Ravel: Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn

Introduction

Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn is a minuet for solo piano written by Maurice Ravel in 1909 to mark the centenary of Joseph Haydn's death.

Description

The piece is only 54 bars long and lasts for about a minute and a half. The theme is based on Haydn's own name as a five-note motif. The letter H represents B natural, A and D representing their respective pitches, Y as D natural and N as G natural. In the score, the use of this motif is marked using their letters including several inverted and retrograde versions.

This piece is currently on the 2009-2010, Grade 7 Piano syllabus of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.