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Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)

Francis Poulenc composer Francis Poulenc was the leading composer of Les Six, the French group devoted to turning music away from Impressionism, formality, and intellectualism. He wrote in a direct and tuneful manner, often juxtaposing the witty and ironic with the sentimental or melancholy. He heavily favored diatonic and modal textures over chromatic writing and his music shows many elements of pandiatonicism, introduced around 1920 by Stravinsky, whose influence can be heard in some of Poulenc's compositions, such as his, Gloria. Poulenc is regarded as one of the most important twentieth century composers of religious music, and also one of the masters of the French art song.
-  Robert Cummings, All Music Guide

COMPOSITIONS                                                            Poulenc Links     ~ ~ ~     Works by Genre
Processional pour la crémation d'un mandarin, piano (1914, lost/destroyed)
Préludes, piano (1916, unpubd/lost/destroyed)
Rapsodie nègre, baritone and ensemble (1917; rev. 1933)
Trois pastorales, piano (1918, unpubd)
Sonata, piano 4-hands (1918)
Trois mouvements perpétuels, piano (1918; arr. for 9 instruments, 1946)
Sonata for 2 clarinets (1918; rev. 1945)
Sonata for violin and piano (1918; lost?)
Toréador, voice and piano (1918; rev. 1932)
Le bestiaire, voice and ensemble/pf (1918-19; orchd before 1922)
Cocardes, voice and ensemble/pf (1919)
Valse, piano (1919)
Suite in C, piano (1920)
Impromptus (6), piano (1920)
Promenades (10), piano (1921)                                                                                                        ~ top of page ~
Le gendarme incompris, incidental music (1921)
Esquisse d'un fanfare, overture for Act 5 of Romeo and Juliet, ensemble (1921)
La baigneuse de Trouville & Discours du général for “Les mariés de la Tour Eiffel” (1921)
Chanson à boire, chorus (1922)
Sonata for clarinet and bassoon (1922)
Sonata for horn, trumpet and trombone (1922; rev. 1945)
Les Biches, ballet music w/chorus (1923; orchestral suite, 1939-40)
Poèmes de Ronsard, voice and piano (1924-5)
Napoli (3), piano (1925)
Chansons gaillardes, voice and piano (1925-6)
Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (1926)
Vocalise, voice and piano (1927)
Pastourelle for “L’éventail de Jeanne” (1927) [also arr. for piano]
Concert champêtre for harpsichord and orchestra (1927-1928)
Airs chantés, voice and piano (1927-8)
Deux novelettes, piano (1927-28)
Trois pièces, piano (1928)
Pièce brève sur le nom d'Albert Roussel, piano (1929)
Nocturne No. l, C, piano (1929)
Aubade, concerto choréographique for piano and 18 instruments (1929)
Epitaphe, voice and piano (1930)
Trois poèmes de Louise Lalanne, voice and piano (1931)
Quatre poèmes (Apollinaire) , voice and piano (1931)
Cinq poèmes (Jacob) , voice and piano (1931)
Concerto for two pianos and orchestra in d minor (1932)
Caprice [after finale of Le bal masqué], piano (1932)
Valse-improvisation sur le nom de Bach, piano (1932)
Le bal masqué, cantata, baritone, mezzo and ensemble (1932)
Improvisations (15), piano (1932-1958)
Intermezzo, incidental music (1933, unpubd)                                                                               ~ top of page ~
Petrus, incidental music (1933, lost?)
Monsieur le Trouhadec saisi par le débauche, incidental music (1933, lost)
Nocturne No.2 (Bal de jeunes filles), A, piano (1933)
Villageoises (6), piano (1933)
Feuillets d'album, piano (1933)
Poèmes de Ronsard, voice and string orchestra (1934, unpubd)
Nocturne No.3, F, piano (1934)
Nocturne No.4, c, piano (1934)
Nocturne No.5, d, piano (1934)
Nocturne No.6, G, piano (1934)
Presto, piano (1934)
Intermezzi, piano (1934)
Badinage, piano (1934)
Humoresque, piano (1934)
Villanelle for pipe (pipeau) and piano (1934)
Huit chansons polonaises, voice and piano (1934)
Quatre chansons pour enfants, voice and piano (1934)
Cinq poèmes (Eluard) , voice and piano (1935)
A sa guitare, voice and piano (1935)
Nocturne No.7, Eb, piano (1935)
Suite française for 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, perc. and harpsichord (1935)
La reine Margot, incidental music (1935, unpubd, collab. w/Auric; lost?)
La belle au bois dormant, film score (1935)
Suite francaise [after chamber work], piano (1936)
Les soirées de Nazelles (4), piano (1936)
Sept chansons, chorus (1936)
Litanies à la vierge noire, women’s chorus and organ (1936)
