Ravel, Maurice. (1875–1937) [D'Aranyi, Jelly. (1893–1966)]
Typed Letter Signed to d'Aranyi about the Paris Premiere of "Tzigane"
Typed letter signed from the important French composer to the violinist Jelly d'Aranyi, regarding the Paris premiere of his work Tzigane. October 18, 1924. 1 p. on his monogrammed letterhead. Ravel writes (translated from the French): "Dear friend, I found your letter when I returned home last night: you are really terrible. You telegraphed me that you accepted; I immediately told Pierné, and now I find out that you cannot do the first rehearsal, the most important one, because since the one on Saturday is public, we cannot work seriously. The first rehearsal for 'Tzigane' is now fixed for November 30. If I cannot count on you, tell me right away, please; I must inform the committee immediately. Thank you in advance, dear friend, and believe me very truly yours, Maurice Ravel. [P.S.] I told Prunières that you were playing on the 30th: he made no objection." Addressed on the verso to D'Aranyi, with typed address corrected in another hand to the address of her sister, Adila Fachiri, with original postmark and stamps. Light toning and folding crease; overall fine. 4.5 x 8 inches (11.4 x 19 cm).Tzigane is a rhapsodic composition by the French composer Maurice Ravel, commissioned by and dedicated to Hungarian violinist Jelly d'Arányi. The original instrumentation was for violin and piano (with optional luthéal attachment). The first performance took place in London on April 26, 1924 with the dedicatee on violin and with Henri Gil-Marchex at the piano. Ravel then orchestrated the piano accompaniment, and the premiere of the version for violin and orchestra took place in Amsterdam on October 19, 1924, with Samuel Dushkin and Pierre Monteux conducting the Concertgebouw. Jelly d'Aranyi then performed the Parisian premiere of the orchestrated version, with Gabriel Pierné conducting the Concerts Colonne.
The name of the piece is derived from the generic European term for "gypsy," although it does not use any authentic gypsy melodies. Though the composer is sometimes regarded as following an Impressionist idiom, Tzigane clearly demonstrates Ravel's ability to imitate the (late) Romantic style of violin showmanship promoted by such composer-virtuosi as Paganini and Sarasate.
Gaby Casadesus remembered the first meeting between Ravel and d'Aranyi, which inspired the piece. The two met at a dinner and private concert given in London in Ravel's honor. "The violinist was Jelly d'Aranyi, then aged just 18, with a marvellous cellist [...] Ravel was delighted with this performance. Later in the evening he took us with the players into the study and asked d'Aranyi to play him some gipsy folk music. D'Aranyi, being Hungarian, didn't need to be asked twice and played passionately for at least two hours without stopping. She was sensational and Ravel was mad with joy. When very late, we got back to our hotel, Ravel excitedly told us that, once back in France, he was going to rush straight to Montfort l'Amaury to work in peace. And very shortly afterwards Tzigane was born, which he dedicated to Jelly d'Aranyi." (Quoted in Roger Nichols, Ravel, Yale University Press, 2011, p. 240.) (16303)
TLS Classical Music