At the start of the 20th century the rivalry between harp manufacturers in Paris resulted in two major works being composed for the instrument. Debussy wrote his Danse sacré et danse profane for Pleyel’s new chromatic harp in 1904, and Ravel was commissioned to produce a piece for Erard’s double-action pedal harp the next year – Introduction et Allegro. He wrote it quickly, completing it in June 1905 with a dedication to Albert Blondel, the director of the Erard company. It was one of the few works that Ravel himself recorded, directing an ensemble led by the harpist Gwendolen Mason for the Columbia record company during a visit to London in 1923 who had previously performed the work under Ravel’s direction at the Wigmore Hall in 1913 (when it was still called the Bechstein Hall). 

The dream-like Introduction opens with a slow-motion version of the theme that later dominates the Allegro, but part of the magic of this opening derives from Ravel’s handling of the instruments, producing colours and effects of stunning beauty and richness. The exquisitely crafted Allegro that follows is in sonata form and it is no less imaginative in terms of its exploration of ravishing instrumental effects, culminating in a dazzling coda. 

At the start of the 20th century the rivalry between harp manufacturers in Paris resulted in two major works being composed for the instrument. Debussy wrote his Danse sacré et danse profane for Pleyel’s new chromatic harp in 1904, and Ravel was commissioned to produce a piece for Erard’s double-action pedal harp the next year – Introduction et Allegro. He wrote it quickly, completing it in June 1905 with a dedication to Albert Blondel, the director of the Erard company. It was one of the few works that Ravel himself recorded, directing an ensemble led by the harpist Gwendolen Mason for the Columbia record company during a visit to London in 1923 who had previously performed the work under Ravel’s direction at the Wigmore Hall in 1913 (when it was still called the Bechstein Hall). 

The dream-like Introduction opens with a slow-motion version of the theme that later dominates the Allegro, but part of the magic of this opening derives from Ravel’s handling of the instruments, producing colours and effects of stunning beauty and richness. The exquisitely crafted Allegro that follows is in sonata form and it is no less imaginative in terms of its exploration of ravishing instrumental effects, culminating in a dazzling coda. 

© Nigel Simeone