In his ŒñAutobiographical SketchŒî Ravel looks back and stresses the importance of his ŒñMiroirsŒî (HN 842), published in 1906, for his harmonic evolution. He said that they had Œñdisconcerted even those musicians who had been most familiar with my compositional style up to thenŒî. This is particularly true of the fourth piece in the collection, ŒñAlborada del graciosoŒî (Morning song of the court jester), with its frequent employment of harsh dissonances. This both technically and musically charming genre scene, full of rousing ideas and rhythms, is one of the French composerŒÍs best-known piano pieces today. We are now issuing it in a single Urtext edition.
