A Comparative Analysis of Debussy’s Ondine and Ravel’s Ondine

Abstract

In his formative years, Claude Debussy (1862-1918) experienced the influence of the artistic movement of Impressionism and the literary movement of Symbolism. Both of these movements profoundly influenced Debussy and contributed to the formation of his aesthetics and tastes. Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), under the influence of Debussy, established his style by incorporating classic rules along with his own innovations inspired by Impressionist and Symbolist values. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the differences in style between the two composers through a comparative analysis of Debussy’s Prelude Ondine and Ravel’s Ondine from Gaspard de la nuit.