Maurice Ravel short biography

Regarded the greatest French composer since Debussy, Maurice Ravel studied with Gabriel Faure at the  Paris Conservatoire. Already considered an important composer, Ravel failed many times to win the prestigious Prix de Rome. In 1905, the scandal associated with the ‘Ravel Affair’ forced the Conservatoire’s director Dubois to resign.  Considered himself a classicist, Ravel based his musical forms on a traditional structure presenting his new revolutionary harmonies and using his refined skills of the orchestrator. Ravel enjoyed a very private life and never assumed any official position.