CMP Review 2026-01-06

January 6, 2026

No composer’s music has played a greater role in my life story than that of Maurice Ravel. For thirty years his music has resurfaced again and again as my life has taken its many twists and turns. Yet despite the power of his music, I thought he had been passed over by Charlotte Mason’s PNEU.

For many years I searched for some recognition of his music by the Parents’ Union School. Some term set apart with his name for composer study. I found Debussy. I found Ralph Vaughan Williams. I found Holst. But not Ravel.

Until one afternoon when I was sitting in the quiet expanse of the Thomas Jefferson Reading Room of the Library of Congress. Paging through volumes of the PNEU Journal, in the volume for 1975 I finally found what I was looking for.

I have read many articles and books about this elusive and unique composer. But I think the piece in the PNEU Journal by Dorothea Bostock is the best single introduction I’ve ever come across. If you are new to the composer or an avid fan, you will find something in Bostock’s thoughtful comments to intrigue and inspire you.

To celebrate the distinctively French character of this artist, we are honored to have a special guest reader for the podcast. The voice of Maeva Dauplay, créatrice de Charlotte Mason France, takes us to the heart of Paris where, if we just close our eyes, we can almost hear the piano sing. Find the article and recording here.

@artmiddlekauff