Maurice Ravel Popular Songs Ranking [2026]

Gaspard of the Night, M. 55: II. The GallowsMaurice Ravel31rank/position

Gaspard of the Night, M. 55: II. The Gallows

One of the pieces from Maurice Ravel’s 1908 piano suite Gaspard de la nuit, it sonically depicts the desolate scene portrayed in the poetry of Aloysius Bertrand.

A defining feature of this work is the relentless repetition of the same note—symbolizing a distant tolling bell—more than 150 times from beginning to end.

Over this monotonous resonance, eerie harmonies accumulate, drawing the listener into a meditative world dominated by the stillness of death.

For performers, maintaining strict tempo and a delicate balance of sonorities is essential; otherwise, the work’s overwhelming gloom may be compromised—making it a formidable challenge.

It is frequently programmed in competitions.

Consider listening to it when you wish to encounter the quiet beauty that lies at the depths of sorrow.

Suite ‘Mirrors’ No. 3 ‘A Boat on the Ocean’Maurice Ravel32rank/position

2014 PTNA Special Grade Second Round - Yurina Tetsu: Ravel, 'Miroirs' – 'Une barque sur l’océan'

Maurice Ravel, a French composer, is a leading figure of Impressionist music who flourished from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

His music is renowned for its precision and impeccable style, and works like Boléro are widely beloved.

The third piece, “Une barque sur l’océan” (A Boat on the Ocean), from the suite Miroirs composed between 1904 and 1905, is a beautiful work that evokes the flow of the sea’s waves and the rocking of a boat.

Although it demands a high level of piano technique, its beautiful sonorities are irresistibly captivating.

It is a recommended piece for those who wish to feel the beauty and mystery of the sea, and for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the world of Impressionist music.

From the suite “Ma mère l’Oye,” No. 3: “Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas”Maurice Ravel33rank/position

From 'Ma mère l’Oye' III. Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas — Ravel (piano four hands)

This is a masterpiece that unfolds a fairytale world imbued with an Oriental atmosphere.

It vividly portrays, through the unique four-hand resonance of piano duet, the tale of a beautiful princess cursed and transformed.

The piece is one of the five movements in a piano duet suite composed by Maurice Ravel between 1908 and 1910 for the children of his friends.

In this work, the sounds of Chinese instruments—such as xylophone and percussion—are brilliantly evoked using two pianos.

Amid its light and bright character, the timbre brims with exotic color, as if the distant toll of a gong were resounding.

Demanding rich expression across the piano’s high and low registers and close ensemble coordination, it is an ideal work for concerts and recitals.

Little Boat on the Ocean from the Suite ‘Mirrors’Maurice Ravel34rank/position

Ravel: Suite “Miroirs”: A Boat on the Ocean

How about a cool piece by Maurice Ravel that you’ll want to listen to on a hot day? It’s the third piece from the piano suite Miroirs, published in Paris in 1906 and dedicated to the painter Paul Sordes.

You can picture a small boat gently drifting across a vast sea, and just listening to it feels cleansing for the soul.

The work’s charm lies in its depiction of water through shimmering arpeggios.

They evoke the glinting, rippling surface under light and the deep ocean’s calm, with an expressive range that hardly seems possible from a single piano.

The meter changes 36 times over 140 measures, deftly capturing the ceaseless motion of the waves.

If you’d like to cool off with beautiful sonorities, or if you’re a fan of Impressionist music, you’ll surely enjoy it.

It might also be nice to listen to it alongside the other pieces in the Miroirs suite.

Two Hebrew SongsMaurice Ravel35rank/position

Jessye Norman: The complete “Deux mélodies hébraïques” (Ravel)

A song cycle composed in 1914 for voice with piano accompaniment.

An orchestral version was also released in 1919.

It consists of Kaddish and The Eternal Enigma.

The lyrics of Kaddish are from an Aramaic liturgical text.

The lyrics of The Eternal Enigma are taken from Jewish folk songs.

BoleroMaurice Ravel36rank/position

Maurice Ravel – Bolero

Maurice Ravel, a French composer who had a profound impact on the music world with his original structures.

He achieved success with works in various forms, and he also left masterpieces in the realm of ballet music.

Among them, one of his most famous works is Boléro.

In Japan it is known by the same title, “Bolero,” and it continues to be popular today as a standalone musical piece that transcends the framework of ballet.

The work features a highly distinctive structure in which two melodies are repeated, and by focusing on that aspect as you listen, you can appreciate the high level of craftsmanship in the piece.

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Ryo

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Overture “In Spain”Maurice Ravel37rank/position

Ravel: L’heure espagnole – Introduction (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Lorin Maazel)

Maurice Ravel, a composer of French Impressionist music, is a renowned figure alongside Satie and Debussy.

Ravel’s opera L’heure espagnole (The Spanish Hour) is a one-act work lasting less than an hour, characterized by strong comedic elements.

Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2Maurice Ravel38rank/position

[Wind Ensemble] Daphnis et Chloé – Suite No. 2

This piece is often performed as a free-choice selection in competitions.

It features a distinctly classical atmosphere characteristic of opera, with the gently paced, dreamlike “Dawn” and the dazzling “General Dance,” in which the gods bless the lovers Daphnis and Chloé, being especially popular.

“Ma mère l’Oye” Scene 3: Dialogue of Beauty and the BeastMaurice Ravel39rank/position

Ravel: Ballet Music 'Ma mère l’Oye': Dialogue of Beauty and the Beast [Naxos Classical Curator #Fantasy]

Maurice Ravel, the French composer renowned for his masterful portrayals of fairy-tale worlds.

A passage from his suite Ma mère l’Oye brilliantly renders the story of Beauty and the Beast in sound.

Set to an elegant waltz, a sweet woodwind melody representing Beauty and the heavy, ominous timbre of the contrabassoon embodying the Beast unfold like a dialogue, drawing listeners into the story’s realm.

Originally premiered in 1910 as a piano four-hands piece and later orchestrated, the work was memorably used in the 2021 film The Worst Person in the World.

Interweaving unease and beauty, it’s perfect for creating a slightly grown-up, mysterious Halloween mood.

If you listen while imagining how the tale concludes, you’ll enjoy it all the more.

“Gaspard de la nuit” — “The Gallows”Maurice Ravel40rank/position

Argerich plays Gaspard de la Nuit – Le Gibet

The title “Gaspard de la nuit” is taken from the poet Bertrand’s collection of 64 prose poems.

From this collection, Ravel chose three pieces with strong elements of fantasy and the macabre—“Ondine,” “Le Gibet,” and “Scarbo”—and fashioned them into passionate piano works, weaving in extraordinary virtuosity to capture their imagery.

The poem for “Le Gibet” depicts a corpse hanging from the gallows, countless crickets and spiders lurking at its feet, and the continuous tolling of a distant bell, all bathed in the red glow of the setting sun.

It is a piece that superbly conveys the resonant, evocative sound of the bell and a dim, eerie atmosphere.

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