For chamber music lovers, few pieces shimmer with as much orchestral illusionism as Maurice Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro (1905). Written as a conservatory test piece — and a showcase for the chromatic harp — it blends impressionist color with neoclassical clarity. And thanks to the , the work’s complete genesis is just a click away.
The strings play almost entirely in harmonics, flageolet tones, and high positions. Download the full score, not just your part. Rehearse without the harp first. The quartet must tune their harmonics to the clarinet’s fundamental tones. Use a tuner—Ravel’s simultaneous intervals (major 7ths, minor 9ths) will sound wrong if equal temperament is used. imslp ravel introduction and allegro
Ravel reportedly wrote the work at "breakneck speed" over about eight days to finish it before leaving for a boating holiday. For chamber music lovers, few pieces shimmer with
Unlike a typical string quartet where each player is an individual, Ravel instructs (in French at the top of the score): "The string quartet should blend like a single instrument." This is crucial. Look at the viola part—it spends most of its time doubling the cello an octave above or filling inner harmonies. The first violin rarely soars; it is cramped in the middle register. The IMSLP parts contain bowing suggestions (from Lucien Capet, a famous violinist of the era). Use sul tasto (bow over the fingerboard) to achieve the veiled, non-metallic sound Ravel wanted. The strings play almost entirely in harmonics, flageolet