Poulenc vocal cycles. Poulenc francis

Francis Poulenc - French composer XX century. He was in creative association"Six" and was the youngest participant in it. His talent was lively and direct, which made the composer a favorite of the public and colleagues. He was also distinguished by excellent human qualities: honesty, an excellent sense of humor, openness, and the ability to be selfless friends.

Poulenc's father was a major industrial figure, and his mother was a musician. She began to teach little Francis music and engendered in him a love of beauty. It is to her that he owes his acquaintance with creativity. the greatest composers: , . After fifteen years, Spanish pianist Riccardo Viñes and French composer Charles Quequelin took up his studies. Thanks to two masters, Poulenc joined the musical creativity of his time, works, and. During the First World War, Poulenc served in the army and was unable to enter the conservatory. However, immediately after the end of the war, his star lit up brightly in the musical sky of Paris. At the age of eighteen, he won the hearts of the audience by playing "Negro Rhapsody" (1917) at the concert. This contributed to his creative upsurge. Following the "Negro Rhapsody" are created vocal cycles Bestiary and Cockades (1919), plays Perpetual Motions (1918), Walks (1924), concerto for piano and orchestra Morning Serenade (1929), ballet Lani (1924). The production of the latter met with incredible critical acclaim.

It should be noted that even the early works of the composer were distinguished by sophistication. musical taste and close association with Parisian songs.

In the 1930s, the composer began a twenty-year collaboration with singer Pierre Bernac. Together they gave concerts in Europe and America, Poulenc accompanied the performer who sang the works he wrote.

Poulenc also created choral works based on religious texts: Litanies to Our Lady of Black Rocamadour (1936), Four Little Prayers of Saint Francis of Assisi (1948). A few years later, they created Stabatmater(1950), Four Christmas motets, cantata Gloria. In these works, different in style, traditions and trends can be traced. choral music different eras.

During the Second World War, the composer does not leave the capital and shares with the Parisians their fate to live in a besieged city. At this time, he created the cantata "The Face of Man" (1943) to the verses of the underground poet of the Resistance Paul Eluard, which reflected the hope for victory and freedom of people, suffering about fate native land, grief about the fate of the native people.

Poulenc expressed his talent in operatic art. The first opera, The Breasts of Theresa, written in 1944 to a text by Guillaume Apollinaire, is distinguished by sparkling humor, in contrast to the two subsequent works Dialogues of the Carmelites (1953) and "" (1958). These are dramas filled with deep psychologism. In all three operas, the title role was performed by the French singer Denise Duval, whose talent the composer admired.

Before his unexpected death, while touring extensively, Poulenc wrote the Sonata for Clarinet and Piano and the Sonata for Oboe and Piano.

In total, the composer created about one hundred and fifty works, among which the most prominent vocal music. It is distinguished by simplicity and melody, depth and sincerity. Francis Poulenc is still famous in France and around the world.

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Francis Poulenc - French composer and pianist, one of the the brightest representatives group "Six" - widely known in music world as the author of the operas The Human Voice and The Dialogues of the Carmelites, the ballets Lani and Exemplary Animals (based on the fables of Lafontaine), the cantata The Human Face on the text of P. Eluard and Stabat Mater, various compositions for piano - from short pieces to concerts with the orchestra. And also - many romances on the verses of G. Apollinaire, M. Jacob, L. Aragon and Garcia Lorca, P. Elu ...

Francis Poulenc - French composer and pianist, one of the brightest representatives of the "Six" group - is widely known in the music world as the author of the operas "The Human Voice" and "Dialogues of the Carmelites", the ballets "Deer" and "Exemplary Animals" (based on the fables of La Fontaine), cantatas "The Face of a Man" on the text of P. Eluard and Stabat Mater, various compositions for piano - from small pieces to concerts with an orchestra. And also - many romances to the verses of G. Apollinaire, M. Jacob, L. Aragon and Garcia Lorca, P. Eluard, Ronsard and R. Desnos - it was not by chance that the composer's contemporaries called him "the French Schubert".

The son of a successful industrialist, F. Poulenc discovered early musical ability. In the art of playing the piano, he improved with R. Viñes. Composition lessons were taught to him by Sh. Keklen - one of the patriarchs french music, who brought up many talented composers within the walls of the Paris Conservatory.

