The Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera (Vocalise-Study in the Form of a Habanera) is a vocalise for low voice and piano by Maurice Ravel, composed in 1907.

Background

Commissioned by Amédée-Louis Hettich, a singing professor at the Paris Conservatoire who wished to have a repertoire of vocalise exercises by composers of his time, Ravel wrote the Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera in March 1907.

The score was published in 1909 by Éditions Alphonse Leduc, in the Répertoire moderne de vocalises-études (Modern Repertoire of Vocalise-Studies), alongside other vocalise-studies from the pens of d’Indy, Dukas, and Hahn.

Regarding this melody and its subsequent fate, Maurice Ravel was greatly annoyed by the total silence of the publisher Alphonse Leduc concerning a correspondence, according to a letter to Gustave Samazeuilh dated January 25, 1919:

« I see no objection to my Vocalise being sung at the Nationale (Société Nationale de Musique). I would only see one: if the performer had a soprano voice; because this vocalise is written for mezzo-contralto or contralto. If this piece is published, it is by the most definitively boorish publisher there is. You have guessed that it is Alphonse Leduc. It has been years since I gave the print approval: I have never heard anything about it since. You will be the first person to give me news of this piece. »

The work was premiered in concert at the Société Nationale de Musique (National Music Society) on February 22, 1919, in the hall of the Société des Concerts (the former Conservatoire), by Magdeleine Greslé and Marcel Chadeigne,.

Maurice Ravel's disappointment with Alphonse Leduc was such that he categorically refused to orchestrate the Vocalise, according to a letter to Marguerite Babaïan dated December 8, 1927:

« As for the Vocalise, I cannot prevent you from singing it, of course; but forgive me not only for refusing to instrument (orchestrate) it, but also for declining the pleasure of hearing you perform it. It is not that I disown this little work, but it has the misfortune of being published by a publisher… discourteous, to say the least, or perhaps unaware, who has been harassing me for years with letters to which I have never wanted to reply, while I myself have been waiting for over 15 years for a response to a pneumatique (pneumatic message) that asked for at least an apology. As he might still be surprised by this refusal, I authorize you to share this letter with him, which he will no doubt pretend not to understand. And don't worry: he will surely find some… anyone to orchestrate my Vocalise. Please excuse this long explanation: I owed it to you to justify my refusal. »

Analysis

The melody is in G minor, marked presque lent et avec indolence (almost slow and with indolence), for mezzo-soprano and piano, and evokes a "nostalgic and haunting Andalusian cantilena".

The character and rhythm of the habanera, already experimented with by Ravel in his Sites auriculaires, are marked by an ostinato in the piano's left hand, upon which "melodic elements combining binary and ternary rhythms, vocal melismas that are either measured or cadential (bearing the indication 'rubato' in the latter case)" blossom.

According to Arthur Hoérée:

« Ravel's Vocalise is a charming piece that deserves to be more widely known. (It recalls the style of L'Heure espagnole, which also dates from 1907). Candidates for high C will find ample opportunity to develop their technique and can simultaneously enjoy vocal pleasure and pleasure for the ears. For the gruppetto (turn), trill, rapid scale, port de voix (portamento), staccato, swelled or spun tone (son enflé ou filé), and demi-teinte(subtlety) not only demonstrate their author's competence in vocal matters but also find, in the piano, a graceful support that is balanced by the indolent Habanera. »

Under the title Pièce en forme de habanera (Piece in the form of a Habanera), the work has seen multiple transcriptions for various instruments and enjoys lasting success.

In the composer's catalogue of works established by Marcel Marnat, the piece bears the number M 51,.

The average performance duration of the work is approximately three minutes.

Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocalise-étude_en_forme_de_habanera / License: CC BY-SA 4.0