Petites voix, women’s chorus (1936)
Tel jour, telle nuit, voice and piano (1936-37)                                                                                  ~ top of page ~
Trois poèmes (L. de Vilmorin) , voice and piano (1937)
Mass, G, chorus (1937)
Sécheresses, cantata, chorus and orchestra (1937)
Deux marches et un intermède, chamber orchestra (1937)
Bourée au pavilion d'Auvergne, piano (1937)
Concerto for organ, strings and timpani in g minor (1938)
Nocturne No.8, piano (1938)
Le portrait, voice and piano (1938)
Deux poèmes (Apollinaire) , voice and piano (1938)
La grenouillère, voice and piano (1938)
Priez pour paix, voice and piano (1938)
Miroirs brûlants, voice and piano (1938-39)
Ce doux petit visage, voice and piano (1939)
Fiançailles pour rire, voice and piano (1939)
Bleuet, voice and piano (1939)
Sextet for piano and wind quintet (1932-9)
Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence, chorus (1938-39)
Léocadia, incidental music (1940, unpubd)
Mélancolie, piano (1940)
Banalités, voice and piano (1940)
Les chemins de l'amour, voice and piano (1940)
La fille du jardinier, incidental music (1941, unpubd)
Les animaux modèles, ballet (1940-41; orchestral suite, 1942)
Exultate Deo, chorus (1941)
Salve regina, chorus (1941)
La duchesse de Langeais, film score (1942)
Violin Sonata (1942-3; rev. 1949)
Chansons villageoises, voice and piano (1942)
Métamorphoses, voice and piano (1943)
Deux poèmes (Aragon) , voice and piano (1943)
Figure humaine, cantata for double-chorus (1943; f.p. London, January 1945)                       ~ top of page ~
Intermezzo, Ab, piano (1943)
Chansons villageoises, voice and chamber ensemble (1943)
Le voyageur sans bagages, incidental music (1944, unpubd; rev. as film score, 1945)
Un soir de neige, chamber cantata, chorus (1944)
La nuit de la Saint-Jean, incidental music (1944, unpubd)
Les mamelles de Tirésias, opera (1944; f.p. 1947)
The Story of Babar the Elephant for piano and narrator (1940-45; orchestrated by Jean Françaix, 1945)
Montparnasse, voice and piano (1941-5)
Le soldat et la soreière, incidental music (1945, unpubd)
Hyde Park, voice and piano (1945)
Chansons françaises, chorus (1945-46)
Deux mélodies (Apollinaire) , voice and piano (1946)
Paul et Virginie, voice and piano (1946)
L’invitation au chateau, incidental music (1947)
Amphitryon, incidental music (1947, unpubd; lost?)
Sinfonietta, orchestra (1947)
Hymne, voice and piano (1947)
Le disparu, voice and piano (1947)
Main dominée par Ie coeur, voice and piano (1947)
Trois chansons (Lorca) , voice and piano (1 947)
Mais mourir, voice and piano (1947)
Calligrammos, voice and piano (1948)
Cello Sonata (1948)
Quatre petites prières de Saint François d'Assise, male chorus (1948)
Concerto for piano and orchestra (1949)
Mazurka (de Vilmorin) , voice and piano (1949)
La fraîcheur et le feu, voice and piano (1950)
Ce siècle a 50 ans, film score (1950, collab. w/Auric)
Stabat mater, soprano solo, chorus and orchestra (1950)
Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël, chorus, voice and piano (1951-52)
Le voyage en Amérique, film score (1951)
L'embarquement pour Cythère, valse-musette, 2 pianos (1951)
Thème varié, piano (1951)
Ave verum corpus, women’s chorus (1952)                                                                                  ~ top of page ~
Capriccio [after Le bal masqué], 2 pianos (1952)
Matelote provençale for “La guirlande de Campra”, orchestra (1952)
Sonata, 2 pianos (1952-3)
Parisiana, voice and piano (1954)
Rosemonde, voice and piano (1954)
Dialogues of the carmélites, opera (1953-56; f.p. 1957)
Bucolique for “Variations sur le nom de Marguerite Long”, orchestra (1954)
Flute Sonata (1956)
Le travail du peintre, voice and piano (1956)
Deux mélodies, voice and piano (1956)
Dernier poème, voice and piano (1956)
Elégie for horn and piano (1957)
La voix humaine, opera (1958; f.p. 1959)
Une chanson de porcelaine, voice and piano (1958)
Elégie, 2 pianos (1959)
Novelette sur un thème de Manuel de Falla, piano (1959)
Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, male chorus (1957-59)
Gloria, soprano solo, chorus and orchestra (1959)
Sarabande for guitar (1960)
La courte paille, voice and piano (1960)
La dame de Monte Carlo, soprano and orchestra (1961)
Sept répons des ténèbres, boy soprano, boy’s chorus, male chorus and orchestra (1961)
Fancy (Shakespeare), voice and piano (1962)
Renaud et Armide, incidental music (1962, unpubd)
Clarinet Sonata (1962)
Oboe Sonata (1962)


