Frederic Chopin (1810 V 1849) and Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), while exhibiting considerable differences in their works, are ranked as two of the most eminent composers in their contribution to piano music. Frederic Chopin is often regarded as the "Poet of the Piano," being one of the greatest composers of piano music during the Romantic era which focuses on emotionality. The elements of his pianistic style, his sense of lyricism and unparalleled melodic ideas have produced some of the most pure and most beautiful music ever written, propelling Romantic piano music to its greatest heights. On the other hand, Maurice Ravel was influenced by new ideas and concepts in French piano music. This development was marked by a conception of music as a sonorous art rather than simply as a means of expression. This was in direct contrast to the subjective style of the nineteenth century Romantic movement, which placed emphasis on individual feelings and emotions. It can be hypothesized that

A Ballade is an instrumental piece with an implied narrative. It has been suggested that this Ballade in G minor was inspired by Polish literary ballads by Mickiewicz; however, any relationship between Chopin's music and Mickiewicz's poems is certainly not literal. Unlike many of his contemporaries, most notably Schumann and Liszt, Chopin rarely made literary allusions in the titles of his piano works. Miroirs is one of Ravel's most popular sets of piano pieces. The title was drawn from the pictorial and evocative moods of the pieces and symbolizes the "mirrors of reality" (Myers 1960). The pieces reveal some of Ravel's rich, exotic and distinctive musical style with the Alborada del gracioso reflecting Ravel's fascination with Spanish elements and qualities. Alborada del gracioso is a morning song about the sharp-witted ¥fool' of Spanish classical plays.

71-106 Slower. A reflective, quasi-improvisatory melody, unaccompanied in D major, interrupted by unrelated 9ths chords (tres measure) whose bass notes descend from B to F sharp. Very lyrical and passionate.

196-218 Begins with quaver motif in D major, but becomes increasingly chaotic as all of the main ideas from the piece tumble over themselves in apparently unrelated keys, including the triplet motif (expressif), the Section B theme (tres marque) and the repeated note triplets. A dominant pedal prevails for 12 bars, but eventually all semblance of definite tonality is lost. Concludes on a whole tone chord.

The melody of Ravel's Alborada del gracioso promotes his close association with the clarity of articulation V dry and detached - which suggests the strong influence of certain aspects of Classical tradition. The melody is modal, in Phrygian mode. It is generally contained within a sixth and richly embellished. Ravel's student, Roland-Manuel described Ravel's lyricism as "supple, but extremely pure, with contours which strongly indicate something Italian, in the sense of the Italianism of MozartK The virtuoso quality of Ravel's piano music stems directly from the keyboard traditions of Mozart and Chopin" (Orenstein 1968). Chopin was a great inventor of melody. There is always a melody present, generally accompanied. Only occasionally do two simultaneous voices balance each other in importance. The melodies are frequently plain, often in long, repetitive stretches, with the simplest of accompaniments and a certain kind of impatient vehemence, as in passionate speech (Ex. 1). Rarely do the melodies dissolve into other passages which are common amongst Chopin's other compositions. Every note in Chopin's music is imbued with song, even the ornamental runs almost revealing themselves as rapid moving melodies (Ex. 2). This device was very commonly employed by Chopin as a new sensibility in the Romantic era. Chopin's Ballade in G minor has not only demand "the player a flawless touch and technique but also a imaginative use of pedals and a discreet application of tempo rubato, which Chopin himself described as a slight pushing or holding back within the phrase of the right hand part while the left hand accompaniment continues in strict time" (Huneker 1966). Since the melodic line is an important aspect of the music, a great deal of thought is required when performing this piece. The quality and colour of a sound is dependent on how each note is played, whether it be stroked, hit or pushed. Thus each note must be played with great caution. Alborada del gracioso is the piece in which Ravel "most mercilessly exploits a kind of coruscating pianistic virtuosity." Ravel's rapid repeated triplet rhythm, rapid thumb passages, a predilection for stylized dance rhythms, the glissando runs in thirds and fourths (Ex.4) and the elegance and clarity of Ravel's music are among the hazards that the performer may encounter. Slow practice is the preferred method to be used in tackling these problems. Detailed work on a variety of articulations wo

Some common words found in the essay are:
Chopin's Ballade, A1 Bars, Begins Neapolitan, Miroirs Ravel's, Chopin Romantic, Walter Gieseking, Ravel's Alborada, Section A2, Mozart Mellers, Interlude Begins, del gracioso, alborada del gracioso, alborada del, flat major, ballade minor, triplet motif, quaver motif, myers 1960, huneker 1966, piano music, similar bars, quaver motif major, theme minor dominant, repeated triplet rhythm, minor dominant pedal,
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Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)