Habanera - Clarinet and Piano

Habanera is a song and dance of Cuban origin, based on the music of African slaves. The name was derived from the country's capital city, Havana (in Spanish, Habana). The Habanera was made popular in classical music of the 19th century by Bizet in his opera Carmen, first performed in 1875. Habanera is the shorter, popular name for an aria introduced in the first act, L'amour est un oiseau rebelle ('Love is a rebellious bird').

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) first used the Habanera form in a work for two pianos, Sites auriculaires, composed in 1895. It was performed in 1898 with little success and forgotten until a publication appeared much later in 1975. However, Ravel did use that Habanera movement in his well-known Rhapsodie espagnole, composed in 1907.

During the time he was working on Rhapsodie espagnole, Ravel was commissioned by A. L. Hettich to write a short piece for voice and piano as one of a series of studies by contemporary composers for use in his voice classes at the Conservatoire. Ravel's Vocalise etude en forme de Habanera was completed in March 1907. It was subsequently arranged in several different instrumental versions under the title "Piece en forme de habanera." This current edition, adapted by John Anderson for clarinet and piano, shortens the title to simply, Habanera.