WORKS BY GENRE                                                            Poulenc Links     ~ top of page ~
Dramatic
Les mamelles de Tirésias, opera (1944; f.p. 1947)
Dialogues of the carmelites, opera (1953-56; f.p. 1957)
La voix humaine, opera (1958; f.p. 1959)

The Story of Babar the Elephant for piano and narrator (1940-45; orchestrated by Jean Françaix, 1945)

Ballet
La baigneuse de Trouville & Discours du general from “Les maries de la Tour Eiffel” (1921)
Pastourelle for “L’eventail de Jeanne” (1927)
Les Biches, ballet music w/chorus (1923; orchestral suite, 1939-40)
Aubade, concerto choréographique for piano and 18 instruments (1929)
Les animaux modeles, ballet (1940-41; orchestral suite, 1942)

Orchestra
Deux marches et un intennede, chamber orchestra (1937)
Sinfonietta, orchestra (1947)
Matelote provencale for “La guirlande de Campra”, orchestra (1952)
Bucolique for “Variations sur le nom de Marguerite Long”, orchestra (1954)
                                                                                                                                             ~ top of page ~
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Concert champêtre for harpsichord (1927-1928)
Concerto for two pianos and orchestra in d minor (1932)
Concerto for organ, strings and timpani in g minor (1938)
Concerto for piano and orchestra (1949)

Chorus w/Orchestra
Secheresses, cantata, chorus and orchestra (1937)
Stabat mater, soprano solo, chorus and orchestra (1950)
Gloria, soprano solo, chorus and orchestra (1959)
Sept repons des tenebres, boy soprano, boy’s chorus, male chorus and orchestra (1961)

Choral
Chanson a boire, chorus (1922)
Sept chansons, chorus (1936)
Litanies a la vierge noire, women’s chorus and organ (1936)
Petites voix, women’s chorus (1936)
Mass, G, chorus (1937)
Quatre motets pour un temps de penitence, chorus (1938-39)
Exultate Dca, chorus (1941)
Salve regina, chorus (1941)
Figure humaine, cantata for double-chorus (1943; f.p. London, January 1945)
Un soir de neige, chamber cantata, chorus (1944)
Chansons francaises, chorus (1945-46)
Quatre petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, male chorus (1948)
Quatre motets pour le temps de Noel, chorus (1951-52)
Ave verum corpus, women’s chorus (1952)
Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, male chorus (1957-59)
                                                                                                                                             ~ top of page ~
Chamber
Sonata for 2 clarinets (1918; rev. 1945)
Sonata for clarinet and bassoon (1922)
Sonata for horn, trumpet and trombone (1922; rev. 1945)
Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (1926)
Suite française for 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, perc. and harpsichord (1935)
Sextet for piano and wind quintet (1932-9)
Trois mouvements perpétuels for 9 instruments (1946)

