Maurice Ravel and Alzheimer's Disease

Abstract

To the Editor.— Dalessio's 1 recent editorial about Maurice Ravel effectively portrays the tragic final years of that influential 20th-century composer. However, I must take exception to his description of Ravel's amusia. I base these comments on the published testimony of Ravel's neurologist, Theophile Alajouanine, whose article, Aphasia and Artistic Realization, 2 should be read by any physician with an interest in the creative arts. Assisted by one of Ravel's favored pupils and by a neurology colleague who was also an accomplished musician, Alajouanine made a detailed study of his celebrated patient's musical abilities. What he found was that Ravel's capacity to appreciate music and evaluate it critically was unimpaired. For example, when some of his own piano music was played for him with even minor errors in rhythm or melody, he could immediately identify the errors, and, in his halting speech, he could specify what was incorrect. Also, his