Famous French People Maurice Ravel © by Robert Shepherd Hello, you’re listening to Robert Shepherd on EnglishWaves. It’s time for the latest instalment of Famous French and we’re going to focus on someone from the world of classical music. Our latest subject was a 19 th and early 20 th century composer, whose bestknown works are Boléro and Daphnis et Chloé. By now you’ve probably guessed it’s Maurice Ravel. He was born on 7 th March 1875 in Ciboure, France. Ravel’s father, PierreJoseph Ravel, was as an educated and successful engineer, inventor and manufacturer, born in Versoix near the FrancoSwiss border. Ravel’s mother, Marie, came from a Basque family. Both Ravel's parents were Roman Catholics. At the age of 14, Ravel was admitted to the prestigious music and dance school Paris Conservatoire, and he later studied under the great Gabriel Fauré. Ravel continued to study at the school until his early 20s. During that time he composed some of his most renowned works, such as the Pavane pour une infante défunte, Jeux d'eau and a piece that Ravel dedicated to Fauré called String Quartet in F Major. What’s more, Ravel went on to compose Le Tombeau de Couperin, a suite written for the solo piano, plus the orchestral pieces Rapsodie espagnole and Boléro. His stock rose so high that he was commissioned by Sergey Diaghilev to create the ballet Daphnis et Chloé, which he completed in 1912. In 1920, he completed La Valse, a piece with varying credits as a ballet and concert work. Throughout his life, Ravel declined not only the Légion d'honneur but all state honours from France, refusing to let his name go forward for election to the Institut de France. However, he wasn’t averse to accepting foreign awards, including honorary membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society in 1921 and an honorary doctorate from the University of Oxford in 1928.