Introduction and Allegro

Maurice Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro is the product of a critical rivalry between French harp manufacturers and their competing models: Pleyel’s double-strung harp, with a string for each note, and Érard's pedal system. French composers Debussy and Ravel were commissioned as musical “spokespeople,” each writing a piece championing their particular harp. Debussy composed the Danses sacrée et profane in 1904, showcasing Pleyel’s harp, while Ravel’s response—the Introduction and Allegro—was commissioned in 1905. Ravel dashed off the work in about a week before heading off to vacation with friends, later writing, “Eight days of solid work and three sleepless nights allowed me to finish it, for better or worse.” Composed for harp, string quartet, flute, and clarinet, the Introduction and Allegro is a miniature concerto despite its small forces, and Ravel uses the potential of the pedal harp to full advantage. One pivotal moment occurs at the end of the solo cadenza: the soloist plays the second opening melody using harmonics while also playing glissandos, which would have been impossible on Pleyel’s harp. On February 22, 1907, 16-year-old Micheline Kahn performed Ravel’s work, cementing the primacy of Érard's harp forever.