This work was written by Ravel, who, yearning for the Basque region in southwestern France, his mother's hometown, traveled there as if tracing his own roots. The piece was composed rapidly in five weeks during the summer of 1914, due to the outbreak of World War I. After its completion, Ravel, at the age of 39, volunteered for the French army, joining the artillery and participating in the war.

Feeling that this might be his last work due to the war's outbreak, Ravel poured immense effort into it as a culmination of his previous compositions. As a result, the piece exhibits an orchestral scale and employs techniques rarely seen in his earlier works.

The piano utilizes various virtuosic techniques, making full use of the entire keyboard from end to end to create musical contrast. For string instruments, characteristic compositional techniques include intentionally reversing the bowing of the violin and cello, and frequently employing flageolets to introduce significant changes in timbre. (See Musical Example 1)

(Musical Example 1 / First Movement, Rehearsal Mark 8)

The premiere on January 28, 1915, was a success. Ravel's teacher, Fauré, wrote, "It was a magnificent trio" (February 15, 1915), and his friend Milhaud also noted, "It was a flawless work, and Ravel's simple and clear melodies were utterly charming."

First Movement

 The first movement is based on the "Zortziko," a dance from the Basque region, his mother's homeland. According to the composer, "While common Zortzikos are written in 5/4 time, older Zortzikos are in 8/8 time (5+3/8), and I based this on the latter." Evidence of this fusion of 5/8 and 3/8 time can be traced through the placement of staccatos in the opening motif. (See Musical Example 2)

(Musical Example 2 / First Movement, Opening)

Written in sonata form, the movement achieves unity by scattering the first and second themes, with their note values halved or doubled, throughout various sections. Although the movement itself is in A minor, the concluding section, marked "lointain" (distant, vague) in the piano part, modulates to the relative major of C major, ending as if fading into the distance. (See Musical Example 3)

(Musical Example 3 / First Movement, Rehearsal Mark 13)

Second Movement

 The second movement is based on the rhyme scheme of the Malaysian poetic form "Pantun." Ravel was greatly influenced by Southeast Asian, Chinese, and Japanese cultures at the 1889 Paris Exposition, and traces of this influence can be observed in this movement. It is a scherzo movement, and a significant feature is the differing time signatures among the parts in the middle section, which serves as the trio. (See Musical Example 4 / Piano in 4/2 time, strings in 3/4 time) The incessantly moving, dazzling piano technique creates the brilliance of the second movement.

(Musical Example 4 / Second Movement, Rehearsal Mark 10)

Third Movement

The third movement, titled "Passacaglia," possesses a solemn yet simple character and is the most introspective movement throughout the entire piano trio. Written in just 88 measures, it begins pp, reaches ff in the middle section, then diminuendos towards the end, concluding pp, creating a structure akin to a single brushstroke. In his own lecture at the École Normale de Musique in June 1925, Ravel stated that he aimed to "emphasize the slowness of the piece to create a funereal atmosphere." While Le Tombeau de Couperin (composed 1914–17), written to mourn fallen friends, inherits the form of old French suites, this movement also employs the Passacaglia, a dance once popular in France, perhaps subtly alluding to the future of France facing the war.

Fourth Movement

 Played attacca from the third movement, the fourth movement is written with a restless alternation between 5/4 and 7/4 time signatures. Ravel himself stated, "When I was little, my mother always played Basque songs for me." Many Basque songs are in 5/4 and 7/4 time, evoking a sense of nostalgia as if recalling his childhood. (See Musical Example 5 / Fourth Movement, Rehearsal Mark 14) The piano's glissandos and successive chords, set against the trills of the string instruments, build the excitement of the piece. In the middle section, a fanfare-like motif appears amidst a chaotic musical texture, suggesting an ominous turn, but as it approaches the end, the brilliance increases, and the piece concludes magnificently, filled with exhilaration.

(Musical Example 5 / Fourth Movement, Rehearsal Mark 14)