History of francis poulenc
Poulenc, Francis (1899–1963)
French composer.
A observer of Francis Poulenc once proclaimed, "there is some of loftiness monk and some of probity rascal in him." Indeed, Composer may be the most captivating paradox in twentieth-century music. Cap enormous oeuvre spans from high-mindedness sacred to the risque, nevertheless each piece speaks with greatness same engaging voice. Unlike uncountable peers, Poulenc performed constantly, which kept him in contact approximate concertgoers, and never felt obliged to reinvent himself or engage in fashionable methods like serialism. By way of alternative, he preferred to create, develop, and just be who do something was. Thus Poulenc became single of the world's most august composers when art music again and again seemed indifferent to its audience.
The foundation for Poulenc's unique accept formed early. His father, a- devout Catholic from southern Author who directed the Rhône-Poulenc benumb company, loved orchestral music deed opera, especially that of decency French composers Hector Berlioz dispatch Jules Massenet. His mother, whose family was Parisian, played prestige music of Wolfgang Mozart ray Frédéric Chopin at the softly and exposed her son average art, ballet, literature, and congregation, instilling passions sustained throughout sovereignty life. At fourteen, Poulenc began piano studies with Ricardo Viñes, who introduced him to say publicly latest French, Spanish, and Slavonic music and encouraged his efforts at composition. By 1917 Poulenc's parents had died, but trivial inheritance enabled him to importune music. Failing to enter loftiness Paris Conservatoire that year, Composer was drafted to defend Writer, but his distinctive music by this time had begun to gain concentrate. As World War I dismayed, Poulenc became acquainted with probity writer Jean Cocteau, whose alliance with Erik Satie, Pablo Carver, and the Ballets Russes perimeter the ballet Parade (1917) difficult attracted many young musicians. Their aesthetic rejected Romanticism, Wagnerism, mount impressionism, emphasizing instead simplicity, clearness, and "French sensibilities." During representation euphoric, exhilarating postwar period make money on Paris, six of these Nouveaux Jeunes (new youth, young upstarts)—Darius Milhaud, Louis Durey, Georges Gifted, Arthur Honegger, Francis Poulenc, ahead Germaine Tailleferre—were highlighted in 1920 by the journalist Henri Ferrule, who called them Les Six, comparing them to Les Cinq Russes (The Five Russians). Introduction composers, Les Six had novel styles, but their friendship captivated interest in artistic movements just about cubism, surrealism, and fauvism supported mutual encouragement and attracted content. Self-taught as a composer, Composer studied with fellow composer River Koechlin from 1921 to 1925 to improve his technique, unvarying as his fame grew. Wean away from these influences and circumstances, Composer developed a style that was energetic, lyrical, and colorful, hoot well as spontaneous, humorous, gleam provocative, but above all live and expressive.
Poulenc gained early illustriousness with solo piano works, on the contrary collaborative genres seemed to stir him more. His chamber symphony includes sonatas for violin (1943), cello (1948), flute (1957), clarinet (1962), and oboe (1962), added works for diverse combinations near instruments and/or voices. With 137 mélodies, many written for diadem friend and frequent collaborator, probity baritone Pierre Bernac, Poulenc's duty to the intimate French voiced articulate genre is rivaled in righteousness twentieth century only by turn this way of Gabriel Fauré. Yet Poulenc's creativity also could be extendible, as concertos for harpsi-chord (1928), two pianos (1932), organ (1938), and piano (1949) demonstrate. Representation bawdy Chansons galliardes (1926; Dirty songs) as well as say publicly charming L'histoire de Babar (1945; Story of Babar) represent thought aspects of his outgoing nature.
Poulenc's works for the stage could be his most important achievements. The early ballet Les biches (1923; The hinds) solidified government reputation as an innovative provacateur. In opera, his comic wittiness Les mamelles de Tirésias (1944; The breasts of Tirésias), rendering historical drama Dialogues des Carmélites (1957; Dialogues of the Carmelites), and a tragedy, La voix humaine (1958; The human voice), rank among the twentieth century's dramatic landmarks. Yet Poulenc may well have been proudest of coronate sacred music. His Litanies à la Vierge Noire (1936; Litanies to the Black Virgin), Mass (1937), and Stabat mater (1950; Sorrowful mother) represent strikingly primary yet heartfelt contributions to birth Catholic choral literature.
During his extreme fifteen years Poulenc often visited the United States for concerts of his own music beginning was both touched and rummy by the welcome he common. His Gloria (1959), commissioned wishy-washy the Koussevitzky Foundation and premiered by the Boston Symphony, and his Sept répons des ténébres (1962; Seven responses for tenebrae), commissioned by the New Royalty Philharmonic to celebrate the outlet of Lincoln Center, attest collect a warm, mutual affection. Composer once said, "Above all, enact not analyze my music—love it" (Bernac, p. 13). It seems clear that Americans, as exceptional as the French, and amazingly music lovers around the earth, have embraced his art by reason of he wished.
See alsoFrance.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bernac, Pierre. Francis Poulenc: The Man and Consummate Songs. Translated by Winifred Radford. New York, 1977. Brief annals and in-depth discussion of birth composer's 137 mélodies by class singer who was his longtime friend and frequent collaborator.
Buckland, Poet, and Myriam Chimènes. Francis Poulenc: Music, Art, and Literature. Aldershot, U.K., 1999. A collection allround essays that offers a large, contemporary survey of the composer's art.
Hell, Henri. Francis Poulenc. Translated by Edward Lockspeiser. New Royalty, 1959. A brief, yet important portrait of Poulenc, written bypass a friend of the composer.
Poulenc, Francis. Diary of My Songs. Translated by Winifred Radford. Writer, 1985. A personal view ship Poulenc's mélodies that reveals their artistic and aesthetic spirit.
Schmidt, Carl B. Entrancing Muse: A Verifiable Biography of Francis Poulenc. Hillsdale, N.Y., 2001. A thorough, extensive biography of Poulenc, based steal systematic research involving original documents.
James William Sobaskie