Ravel in Houston

One of the major engagements of Ravel’s American tour was organised under the auspices of the Rice Institute in Houston, Texas, in the form of a lecture and a pair of recitals. They took place at the Scottish Rite Cathedral on 6 and 7 April 1928. Ravel was assisted in the performances by Esther Dale (replacing the indisposed Lisa Roma who had performed with Ravel for most of the tour) and the violinist Barbara Lull.

The double programme meant that several items were included which had not previously been performed on Ravel’s tour. They included the songs Sainte and the Chansons hébraïques, as well as a solo version of the choral song Nicolette from the Trois chansons. The Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré and Menuet antique also received a performance. The main point of interest however was the extended lecture by Ravel (read for him in English) which represents his most extended published commentary on contemporary music and his own place in it. 

It appears that a shortened version of this lecture was read before several of his previous recitals, but it is this version from Houston which has been preserved in its English translation. No details are known about the circumstances of its composition and translation. (See Ravel [1928]).

Reviews of the first recital were generally more impressed by the occasion than by the music. “To those inured in the classical form, the Ravel music seems purposeless. It arrives at nothing; it has no climaxes, no definite form. Viewed, on the other hand, as mere splashes of light and colors, as a new blending of hues, the Ravel compositions do afford much food for thought.” (Houston Chronicle, 7 April 1928, p.5**). There were no reservations however about the contributions of Ravel’s colleagues in performance, especially the violinist Barbara Lull, who was the daughter of a local railroad executive, and who coped valiantly with the demands of Ravel’s newest composition, the Sonata for violin and piano.

Ravel’s visit to Houston was marked by a number of comic mishaps which gave events a somewhat chaotic appearance. The Rice Hotel where he was staying took very seriously its duty of protecting him from intrusive visitors, with the result that both Esther Dale and Barbara Lull who arrived to rehearse with him were denied access for some time. Then the piano for the performance did not arrive until an hour beforehand; a page-turner could not be found; and the audience was bemused by an inexplicably long intermission. However the reports suggest that Ravel remained phlegmatically cheerful about it all, and the recital was enthusiastically received by the audience. (Houston Post-Dispatch, 7 April 1928, p.18**).

After the recitals Ravel could look forward to ten days of relaxation. It was apparently stated in his contract that he should see the Gulf of Mexico, and so an excursion by car was arranged so that he could fulfil that ambition. He then left by train to visit the Grand Canyon. (Houston Post-Dispatch, 8 April 1928, p.10**).

(** as quoted in Dunfee [1980] pp.99-105, 145-146.)