Take a deep breath

Ondine is another water piece introduced by Vita M blog after Chopin's Barcarolle. It is one of the character pieces from Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit, a set of 3 compositions inspired by French poet, Aloysius Bertrand's poems. There are a lot of water-like sound arrangements since this is about a water ghost "Ondine" who tried to seduce men into her water and drown them. As usual, you will find technical parts for piansits in Ravel's composition. In "Ondine", the challenging part is the repeated right hand chords that are supposed to be repeated in "micro-seconds" and the challange to maintain the softness and even-ness of the chords. Water has been a very popular extra-musical reference for many composers. ( Chopin, Debussy, Ravel, etc. ) This is probably because water resembles elegant, smooth, fluidity, zen-like quality of piano sound. A piece about water is always an incredible composition.

The original poem, Ondine:
" Ecoute ! - Ecoute ! - C'est moi, c'est Ondine qui
frôle de ces gouttes d'eau les losanges sonores de ta
fenêtre illuminée par les mornes rayons de la lune ;
et voici, en robe de moire, la dame châtelaine qui
contemple à son balcon la belle nuit étoilée et le beau
lac endormi.

" Chaque flot est un ondin qui nage dans le courant,
chaque courant est un sentier qui serpente vers mon palais,
et mon palais est bâti fluide, au fond du lac, dans le
triangle du feu, de la terre et de l'air.

" Ecoute ! - Ecoute ! - Mon père bat l'eau coassante
d'une branche d'aulne verte, et mes soeurs caressent de
leurs bras d'écume les fraîches îles d'herbes, de nénu-
phars et de glaïeuls, ou se moquent du saule caduc et
barbu qui pêche à la ligne ! "

*

Sa chanson murmurée, elle me supplia de recevoir son
anneau à mon doigt pour être l'époux d'une Ondine, et
de visiter avec elle son palais pour être le roi des lacs.

Et comme je lui répondais que j'aimais une mortelle,
boudeuse et dépitée, elle pleura quelques larmes, poussa
un éclat de rire, et s'évanouit en giboulées qui ruisse-
lèrent blanches le long de mes vitraux bleus.


Translation:

"Ecoute! - Ecoute! - THIS IS me, this is Ondine that brushes of these drops of water the sonorous losanges
of your window illuminated by the gloomy rays of the moon; and here, in dress of makes shimmer, the lady
châtelaine that contemplates to his balcony the beautiful night étoilée and the beautiful lake gone to sleep.

"Every wave is a water sprite that swims in the current, every current is a path that winds towards my palace,
and my palace is built fluid, at the far end of the lake, in the fire triangle, earth and air.

"Ecoute! - Ecoute! - My father beats water croaking of a branch of green alder, and my sisters caress of
their arms of foam the fresh islands of grasses, of nénu- phars and of gladiolas, or make fun of of the null
and bearded willow that fishes to the line! "

*

His murmured song, she implored me to receive his ring to my finger to be the spouse of an Ondine, and to
visit with her his palace to be the lake king.

And as I replied for him that I liked a mortal one, sulker and upset, she cried some tears, pushed a laugh
brightness, and faints in sudden showers that ruisse- white lèrent alongside my blue vitraux.

Performed by Martha Argerich.

Schedule for a Piano Lesson at TEN PIANO STUDIO