Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)

Belle et ressemblante (SEPT CHANSONS #5)

French composer and pianist Francis Poulenc was a member of Les Six, a group of composers working in Paris in the first part of the twentieth century. Poulenc eschewed the daring harmonic language of his contemporary, Olivier Messiaen (he once wrote, “I think there is room for new music which doesn’t mind using other people’s chords”). However, he found a musical language that is easily recognizable in his numerous compositions, most notably his songs and choral music. While his early works tend to lighter fare, he experienced a religious awakening after the death of a close friend, and his compositions began to reflect his renewed Catholicism. The desire to compose for a cappella chorus came to Poulenc after hearing a performance of Monteverdi madrigals presented by Nadia Boulanger.

One of his earliest endeavors was the Sept chansons, published in 1936. Like much of Poulenc’s secular choral music, this set of seven songs pays homage to the renaissance chanson, in particular those of Janequin. These songs display an attention to text and use of concise melodic phrases that is well-suited to the enigmatic and slightly surreal verses of the lyric French poet Paul Eluard (1895–1952).