While practising Une Barque sur l'Océan, I became curious about the title of Ravel's Miroirs. What do mirrors have to do with boats, birds, bells, and moths? Exploring the five pieces led me to a new idea: perhaps Ravel was not painting pictures, but reflections of memories, feelings, and experiences.

Can our ears be trained? Exploring the differences between perfect pitch and relative pitch reveals that musical listening is more than a natural gift. From identifying notes instantly to recognising intervals by comparison, both abilities shape how musicians hear the world—and both can be developed through practice.

While practising Une Barque sur l’Océan, I began hearing the piece less as a quiet river journey and more as the vast, unpredictable ocean itself. Ravel’s sweeping textures, wide piano register, and dramatic dynamic contrasts create waves that shift between distant calm and overwhelming power.

What does the “a” in Beethoven’s Op. 81a actually mean? Exploring opus numbers, WoO catalogues, and historical publishing decisions reveals how classical music works are named and why those labels are not always as straightforward as they seem.