Georges Auric (1899 – 1983)

Auric was the most hostile to Ravel among the Groupe des Six; Ravel’s assessment of Auric’s music referred to its “vein of both acridity and satire” (Ravel [1928]). Ravel did however like his ballet Les matelots; after the first performance, he startled Hélène Jourdan-Morhange by proposing to congratulate Auric, notwithstanding a harsh article that the latter had just written: “Pourquoi n’irais-je pas féliciter Auric? J’aime son ballet. Il tape sur Ravel? Eh bien, il a raison de taper sur Ravel; s’il ne tapait pas sur Ravel, il ferait du Ravel, en voilà assez du Ravel!” (Jourdan-Morhange, [1945], p.99).

According to Poulenc, Ravel also asked Auric to help him write a treatise on orchestration, to show what he (Ravel) did wrong. The collaboration did not take place.

Auric attended the première of L’Enfant et les sortilèges, and was impressed.

When Ravel died, Auric wrote a generous tribute in Paris Soir: “Avec Claude Debussy au seuil du XX^e siècle, Maurice Ravel incarne un aspect tour à tour exquis et émouvant de notre sensibilité. Mais s’il fut exquis, il ne tomba jamais dans l’affectation ou la préciosité et, pour nous émouvoir, trouva jusqu’au dernier jour l’expression la moins forcée.” (Quoted in Roland-Manuel [1938], p.193).