Maurice Ravel
Alborada del Gracioso
No. 4 from Miroirs
This piece combines the flavour of Andalusian folk music with pianistic acrobatics such as double glissandi and extremely fast repeated notes.
Year: 1905
Period: Impressionism
Piano score: Scanned score 
Audiovisual Study Tool
Morning Song of the Jester
Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso reintroduces several “special effects” that Liszt pioneered 40 years prior. Translating roughly as Morning Song of the Jester, this piece combines the flavour of Andalusian folk music with pianistic acrobatics such as double glissandi and extremely fast repeated notes. These may look simple on the page, but making sure each 16th-note triplet is heard is the mark of a true virtuoso (and the sign of a well-functioning piano action). The four-measure fragment marked “Plus lent” is jarring in its charming simplicity after such cheeky agitation. Ravel alternates the slow and dreamy fragments with sections that grow more agitated until the original mood returns. Equally quirky is the close, dissonant harmony, which stretches even Ravel’s usual splashes of color.Background
The piece was dedicated to Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi, a Greek-French music critic whom Ravel had met while studying at the Paris Conservatoire. Ravel and Calvocoressi were both part of the "Apaches", a Parisian group of artists and critics who saw folk music as an important source of artistic inspiration.Forum posts about this piece:
Playing two notes with thumb by diegoyan
Hi everyone, I've had this question for some time so I decided to give it a try here to see if I get some answers, since due to the pandemic I'm no longer taking clases. Here it goes:...
Ravel alborada double glissando by diomedes
On the way up in a video you can see Richter uses the nails of 2 and 3, the hand is at an awkward angle but I think it works best. I also watched a funny but true video where Lang Lang makes it clear...
Which one should I play for a competition? by wilmerguido
Which one should I play and which one is more difficult for you? Ravel Toccata from Le Tombeau de Couperin Ravel Alborada del Gracioso from Miroirs Debussy Reflets dans l'eau from Images
Ravel's Alborado by cantabileyau
Hi there, I really want to learn the Alborado from Miroirs by Ravel. However, the double-note glissando just scares me. Any suggestion? Thanks! ...
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Maurice Ravel, who was one of the prominent composers active in the Impressionism era, wrote this piece titled "Alborada del Gracioso" No. 4 from Miroirs. The composition is categorized as "Piece" in the sheet music library and the level of difficulty in the piano music database is 8+.