A Beginner's Guide to Boléro by Maurice Ravel

We take a look at one of the most popular works of classical music: "Boléro" by Maurice Ravel. Learn how the work came to be, how it was constructed, and how it was received by audiences.

Introduction - 0:00
Ravel's Early Life and Education - 0:46
French Impressionism in Music - 2:48
Ida Rubinstein Commissions Ravel to Compose a Ballet - 3:46
Ravel's use of theme and variation - 4:28
Ravel was a renowned orchestrator - 6:17
How Ravel organized Boléro - 8:49
The rhythmic pattern that drives Boléro - 9:28
Boléro's first theme - 9:56
Boléro's second theme - 10:37
Ravel's use of Tenor Saxophone - 11:36
Ravel's use of the Harmonic Series - 12:20
Boléro's final variation - 13:04
Reception of Boléro by Audiences and Critics - 14:33
Closing thoughts - 15:00

Performances videos used:

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About me: I am a conductor, published composer, professional singer, sound engineer, and producer based in Los Angeles. I love classical music and want to help as many people as possible learn more about it.

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Sources:

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[GGGB]

The Reason I LOVE Bolero Is. LESS IS MORE. Thats the beautiful thing about life's little secret. Less Is More

[davidharkins]

As a ‘recent subscriber’ to your channel, I simply wanted to thank you for broadening and further developing my love of this genre of music. David 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[martinbrisebois]

I guess I've started my own classical journey as Matthew was not even born, but wow, what a stellar reintroduction to works I love so much.

[valentinbetourne]

You make such great and interesting content! Keep that up, looking forward to learn more and more about classical music thanks to you!

[Belloqs]

Excellent analysis. Bolero definitely inspired many of the minimalists. Reich and Glass to name two.

[kjmav]

I am coming to your content late, and I love it! Thank you for what you have produced!

[tacovandijk]

Just beginning to listen to classical music and this helps a lot so keep them coming, no preference not yet anyway.

[spech]

Thank you! This video was so insightful and interesting!

[redwoodprosth]

Enjoyed your video. And learned a lot. Thank you for the visual at 8:35. I found that helpful

[cperezloza]

Excellent video! Really I enjoyed it. You english is load and clear. I need to practice my listenning and your youtube channel is a very high quality video to learn classical music and english. Congratulations!

[robinhillyard]

Excellent video. I’ve always thought the same thing about it being an early (the first?) minimalist piece.

[fendipxx]

I was one of the students at zora neale hurston elemantry! Great Show

[dsm]

Very informative, but a discussion about the strenuousness of the snare drum part would have been interesting.

[johnlee]

Love this video...Just listen to Bolero live (Kansas City Symphony conducted by Michael Stern)

[williamharberts]

I loved your analysis, more for covering the music than covering the composer. I've always loved Bolero but never had much of an idea why nor how it was constructed. I always thought that it would be among the hardest classical pieces for a conductor to control. It feels like it would run away from you. Think perpetual motion machine rolling downhill. Now if I could just figure out exactly when the kettle drums come in. They slip in so smoothly with the plucked basses that I can't tell exactly when they come in. They are simply suddenly there. Count me as a new subscriber.

[FLOJo]

I will always request Mahler! Great videos

[matthewleary]

I would greatly enjoy a video like this about Handel's Royal Fireworks music, any of Beethoven's symphonies or piano sonatas, Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite, or anything by Tchaikovsky.

[bijanjan]

I think bolero is an excelente example of the medieval practice of two melodies played in repeated sequences, in which the first melody is played and then repeated, followed by The secomd one and then repeated

[safid]

Great explain, really enjoy it. Could you choose other master piece of different composer to explain them? Thx 👍

[hannahchristinah]

5:50 : insert 'Ratatouille' scene here.