Francis Poulenc is one of the most renowned
composers and
pianists of the 20th
century. His originality made him difficult to appreciate, and to understand, in
his time, but his often-playful style, always tragically emotional, and
melodies
are just as masterful as the
Greats that preceded him. A prominent reason for
this was his out-of-standard beginning in
composition; one that was largely done
without a teacher. His
music was often rejected, and the mainstream listener
will often find it challenging to enjoy. In essence, however; Poulenc seemed to
write only for himself. His work is a look into his mind, relentlessly pushing
boundaries, almost as if he is playing with the listener’s sanity.
Born
1899 Paris, Francis Poulenc was introduced to music at an early age.
He was taught
piano by his mother at five, and his uncle Ricardo Viñes at 16,
acquiring love of music, poetry, and beauty. He was strongly influenced by
composers
Stravinsky and
Satie, also having an appreciation for Maurice
Chevalier of French
vaudeville. Though he studied no formal composition, by
1918
he had published his first work,
Rapsodie Nègre. Also in 1918, his
pieces,
Trois mouvements perpètuels, would enjoy great praise in the
years after
World War I, eventually becoming his best-known piano work.
By the time Poulenc had begun composition study with Charles Koechlin in
1921, he had already been dubbed as part of
Les Six. This French caste,
named by
Henri Collet, a French critic, was made up of five other composers:
Darius
Milhaud, Arthur
Honegger, Georges
Auric, Louis
Durey, and Germaine
Tailleferre. In the same piece, Collet names “The Russian Five” and draws
their parallels, the inaccuracy of which often results in criticism. The members
of
Les Six were each very unique; but it is true that all held some
universal traits, including their reactionary sentiment towards heavy
romanticism (especially German) and
Debussy’s
impressionism.
During the years between the
World Wars, Poulenc composed several
songs,
where he became known for his ability to put music to
lyrics (specifically
poetry), a
ballet (
Les Biches or
The Houseparty in
1924), as well
as
Concert Champêtre in
1928, a piece for
harpsichord and
orchestra.
In
1936, Poulenc’s close friend, Pierre-Octave Ferroud, died in a car
accident. As a result, Poulenc returned to the
Catholic religion of his
childhood, and his music took a sharp turn towards the spiritual. Works such as
Litanies à la Vierge Noire (1936), Mass in G (
1937), and
Quatre Motets
pour le temps de Pénitence were written in this time; as well as hundreds
of songs, a move accentuated by performances and collaborations with singer
Pierre Bernac. During the
Nazi occupation, Poulenc put the essence of
resistance
into his music, such as in the cantata
Figure humaine.
In the decades after the war, Poulenc wrote less. In all, he had composed
almost no work for orchestra (i.e.
symphonies), but had three
operas, a piano
concertino (
Aubade), a piano
concerto, and a two-piano concerto. On January 30,
1963, Francis Poulenc died in Paris.
In all, Poulenc was one of those rare cases of
fearlessness. His
music is almost rebellious in its essence and its changes over time reflect a
virtually
apathetic progression in ideas. The playful façade, once understood,
reveals a much more emotional
depth than when first approached. Like most good
music, Poulenc’s takes
relistening for appreciation, and not all will love it.
This is unfortunate, because it is very
beautiful.