Mother Goose (Ma Mere L'oye): Five Pieces for Children Cover Image

Mother Goose (Ma Mere L'oye): Five Pieces for Children: Full Orchestra, SS

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Mother Goose (Ma Mere L'oye): Five Pieces for Children Cover Image
Mother Goose (Ma Mere L'oye): Five Pieces for Children: Full Orchestra, SS

Mother Goose (Ma Mere L'oye): Five Pieces for Children: Full Orchestra, SS

By Maurice Ravel, ed./arr. by Clinton Nieweg/ Nancy Bradburd

Item: 36-S002601
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Description
Maurice Ravel's (1875-1937) Ma mère l'Oye ("Mother Goose") draws its inspiration from the fairy tales of Charles Perrault, Madame d'Aulnoy, and Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Ravel composed the first movement "Pavane de la Belle au Bois Dormant" in September of 1908, and after some encouragement from his publisher Jacques Durand, the remaining four movements were added between 1908 and 1910. The piece sought to both be performable by children and also to reflect the world of childhood. Dedicated to the two children of his friends the Godebskis, Ravel intended for them to premier the piece. However, when the piece proved too difficult for the pair, it was instead premiered at a concert in the Salle Gaveau in 1910 by 11-year old pianist Jeanne Leleu and 14-year old Geneviève Durony. In 1911, Ravel wrote an orchestral version of the suite, which became the basis of the ballet which was performed in January 1912. Instrumentation: 2(1dPicc).2(1dEH).2.2(1dCBsn): 2.0.0.0: Timp.Perc(4): Hp.Clst: Str(9-8-7-6-5 in set). Study score.

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Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Study Score Series
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 8-89-563592-2
ISBN13: 979-889-563-5926
UPC: 612735552718
SKU: 36-S002601
Instrumentation: 2(1dPicc).2(1dEH).2.2(1dCBsn): 2.0.0.0: Timp.Perc(4): Hp.Clst: Str(9-8-7-6-5 in set)

More about this title

About the Composer: Maurice Ravel

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) was a French composer whose fastidious orchestration and harmonic innovation defined early twentieth-century concert music. Though sometimes grouped with the Impressionists, Ravel maintained a classical approach to form while expanding the palette of instrumental color and rhythmic sophistication. His ability to write idiomatically for every orchestral instrument made him one of the most performed orchestrators in the repertoire.

Ravel's approach to composition was deeply intentional. He sketched exhaustively, revised constantly, and considered the playability of every line. This meticulous care extended to his arrangements of his own work. When he orchestrated Ma mère l'Oye in 1911, he transformed the intimate piano original into a work of vivid storytelling without losing its directness or sense of wonder.

Why we love this

The orchestration reveals Ravel's gift for clarity without sacrifice. Each movement isolates a particular aspect of fairy tale drama, from the sleeping beauty's stillness to the beast's chaotic presence, and the full orchestra version gives every section a moment to shine. This score shows young musicians how orchestration itself can be narrative.

What to expect

The five movements unfold like scenes in a stained glass window: luminous, carefully drawn, and suffused with a gentle sense of magic. Ravel's orchestration never overwhelms the melodies. Instead, each instrument seems to discover its own corner of the fairy tale, creating a world both intimate and grand.

Who it's for

This score serves orchestras at the intermediate-advanced level and above. The complexity of the wind and percussion writing, combined with the demand for transparency and color control in the strings, requires musicians with solid sight-reading skills and ensemble experience. Educational orchestras preparing for regional or state competitions will find this both musically rewarding and appropriately challenging.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the harp and celesta passages against the orchestra so they register as active contributors rather than atmospheric seasoning. These instruments carry harmonic color that defines each movement's character.
  • Shape the woodwind solos with intention. The successive flute and oboe entrances in the first movement establish the Sleeping Beauty's dreamlike state, and they must float clearly above the string foundation.
  • Establish the rhythmic grid early in rehearsal for the complex cross-rhythms and metric shifts. Ravel's syncopations sound natural only when the ensemble trusts the underlying pulse.
  • Allow the percussion four players to communicate about their multiple roles across the movements. Timpani transitions, triangle entries, and glockenspiel lines require coordinated listening.

How to use it

Program this suite as a standalone work on a concert that pairs classical and modern repertoire, or as a thematic anchor for a family concert built around storytelling. Its moderate length and straightforward emotional arc work well opposite more austere contemporary pieces. The ballet context also makes it natural programming companion to other works with choreographic origins.

Skills your students will build

  • Orchestral color balance and the role of secondary instruments in creating texture
  • Reading extended instrumental techniques including harmonics, flutter-tonguing, and pizzicato variants
  • Ensemble precision across meters and syncopated rhythmic figures
  • Interpretation of impressionistic harmony and non-functional chord progressions
  • Breath control and phrase shaping in wind passages with complex harmonic movement

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