Solo Instrument
Sonata for violin and piano (1918)
Villanelle for pipe (pipeau) and piano (1934)
Violin Sonata (1942-3; rev. 1949)
Cello Sonata (1948)
Flute Sonata (1956)
Elégie for horn and piano (1957)
Sarabande for guitar (1960)
Clarinet Sonata (1962)
Oboe Sonata (1962)

Piano                                                                                                                                                     ~ top of page ~
Processional pour la crémation d'un mandarin, piano (1914, lost/destroyed)
Préludes, piano (1916, unpubd/lost/destroyed)
Trois pastorales, piano (1918, unpubd)
Sonata, piano 4-hands (1918)
Trois mouvements perpetuels, piano (1918)
Valse, piano (1919)
Suite in C, piano (1920)
Six impromptus, piano (1920)
Promenades (10), piano (1921)
Napoli (3), piano (1925)
Pastourelle, piano [arr. of ballet]
Deux novelettes, piano (1927-28)
Trois pieces, piano (1928)
Piece breve sur le nom d'Albert Roussel, piano (1929)
Nocturne No. l, C, piano (1929)
Nocturne No.2 (Bal de jeunes filles), A, piano (1933)
Nocturne No.3, F, piano (1934)
Nocturne No.4, c, piano (1934)
Nocturne No.5, d, piano (1934)
Nocturne No.6, G, piano (1934)
Nocturne No.7, Eb, piano (1935)
Nocturne No.8, piano (1938)
Caprice [after finale of Le bal masque], piano (1932)
Valse-improvisation sur le nom de Bach, piano (1932)
Improvisations (15), piano (1932-1958)
Villageoises (6), piano (1933)
Feuillets d'album, piano (1933)
Presto, piano (1934)
Intermezzi, piano (1934)
Badinage, piano (1934)
Humoresque, piano (1934)
Suite française [after chamber work], piano (1936)                                                                   ~ top of page ~
Les soirees de Nazelles (4), piano (1936)
Bouree au pavilion d'Auvergne, piano (1937)
Melancolie, piano (1940)
Intermezzo, Ab, piano (1943)
L'embarquement pour Cythere, valse-musette, 2 pianos (1951)
Theme varie, piano (1951)
Capriccio [after Le bal masque], 2 pianos (1952)
Sonata, 2 pianos (1952-3)
Elegie, 2 pianos (1959)
Novelette sur un theme de Manuel de Falla, piano (1959)

Solo Vocal w/Chamber Ensemble
Rapsodie negre, baritone and ensemble (1917; rev. 1933)
Le bestiaire, voice and ensemble (1918-19; orchd before 1922)
Cocardes, voice and ensemble (1919)
Le bal masque, cantata, baritone, mezzo and ensemble (1932)
Poemes de Ronsard, voice and string orchestra (1934, unpubd)
Chansons villageoises, voice and chamber ensemble (1943)
La dame de Monte Carlo, soprano and orchestra (1961)

