Ravel composed "Chanson du rouet" ("Song of the Spinning Wheel"), a setting of a poem by Laconte de Lisle (1818-94) during his first year of studies with Gabriel Fauré. The poem appeared in the "Chansons écossaises," ("Scottish Songs") a collection from 1852 which had also provided the inspiration for Debussy's "La Fille aux cheveux de lin" and Fauré's "Nell."

The first two stanzas of "Chanson du rouet" begin with a cheerful, carefree mood, as the poet sings an ode to the spinning wheel which provides him with all his needs. Yet with the final stanza, an ominous mood takes over: the poet begins to contemplate that the whirring spinning wheel will weave his shroud when he approaches death. As in Schubert's famous "Gretchen am Spinnrade," an undulating accompaniment figure imparts the continual whir of a spinning wheel. The song's rich chromaticism suggests the influence of Chopin, while Gregorian chant is alluded to in the final stanza, as Ravel quotes the requiem sequence Dies Irae in the piano, and the words "je ferai mon lit éternal et froid" are set in a quasi-Gregorian manner (the melody is restricted to two notes). The motif of a spinning wheel would later reappear in the "Danse du rouet" from Ravel's "Ma Mère L'Oye."

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.