Francis Poulenc of 'Les Six'
French Composer and Pianist, Member of the Famous 'The Six'
Oct 27, 2007
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), was a member of the group of young French composers called ‘Les Six’ or 'The Six' consisting of Germaine Tailleferre, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Louis Durey and Georges Auric. The six were influenced by Eric Satie and Cocteau's anti-romantic aesthetics.
Early Life of Poulenc
Born into a wealthy family in Paris on January 7, 1899, Poulenc's background gave him a musical and literary sophistication from boyhood. He started piano lessons with his mother at the age of five, then subsequently studied with the highly regarded piano teacher Ricardo Vines.Poulenc was already a noted public composer by the time he took lessons with Charles Koechlin for three years.
Adult Life
In his mid-30s, there was a change in his personal and spiritual life, as reflected in a sizable output of religious music he composed. At the same time, he also became close to the baritone Pierre Bernac, who became the interpreter of his many songs.
The basis of his musical style remained unchanged: Igor Stravinsky, Gabriel Fauré and contemporary popular music continued to be his sources, in his devotional music as well as his larger sacred compositions, for example his Stabat mater and Gloria.
Poulenc's Music
His numerous works include the operas Les Mamelles de Tiresias (The Breasts of Tiresias) and Dialogues des Carmelites (Dialogues of the Carmelites, considered his masterpiece, and where he displayed his theological concerns), and the ballet Les Biches (The Little Darlings), his biggest success commissioned by the impressarion Sergei Diaghilev. He further scored with later ballets, popular concerti for organ, two pianos, and harpsichord.
Poulenc's compositions exude charm and wit, at the same time melancholy and sad. His music is definitely French, and specifically Parisian, but counterbalances the earlier romantic “Impressionism” of his predecessors Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.
Final Years
He composed another opera, La Machine Infernale, but not done due to his sudden heart attack. He died in Paris on January 30, 1963.
List of Poulenc's Works
- Rapsodie nègre, for instrumental ensemble, 1917
- Trois mouvements perpétuels, for piano, 1918
- Le Bestiaire, Song Cycle 1919
- Les Biches (The Little Darlings), ballet 1924
- Concerto in D minor, for two pianos and orchestra, 1932
- Tel jour, telle nuit, Songs, 937
- Concerto for organ, strings and timpani, 1938
- Violin Sonata, 1942
- Figure humaine, cantata, 1943
- Les mamelles de Tiresias, opera bouffe, 1944
- L'histoire de Babar, for narrator and piano, 1945
- Piano Concerto, 1949
- Dialogues des Carmélites, opera, 1956
- Gloria, for soprano, choir and orchestra, 1959
- Elegy, for two pianos, 1960
- Clarinet Sonata, 1962
- Oboe Sonata, 1962
Sources:
The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, Macmillan Press (1994)
The Oxford Companion of Music, edited by Alison Latham (2002)
