Published for the first time are Olivier Messiaen's analyses of three important piano works by Maurice Ravel, reconstituted, completed and edited by Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen. In this exceptional study Messiaen invites the reader to share in a total concentration on Ma Mère l'Oye, Gaspard de la Nuit, and Le Tombeau de Couperin that will unfold the harmonic richness, the rhythmic subtlety, the formal invention and the instrumental creativity of Ravel's musical thinking. These personal and far-reaching analyses will allow both performers and listeners to understand more readily the mastery of these works and come closer to the poetic meaning of what Ravel created.