Maurice Ravel was born on March 7th 1875 in Ciboure, France, a small town in southwestern France
莫里斯·拉威尔于1875年3月7日出生在法国锡布尔——法国西南部的一个小镇,
less than two miles from the French-Spanish border.
距法国-西班牙边境不到两英里。
Influence of living so close to Spain was later evident in such pieces as the famous ballet “Bolero”.
生活在西班牙咫尺之遥的地方,这对于他后期一些作品的影响十分明显,比如著名的芭蕾舞剧《波莱罗》。
Ravel showed great promise at a young age. To further develop his talent, at age 14 he entered the Paris Conservatoire.
拉威尔年轻时就显示出惊人的潜力。为了进一步挖掘自己的天赋,14岁的他进入了巴黎音乐学院深造。
Perhaps best known, along with Claude Debussy, as a Romantic impressionist composer and leading figure in the music of modernism.
或许与克劳德德彪西一样,他最为人所知的是作为浪漫主义印象派作曲家和现代主义音乐的领军人物。
However, his Piano Concerto in G and Sonatine follow a more classical structure.
然而,他的《G大调钢琴协奏曲》和《奏鸣曲》遵循了更为古典的结构。
His first major success was the virtuosic piano piece “Jeux d’eau”.
他的第一个主要成就是钢琴名曲《水之嬉戏》(Jeux d’eau)。
During World War I Ravel applied to join the military but was declined entry because of his small stature and frail body type.
第一次世界大战期间,拉威尔曾申请入伍,但由于身材矮小和体型瘦弱而被拒。
He instead volunteered as an ambulance driver.
于是他自愿做起了救护车司机。
Ravel did not travel much and after moving from Ciboure early in life, he lived out his remaining days in Paris.
拉威尔很少旅行,早年搬离锡布尔后,他在巴黎度过了余生。
His one big trip was to America in 1928 where he met George Gershwin and Charlie Chapman.
他一生中的一次重要出行是1928年前往美国,在那里他遇到了乔治·格什温(George Gershwin)和查理·查普曼(Charlie Chapman)。
In 1932 he contracted Pick’s disease, a rare form of dementia and died 5 years later in 1937 at the age of 62.
1932年,他患上了皮克氏病,这是一种罕见的痴呆症。5年后,他于1937年去世,享年62岁。