valse (one of my favorites!), and the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand for one-armed pianist Paul Wittgenstein. 

The composer started to have difficulty playing the piano and speaking in 1927. These symptoms, among other signs, show that Ravel may have suffered from a degenerative disease like Pick's or Alzheimer's Disease. At his peak, Ravel complained of profound memory loss and spoke of ''a fog setting in.'' Gradually, he lost the ability to communicate, sight-read, and play from memory, but was able to perceive pitch and rhythm. However, a taxi accident in 1932, which seriously injured his head, put an end to his musical activities and made his brain problems worse. Ravel's doctor thought that Ravel's symptoms like loss of memory, distraction, insomnia, and the inability to walk and write were signs of hydrocephalus (water in the brain). 

Ravel died in Paris after an exploratory surgery that revealed some shrinkage of his brain, but no other clear evidence of damage or disease. A craniotomy by Clovis Vincent suggests that Ravel suffered from a subdural hematoma (a serious condition where blood collects between the skull and the surface of the brain, usually caused by a head injury). However, the likely cause of Ravel's death was a restricted form of cerebral degeneration. 

Ravel's statement, "I have so much more to say," undervalues his achievement. He established a French school of music with Debussy and left a legacy of brilliant and revolutionary compositions.