Debussy and Ravel are NOT the same! (ft. Gwendolyn Mok)

0:00 How to impress your next date
0:48 Perspective
3:01 Attitude
4:31 Context
7:10 Texture
8:04 Inspiration

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[caseym]

She's so good she can play these pieces with her mind.

[LeafGreen]

Ravels mother grew up in Madrid, and both of them were born very close to the spanish border. The spanish influence in Ravel was likely a part of him since childhood. Debussy, from what I understand is from a french family.

[pereztube]

I have never thought of Ravel as "cold" or clinical. I would say Ravel is more actually more introspective and thoughtful than Debussy. Debussy is very expressive in an extravagant or extroverted way, with generally more harmonic movement and longer melodic lines.

[dimitrisdodorasmusic]

Every time I pick up one of Ravel's scores, I want to give up composing.

[susanhawkins]

Wonderful presentation!!!Love the comparison….as a pianist this is outstanding!!!

[theofficiallobst]

I've never really gotten why people described Ravel's music as "cold" or "detached", if anything I'd say he's just as expressive as Debussy, maybe just a little more melancholy at times.

[retrogamerdave]

I used to approach Debussy with romanticism until some really smart people suggested that I play it with more restraint. My point is that Debussy isn't a romantic composer and he gives very clear and specific instructions to achieve the effect. I don't think Clair de lune should be played romantically, but it certainly is a popular approach and I used it to attract many girls in my day 😉

[jeromemeltzermusic]

An excellent presentation. I think many very valid points in comparison and contrast. This video is a real treasure.

[jean.marion]

I could really feel the difference in the Toccatas. Since the form is so similar, it came down to harmony and I felt that Debussy's Toccata was more harmonious, which I generally think of a lot of his music being. It was also nice to compare them to the more fugue like Toccata from Bach and my favorite from Prokofiev; (gives me chills). This video has also shown me the beauty of Ravel's Jeux d'eau. Thank you for that! Gwendolyn you are a treasure!

[CommonSwindler]

This is without doubt one of the most valuable videos comparing Debussy and Ravel available. It’s also profound and deeply moving to see Ravel’s musical lineage handed down through his students. History itself resides just barely below the keys, before our very eyes even.

[jackdolphy]

Sooo glad I found you. Thank You for this excellent comparison of these two masters.

[tomkim]

I like to think of Debussy as more emotional whereas Ravel is more literal / pictorial. Both of evocative of the subject (water, online) and ‘impressionistic’ but in different ways

[eosborne]

The chord voicing in Debussy and Ravel remind me so much of a jazz pianist like Bill Evans, but the harmonic logic between the chords is so different from jazz vocabulary. As a jazz enthusiast approaching French classical of that era, all my chord shapes apply, but only if I forget everything I know about progressions.

[StoneChords]

If I understand the comparison, are we saying Debussy is more Dionysian (heart, earthy passion), and Ravel more Apollonian (intellect, airy cool)? That's fair, but I can think of plenty of counterexamples, wherein each displays the other's primary character. (And to wink at the cliche, how many couples have "done it" to Ravel's Bolero, after its famous use in the movie "10"?!) We should bring the "belle eccentrique" Satie into the mix: we then have to add a dash of minimalism, Rosicrucian occult, surreality and absurdity, high and low humor, and let's throw in his huge collection of velvet suits and umbrellas while we're at it!

[FAS]

As someone who loves both somewhat naively, I really appreciate getting this comparison.
I like to imagine myself more alike to Debussy but in reality have more of Ravels coldness and I think thats why I prefer the expansiveness i feel when listening to Debussy.
Always interesting to think that they abhorred the "impressionistic" term. A complex reality that is hard to convey often leaves but a fleeting impression on the listener 🌈

[patrickgomes]

I absolutely agree they don't equal each other. I'm not sure I agree with the interpretation, one being cooler than the other. But that's the beautiful thing about music is that two people can hear the same piece and draw two different conclusions. Ultimately, they had to compose true to their own being and that's why they sound different to me: Debussy sounds and feels more expansive, Ravel more closed and contained. And if someone feels differently about the two than I do, that is the beautiful thing about music.

[jeffladeur]

Fantastic video, tonebase. Brava Gwen!

[akiblue]

Gwendolyn, I can watch you all day. Tonebase, please give Gwendolyn her own channel.

[alextomahawk]

Love Debussy but Ravel is really special in my heart.

[Liquid-TV]

Intentional emotion vs anxious emotion

Ravel inspired Copland, Gershwin, and ultimately Bernstein with the classic building arrangements that are iconic with the early 1900s in North America.

Philip Glass has carried the torch since then.