Voice and Piano
Toreador (1918; rev. 1932)
Le bestiaire [arr. of work with ensemble] (1919)
Cocardes [arr. of work with ensemble] (1919)
Poemes de Ronsard (1924-5)
Chansons gaillardes (1925-6)
Vocalise (1927)
Airs chantes (1927-8)
Epitaphe (1930)
Trois poemes de Louise Lalanne (1931)
Quatre poemes (Apollinaire) (1931)
Cinq poemes (Jacob) (1931)
Hult chansons polonaises (1934)
Quatre chansons pour enfants (1934)
Cinq poemes (Eluard) (1935)
A sa guitare (1935)
Tel jour, telle nuit (1936-37)
Trois poemes (L. de Vilmorin) (1937)
Le portrait (1938)
Deux poemes (Apollinaire) (1938)                                                                                                   ~ top of page ~
La grenouillere (1938)
Priez pour paix (1938)
Miroirs brilliants (1938-39)
Ce doux petit visage (1939)
Fianl'ailles pour rire (1939)
Bleuet (1939)
Banalites (1940)
Les chemins de l'amour (1940)
Chansons villageoises (1942)
Metamorphoses (1943)
Deux poemes (Aragon) (1943)
Montparnasse (1941-5)
Hyde Park (1945)
Deux melodies (Apollinaire) (1946)
Paul et Virginie (1946)
Hymne (1947)
Le disparu (1947)
Main dominCe par Ie coeur (1947)
Trois chansons (Lorca) (1 947)
Mais mourir (1947)
Calligrammos (1948)
Mazurka (de Vilmorin) (1949)
La fraicheur et le feu (1950)
Parisiana (1954)
Rosemonde (1954)
Le travail du peintre (1956)
Deux melodies (1956)                                                                                                                        ~ top of page ~
Dernier poeme (1956)
Une chanson de porcelaine (1958)
La courte paille (1960)
Fancy (Shakespeare) (1962)

Incidental Music
Le gendarme incompris (1921, unpubd)
Esquisse d'un fanfare, overture for Act 5 of Romeo and Juliet (1921)
Intermezzo (1933, unpubd)
La reine Margot (1935, unpubd, collab. w/Auric)
Uocadia (1940, unpubd)
La fille du jardinier (1941, unpubd)
Le voyageur sans bagages (1944, unpubd)
La nuit de la Saint-Jean (1944, unpubd)
Le soldat et la soreiere (1945, unpubd)
Amphitryon (1947, unpubd)
Renaud et Armide (1962, unpubd)

Film Scores
La belle au bois dormant, film score (1935)
La duehesse de Langeais, film score (1942)
Le voyageur sans bagages, film score (1944)
Ce sieele a 50 ans, film score (1950, collab. w/Auric)
Le voyage en Amerique, film score (1951)


POULENC LINKS                                                            Works by Genre     ~ top of page ~
Beyond the Human Voice: Poulenc's Psychological Drama "La Voix Humane" (Cynthia Beard)
Francis Poulenc (Paul Sperry)
Gallic Ghost Story (Bill Morelock, Minnesota Public Radio)
The Music of Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): A Catalogue (Carl B. Schmidt, Oxford Univ Pr, books.google.com)
In Praise of Poulenc (Fred Flaxman, Compact Discoveries)
Poulenc: Concerto for Two Pianos (Ronald Gallman, San Fransisco Symphony)
Poulenc: Gloria (Peter Gutmann, Classical Notes)
Poulenc: Stabat Mater - Concert Study Guides (Choral Arts Society)
The Poulenc Puzzle (HP-Time.com)

Books
The Music of Francis Poulenc (1899-1963): A Catalogue (Carl B. Schmidt, Oxford Univ Pr, books.google.com)
Entrancing Muse: A Documented Biography of Francis Poulenc (Carl B. Schmidt, Pendragon Pr, books.google.com)

Poulenc @ Wikipedia
Poulenc @ Answers.com
Poulenc @ bach-cantatas.com
Poulenc @ Chester Novello
Poulenc @ Classical Cat
Poulenc @ Classical Net
Poulenc @ composers-classical-music.com
Poulenc @ fuguemasters.com [Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano; Flute Sonata]
Poulenc @ glbtq.com
Poulenc @ IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Poulenc @ Karadar Classical Music
Poulenc @ The New York Times
Poulenc @ Piano Society
Poulenc @ The REC Music Foundation [The Lied and Art Song Text Page]
Poulenc @ singers.com
Poulenc @ Suite101.com
Poulenc @ The Timid Soul's Guide to Classical Music
                                                                                                                                                               ~ top of page ~
Streaming Audio
Poulenc @ The Classical MIDI Connection
Poulenc @ Classical Music Archives
Poulenc @ Kunst der Fuge
Poulenc @ last.fm
Poulenc @ MidiWorld
Poulenc @ NPRmusic
Poulenc @ Rhapsody

Recordings
Poulenc @ ArkivMusic
Poulenc @ ClassicsOnline

Poulenc @ YouTube
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