Maurice Ravel as well devoted himself to chamber music only sporadically. His compositional legacy in this genre includes just one string quartet; Introduction and Allegro septet for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet; Piano Trio for piano, violin and cello; Sonate Posthume for violin and piano; and Sonata for Violin and Cello. We cannot, however, forget his unique contribution as a songwriter.
String Quartet in F major was written in the years 1902–1903, and yet it is rightly considered Ravel’s first masterpiece. Like his older colleague Claude Debussy, Ravel created an outstanding chamber work at the very beginning of his career. Usually, composers approached quartet writing later, equipped with years of life and compositional experience. Their quartets then had very deep content and philosophical gravity, and often represented an intimate artistic statement. Ravel, at the age of 28, did not want to proceed in this way. His intention was to come to terms with the classical legacy of the past. In his autobiography he writes: “My Quartet in F responds to a desire for musical construction, which undoubtedly is inadequately realized but which emerges much more clearly than in my preceding compositions.”
It is clear that Ravel was too modest in his views. In his quartet, he tackles purely musical issues, dealing with the beauty and colorfulness of the sonic possibilities of the string ensemble, and the result – even with the apparent one-sided approach –is impressive, outstanding and artistically autonomous. Ravel’s originality lies in the harmonic richness, refined sound and delicacy with which he grasps the classical form and makes it his own. The central position here is occupied by the main idea of the first movement and its transformations; the second movement is a three-part scherzo; and in the third, despite its apparent complexity, we recognize the song form. The final movement takes the form of a rondo. Ravel dedicated the piece “To my dear master Gabriel Fauré”, but Fauré was rather critical of it. On the other hand, Claude Debussy received it with much more understanding and enthusiasm. In his letter to the baffled and grieved composer we read: “In the name of all music’s gods and for my sake, do not touch a single note you have written in your quartet!” Fortunately, Ravel received important support from a respected older peer, which restored his lost self-confidence. Ravel’s only quartet, composed in the early 20th century, soon ranked among the top creative achievements of French and European chamber music.
