An Exploration of the Jazz Elements in the Music of Maurice Ravel

Stacy Jarvis ORCID iD

Issue: Vol.6 No.14 Article 50 pp.4071 – 4096
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561450| Published online 30th December, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This study explored the genre and stylistic integration of jazz and classical music through the works of Maurice Ravel, focusing on L’enfant et les sortilèges, the Sonata for Violin and Piano, and the Concerto in G major. The aim was to determine how jazz elements interact with Ravel’s compositional method. Through a detailed analysis, this study identified dance rhythms, instrumental dialogue, and jazz-inspired syncopation as key devices of artistic expression in these works. The findings highlight Ravel’s innovative synthesis of musical traditions, demonstrating how his incorporation of jazz idioms contributed to both his distinctive style and the broader development of 20th-century composition. State the contribution of this study to scholarship.

Keywords: Ravel, Jazz, Foxtrot, Blues

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Stacy Jarvis a PhD candidate in Music at the University of Birmingham, specialising in early 19th-century Russian piano music, performance practice, and cultural history. Her research explores intersections of musical form, identity, and authorship, with recent work focusing on nocturnes by Field, as well as lesser-known composers.She has published peer-reviewed articles on Russian and European art music, intertextuality in opera, and contemporary performance analysis. In addition to academic work, she curates public-facing content through a university blog (Beyond the Score) and host music-themed podcasts. Her work combines scholarly depth with a commitment to broadening access to classical music through creative storytelling and cultural commentary.

Jarvis, Stacy. “An Exploration of the Jazz Elements in the Music of Maurice Ravel.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 14 (2025): 4071 – 4096, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202561450

© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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