Early in 1904 French musicologist and philologist Pierre Aubry was preparing a lecture on Greek and Armenian folklore entitled “Songs of the Oppressed,” and he asked Greek-born fellow musicologist and critic Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi to provide some examples from Greece. Singer Louise Thomasset agreed to perform them on short notice, but only with piano accompaniment, so Calvocoressi enlisted the help of his longtime friend Ravel. They selected five folk songs—four out of Pericles Matsa’s Chansons (Constantinople, 1883) and the fifth, “Les cueilleuses de lentisques,” from a Hubert Pernot collection entitled Chansons populaires de l’le de Chio. Ravel came up with the accompaniments in only thirty-six hours—his first foray into folk settings—and the lecture-demonstration duly took place on February 20 at the Sorbonne.

The following year Ravel decided that three of the songs were “too brief,” so he arranged three others from the Pernot collection, which together with two of the originals, “Quel galant” and “Chanson des cueilleuses,” now make up his Cinq mélodies populaires grecques. On April 28, 1906, Calvocoressi presented a recital on popular Greek song, on which Marguerite Babaïan gave the first performance of the set in its new configuration. These songs were the first of Ravel’s pieces to be accepted by prestigious music publisher Durand, who wished to be granted first option on all of his subsequent works. Ravel left his stamp on these accompaniments with their chromatic inflections and reinterpretations of modes, but without destroying their original flavor.

“Chanson de la mariée” (Song of the bride) is a lively wake-up call for a bride on her wedding day. Ravel accentuates the modal tune (Phrygian) with his chromatic harmonies and uses rapid-fire repeated notes to generate excitement. “Là-bas, vers l’église” (There by the church) takes up the same mode, but in gentle, serious reflection on those buried in the cemetery, replete with softly chiming “bells.” “Quel galant m’est comparable” (What galant compares with me?) begins in a boastful proclamation, takes up a dancelike strut, then indulges in a moment of tenderness, before a brief return to the dance. In “Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques” (Song of the lentisk gatherers) Ravel keeps his setting simple, with floating harmonies and occasional spun-out elaboration for the voice alone. “Tout gai” (All gay!) cavorts happily in the major mode with no chromatic inflections. Ravel’s alternating-hand patterns provide lively interest to the ebullient “Tra-la-las.”

—©Jane Vial Jaffe

Texts and Translations

Cinq mélodies populaires grecques

Chanson de la mariée

Réveille-toi, réveilletoi, perdrix mignonne,

Ouvre au matin tes ailes.

Trois grains de beauté, mon coeur en est brûlé!

Vois le ruban d’or que je t’apporte,

Pour le nouer autour de tes cheveux.

Si tu veux, ma belle, viens nous marier!

Dans nos deux familles, tous sont alliés!

Làbas, vers l’église

Làbas, vers l’église,

Vers l’église Ayio Sidéro,

L’église, ô Vierge sainte,

L’église Ayio Costanndino,

Se sont réunis,

Rassemblés en nombre infini,

Du monde, ô Vierge sainte,

Du monde tous les plus braves!

Quel galant m’est comparable

Quel galant m’est comparable,

D’entre ceux qu’on voit passer?

Dis, dame Vassiliki?

Vois, pendus à ma ceinture,

pistolets et sabre aigu . . .

Et c’est toi que j’aime!

Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques

Ô joie de mon âme,

Joie de mon coeur,

Trésor qui m’est si cher;

Joie de l’âme et du cœur,

Toi que j’aime ardemment,

Tu es plus beau qu’un ange.

Ô lorsque tu parais,

Ange si doux

Devant nos yeux,

Comme un bel ange blond,

Sous le clair soleil,

Hélas! tous nos pauvres cœurs soupirent!

Five Popular Greek Songs

Song to the bride

Awake, awake, you cute partridge,

open your wings to the morning.

Three beauty marks, my heart is on fire!

See the golden ribbon I bring you,

to tie around your hair.

If you want, my beauty, we shall marry!

In our two families, all are allied!

There, by the church

There, by the church,

by the Ayio Sidero church,

the church, o holy Virgin,

the church Ayio Costanndino,

are gathered,

assembled in infinite numbers,

of the world, o holy Virgin,

of the world, all the most brave folk!

What gallant compares with me?

What gallant compares with me,

among those one sees passing by?

Tell me, lady Vassiliki!

See, hanging on my belt,

pistols and curved sword . . .

And it is you whom I love!

Song of the lentisk (mastic tree) gatherers

O joy of my soul,

joy of my heart,

treasure that is so dear to me,

joy of my soul and heart,

you whom I love ardently,

you are more beautiful than an angel.

O when you appear,

angel so sweet,

before our eyes,

like a beautiful, blond angel,

under the bright sun,

alas! all our poor hearts sigh!