“Boléro” is among the most lucrative works of classical music

“Boléro” is among the most famous tunes in classical music. The royalties it has generated from live performances, recordings and film soundtracks are estimated at more than $100m. The question of who got all that money is complicated. Ravel had no descendants. On his death the copyright passed to Ravel’s brother, who married his caretaker after a car accident. She then left the rights to her first husband, who married his manicurist. Ultimately the copyright wound up belonging to that manicurist’s daughter from a previous marriage, Evelyne Pen de Castel.