This Week in Classical Music: July 19, 2021.Francis Poulenc.We’re publishing an entry by a guest contributor, Aleah Fitzwater in which she writes about one of her favorite composers,Francis Poulenc.A flute teacher, Aleah especially likes Poulenc’s Flute Sonata.Here it is, in an excellent performance by Emmanuel Pahud, flute, and Éric Le Sage, piano.
The Perplexing Francis Poulenc.
Francis Poulenc was born on January 7th of 1899 in Paris. One of France’s most popular composers, he was mainly self-taught. Many listeners feel that as a melodist, he was Faure’s greatest successor. In his music Poulenc was inspired by Stravinsky and Satie, and later by Auric and Milhaud.
Style.Poulenc’s style evolved considerably during his career, from very simplistic, direct pieces early on to much more complex compositions written after World War II. According to Seattlechambermusic.org, Poulenc struggled with both manic and depressive states. This may have led to his unique and eclectic collection of sounds and styles.
Perhaps his struggles with his identity and mental health are also part of the reason why he destroyed most of his earliest compositions. I can’t help but wonder what they may have sounded like. Many of Poulenc’s pieces took on a dark and haunting theme, such as a piece for solo piano, titled Processional pour la crémation d'un mandarin, one of the pieces that he destroyed.
An Early Start.Poulenc started writing when he was just 15 years old, in 1914. As we mentioned, none of the composition written in the following three years survive.His first popular piece was written when he was only 18 years old.
Studying with Ricardo Viñes.Ricardo Viñes was a pianist from Spain, with whom Poulenc studied. A well-regarded musician, Viñes gave premieres for many of this era’s composers, such as Ravel, Debussy and Satie; he was also their close friend. It is surprising to me that Poulenc studied with Vines, as he later joined a group that was at odds with Ravel’s style.
During Poulenc’s time with Vines, he was introduced to many composers, among them Satie and Auric. Vines helped Poulenc network and hone his art as a performing pianist.
Les Six.Les Six was a group of six French musicians. And yep! Their name pays homage to the nationalistic Russian group titled ‘The Five.’ This group (Les Six) was formed by Satie himself in the year 1919. The members of Les Six include Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Poulenc himself, and the only woman, Germaine Tailleferre.
Poulenc joined this group of composers and helped to collaborate on the 1920 album (fittingly named) L’Album des Six. Shortly after this, five of the six members (including Poulenc) worked together to create the collection titled Les Maries de la Tour Eiffel. In this collection, Poulenc wrote a polka, as well as the piece La Baigneuse de Trouville. The collaboration itself was an opera, which was rumored to have caused almost as much of a stir as The Rite of Spring did. The plotline is nothing short of odd. Some key points include a lion (who eats people), and a witchy child murderer. But hey, at least it sounds nice? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zc2FirtReE (continue reading here).
A Playful Lover.Poulenc was once described by another composer as “A man who loved life”. But he also loved people...A lot of people.
He had an affair with a man, a painter named Chanlaire in the ’20s (Thefamouspeople.com), but then, shortly after, he proposed to his other friend, a woman and a minor Surrealist writer Raymonde Linossier!
Poulenc had many affairs, both with men and women, from all ways of life.Here are some of his paramours:Raymond Destouches, a chauffeur (one thinks of Proust’s infatuation with Alfred Agostinelli); Fréderique Lebedeff, would whom he fathered a daughter.She died age 33 in 1930, leaving Poulenc heartbroken; Lucien Roubert, a salesman from Toulon; Louis Gautier, his last significant lover.
A Political Man. Poulenc, like many Frenchmen in the 20th century, ended up serving in the Second world war. But he didn’t let this slow down his creativity. Rather, it fueled it. The pieces he wrote in this time period were clearly political, which showed his distaste for the Germans.
Poulenc’s Pieces that are popular (and which I like): Sonata For Flute and Piano, Sonata For Oboe and Piano, a quasi-piano concertoAubade, the opera Dialogues des Carmelites,Sextet for Piano, and Wind Quintet.
Poulenc didn’t write very many pieces for orchestra. He seemed to favor smaller settings, such as that of wind quintets, or a soloist accompanied by piano. His Sonata for Oboe and Piano is one of the last pieces he wrote before his death from a heart attack in 1963.
A Little-Known Piece: Un Jouer De Flute Berce Le Ruines.This piece wasn’t found until long after the famed composer’s death, in the archives of a music library. It is haunting and modal. While it is only 13 measures long, it certainly left an impression on me the first time I listened to it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P6CnuA71G0
And, in Conclusion: Francis Poulenc was a perplexing and innovative man, both in his personal life and in his career. His Sonata for Flute and Piano is one of my absolute favorites. If you have a minute, check it out!
About the Author: Aleah Fitzwater is a studio flute teacher, and music blogger for https://scan-score.com/en/ and https://aleahfitzwater.com/. In her free time, she enjoys arranging rock songs for flute, and cooking French cuisine.
