20th Century Composers: Francis Poulenc

Part of the 20th Century Composers series.

The consistent wit and charm of the music of Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) has often led to an underestimation of its value, yet there is now a growing recognition of his stature. Admired for his fine songs and religious works, Poulenc is perhaps best known for his humourous, insouciant pieces. From the freshness of his ballet "Les Biches", composed for Diaghilev in 1924, to his ambitious 1956 opera, "Dialogues des Carmelites", Poulenc's work is discussed in the context of his homosexuality and against the colourful background of Paris in the first half of the century. Friendships with such key figures of the time as Jean Cocteau, Igor Stravinsky and Darius Milhaud were complex but always artistically enriching. For twenty-five years he toured as accompanist to the French baritone Pierre Bernac, for whom he wrote many works; Poulenc also performed as piano soloist in some of his own compositions.

Despite the contradiction between Poulenc's frequent homosexual encounters and his Catholic piety, he accepted both aspects of his nature, and was directly inspired by his lovers when composing some of his best religious music. His own self-image as an ageing homosexual was expressed indirectly in his one-act opera, "La Voix humaine" (1958), and more explicitly in the vocal work, "La Dame de Monte Carlo" (1961).

In this fresh and amusing biography, the author uses recently published documents to shed new light on the composer and the man, and presents a three-dimensional portrait of this complex and sometimes contradictory composer.

Includes black-and-white illustrations.