Page "Maurice Ravel" Paragraph 15

During his years at the Conservatoire, Ravel tried numerous times to win the prestigious Prix de Rome, but to no avail ; he was probably considered too radical by the conservatives, including Director Théodore Dubois.

Ravel's String Quartet in F, probably modeled on Debussy ’ s Quartet ( 1893 ), is now a standard work of chamber music, though at the time it was criticized and found lacking academically.

In 1905, Ravel's final year of eligibility for the Prix de Rome, Ravel did not even pass the preliminary test, despite being favored to win one of the two first prizes available.

Instead, all six selected finalists were students of Charles Lenepveu, a member of the jury and heir apparent of Dubois as director of the Conservatoire.

The scandal – named the " Ravel Affair " by the Parisian press – engaged the entire artistic community, pitting conservatives against the avant-garde, and eventually caused the resignation of Dubois and his replacement by Fauré instead of Lenepveu, a vindication of sorts for Ravel.

Alfred Edwards, editor of Le Matin, who had taken particular interest in the incident, took Ravel on a seven-week canal trip on his yacht Aimée through the Low Countries in June and July 1905, the first time Ravel traveled abroad.

Though deprived of the opportunity to study in Rome, the decade after the scandal proved to be Ravel's most productive, and included his " Spanish period ".