Francis Poulenc, guest post, 2021
This Week in Classical Music: July 19, 2021. Francis Poulenc. We’re publishing an entry by a guest contributor, Aleah Fitzwater in which she writes about one of her favorite composers,
Francis Poulenc. A flute teacher, Aleah especially likes Poulenc’s Flute Sonata. Here it is, in an excellent performance by Emmanuel Pahud, flute, and Éric Le Sage, piano.
The Perplexing Francis Poulenc.
Francis Poulenc was born on January 7th of 1899 in Paris. One of France’s most popular composers, he was mainly self-taught. Many listeners feel that as a melodist, he was Faure’s greatest successor. In his music Poulenc was inspired by Stravinsky and Satie, and later by Auric and Milhaud.
Style. Poulenc’s style evolved considerably during his career, from very simplistic, direct pieces early on to much more complex compositions written after World War II. According to Seattlechambermusic.org, Poulenc struggled with both manic and depressive states. This may have led to his unique and eclectic collection of sounds and styles.
Perhaps his struggles with his identity and mental health are also part of the reason why he destroyed most of his earliest compositions. I can’t help but wonder what they may have sounded like. Many of Poulenc’s pieces took on a dark and haunting theme, such as a piece for solo piano, titled Processional pour la crémation d'un mandarin, one of the pieces that he destroyed.
An Early Start. Poulenc started writing when he was just 15 years old, in 1914. As we mentioned, none of the composition written in the following three years survive. His first popular piece was written when he was only 18 years old.
Studying with Ricardo Viñes. Ricardo Viñes was a pianist from Spain, with whom Poulenc studied. A well-regarded musician, Viñes gave premieres for many of this era’s composers, such as Ravel, Debussy and Satie; he was also their close friend. It is surprising to me that Poulenc studied with Vines, as he later joined a group that was at odds with Ravel’s style.
During Poulenc’s time with Vines, he was introduced to many composers, among them Satie and Auric. Vines helped Poulenc network and hone his art as a performing pianist.
Les Six. Les Six was a group of six French musicians. And yep! Their name pays homage to the nationalistic Russian group titled ‘The Five.’ This group (Les Six) was formed by Satie himself in the year 1919. The members of Les Six include Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Poulenc himself, and the only woman, Germaine Tailleferre.
Poulenc joined this group of composers and helped to collaborate on the 1920 album (fittingly named) L’Album des Six. Shortly after this, five of the six members (including Poulenc) worked together to create the collection titled Les Maries de la Tour Eiffel. In this collection, Poulenc wrote a polka, as well as the piece La Baigneuse de Trouville. The collaboration itself was an opera, which was rumored to have caused almost as much of a stir as The Rite of Spring did. The plotline is nothing short of odd. Some key points include a lion (who eats people), and a witchy child murderer. But hey, at least it sounds nice? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zc2FirtReE (continue reading here).
A Playful Lover. Poulenc was once described by another composer as “A man who loved life”. But he also loved people...A lot of people.
He had an affair with a man, a painter named Chanlaire in the ’20s (Thefamouspeople.com), but then, shortly after, he proposed to his other friend, a woman and a minor Surrealist writer Raymonde Linossier!
Poulenc had many affairs, both with men and women, from all ways of life. Here are some of his paramours: Raymond Destouches, a chauffeur (one thinks of Proust’s infatuation with Alfred Agostinelli); Fréderique Lebedeff, would whom he fathered a daughter. She died age 33 in 1930, leaving Poulenc heartbroken; Lucien Roubert, a salesman from Toulon; Louis Gautier, his last significant lover.
A Political Man. Poulenc, like many Frenchmen in the 20th century, ended up serving in the Second world war. But he didn’t let this slow down his creativity. Rather, it fueled it. The pieces he wrote in this time period were clearly political, which showed his distaste for the Germans.
Poulenc’s Pieces that are popular (and which I like): Sonata For Flute and Piano, Sonata For Oboe and Piano, a quasi-piano concerto Aubade, the opera Dialogues des Carmelites, Sextet for Piano, and Wind Quintet.
Poulenc didn’t write very many pieces for orchestra. He seemed to favor smaller settings, such as that of wind quintets, or a soloist accompanied by piano. His Sonata for Oboe and Piano is one of the last pieces he wrote before his death from a heart attack in 1963.
A Little-Known Piece: Un Jouer De Flute Berce Le Ruines. This piece wasn’t found until long after the famed composer’s death, in the archives of a music library. It is haunting and modal. While it is only 13 measures long, it certainly left an impression on me the first time I listened to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P6CnuA71G0
And, in Conclusion: Francis Poulenc was a perplexing and innovative man, both in his personal life and in his career. His Sonata for Flute and Piano is one of my absolute favorites. If you have a minute, check it out!
About the Author: Aleah Fitzwater is a studio flute teacher, and music blogger for https://scan-score.com/en/ and https://aleahfitzwater.com/. In her free time, she enjoys arranging rock songs for flute, and cooking French cuisine.