The story of the genesis of "Rêves" is a fascinating one. From about 1900 until the outbreak of World War I, Ravel belonged to a group of enthusiastic, individualistic artists who called themselves the "Apaches." The circle, which typically gathered on Saturday nights, included such important figures from the visual, literary and performing arts as the poet Tristan Klingsor, the decorator Georges Mouveau, composers Manuel de Falla, Florent Schmitt, and for a brief time, Igor Stravinsky. Amid this warm, sometimes impassioned atmosphere of mutual encouragement, Ravel met the poet Léon-Paul Fargue. In 1927, more than a decade after the society folded, Ravel set Fargue's poem "Rêves" from the collection "Pour la musique" (1898) for voice and piano.

Ravel's setting of "Rêves" underscores the gentle lyricism of the poetry, utilizing a minimum of notes. An extended ostinato passage evokes a train whistle, and the postlude restates the melody of the introduction with fresh accompaniment, concluding with a brief bitonal passage.

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