Trois poèmes de Mallarmé is a sequence of three art songs by Maurice Ravel, based on poems by Stéphane Mallarmé for soprano, two flutes, two clarinets, piano, and string quartet. Composed in 1913, it was premiered on 14 January 1914, performed by Rose Féart and conducted by D.-E. Inghelbrecht, at the inaugural concert of the société musicale indépendante of the 1913–1914 season in the Salle Érard in Paris. The work bears the reference M. 64, in the catalogue of works of the composer established by musicologist Marcel Marnat. History Maurice Ravel had a predilection for the poetry of Mallarmé. In an interview with the New York Times in the late 1920s, he said: In 1913, the first complete edition of Mallarmé's poems was published. Ravel set three of his poems the same year, in different cities that refer to main places in his life with family and friends: Placet futile was completed in Paris, Surgi in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, where his parents lived, and Soupir in Clarens, Switzerland, where he was able to meet again with Stravinsky. The dates of composition follow the order of execution of the three poems: the manuscript of Soupir was completed on 2 April 1913, Placet futile in May, and Surgi... in August. A "Debussy-Ravel" match Thanks to Henri Mondor, who was one of his friends, Ravel had been able to obtain the rights for the musicalization of Mallarmé's poems. He confided him his "relief" in the face of this request, as Debussy also urged him to grant him these same rights. According to Marcel Marnat, Ravel then invited Mondor to yield to this request. Since the Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, the Mercure de France used to present Debussy as "aspiring to Mallarmé's legacy". Learning that the rights had already been granted to a composer who was readily presented as his rival, he was furious. Debussy confided how "this Mallarmé-Ravel story isn't funny." For his part, Ravel announced to Roland-Manuel: "We will soon see a Debussy-Ravel match"..."In 1913, Debussy and Ravel didn't talk to each other", concluded Stravinsky, quite interested in such "scrambles" between composers. In general, the two great composers - apart from a certain tacit rivalry inherent in their creative contemporaneity - had always respected each other deeply, and many supposed frictions between the two personalities were above all caused by their respective surroundings, or even by the coteries occupying the Parisian musical scene.