From his youth, Poulenc was a frequenter of both high-society salons and noisy meetings of artistic bohemia. He was a member of the refined society of the literary elite, whose evenings were held in a bookshop in the square near the Odeon theater. Among Poulenc's close friends are composers D. Milhaud, J. Auric and E. Satie, poets G. Apollinaire and M. Jacob, P. Eluard, L. Aragon and R. Desnos, singers D. Duval, J. Bathory and P. Bernac, the famous harpsichordist V. Landowska, the famous violinist E. Jourdan-Morrange, musical critic K. Rostand, writer and playwright P. Claudel. His work was highly praised by M. Ravel and I. Stravinsky.

In his artistic passions, Poulenc was absolutely free, he did not limit himself to any one style, but enthusiastically shuffled different directions. In his youth, he was fascinated by eccentricity, the aesthetics of the music hall, and the ideas of urbanism. He was a man by apt expression A. Honegger, "creating their own music." In her book My Musician Friends, E. Jourdan-Morrange, with her characteristic grace and poetry, dedicated the following lines to Poulenc: near the forget-me-not, no less beautiful from this. To each his own time... Poulenc, like Mozart in his childhood, is ready to ask: "Tell me, do you love me?" His music is a gift. There is no vulgarity in her lightness. He creates as he breathes.

Here is what contemporaries said and wrote about Poulenc:

“How talented he is! If only he worked” (Maurice Ravel).

“Francis Poulenc is music itself; I don't know any other music that would act so directly, would be so simply expressed and would reach the goal with such infallibility" (Darius Milhaud).

“I did not know how to listen to myself, Francis - thank you, Francis, from now on I hear my voice ...” (Paul Eluard).

“I admire a musician and a person who creates natural music that sets you apart from others. In the whirlpool of fashionable systems, dogmas that are trying to impose mighty of the world of this, you remain yourself - a rare courage worthy of respect ”(Arthur Honegger).

“Future generations will discover in his works Poulenc as he was: in love with life, mocking, kind, gentle and daring, melancholy and sincere mystic, at the same time a monk and a bad boy” (Stefan Odel).

My music is my portrait.
F. Poulenc

F. Poulenc is one of the most charming composers that France gave to the world in the 20th century. He entered the history of music as a member of the creative union "Six". In the "Six" - the youngest, barely stepped over the threshold of twenty years - he immediately gained authority and universal love with his talent - original, lively, spontaneous, and also purely human qualities- invariable humor, kindness and sincerity, and most importantly - the ability to bestow people with their extraordinary friendship. “Francis Poulenc is music itself,” wrote D. Milhaud about him, “I don’t know any other music that would act just as directly, would be so simply expressed and would reach the goal with the same infallibility.”

The future composer was born in the family of a major industrialist. Mother - an excellent musician - was the first teacher of Francis, she passed on to her son her boundless love for music, admiration for W. A. ​​Mozart, R. Schumann, F. Schubert, F. Chopin. From the age of 15 he musical education continued under the direction of pianist R. Vines and composer C. Keklen, who introduced young musician to contemporary art, to the work of C. Debussy, M. Ravel, as well as to the new idols of the young - I. Stravinsky and E. Satie. Poulenc's youth coincided with the years of the First World War. He was drafted into the army, which prevented him from entering the conservatory. However, Poulenc appeared early on the musical scene in Paris. In 1917, the eighteen-year-old composer made his debut at one of the concerts new music"Negro Rhapsody" for baritone and instrumental ensemble. This work was such a resounding success that Poulenc immediately became a celebrity. They talked about him.

Inspired by the success, Poulenc, following the "Negro Rhapsody", creates the vocal cycles "Bestiary" (on the st. G. Apollinaire), "Cockades" (on the st. J. Cocteau); piano pieces"Perpetual motions", "Walks"; choreographic concert for piano and orchestra "Morning Serenade"; ballet with singing Lani, staged in 1924 in S. Diaghilev's entreprise. Milhaud responded to this production with an enthusiastic article: “The music of Laney is exactly what one would expect from its author... This ballet is written in the form of a dance suite... with such richness of shades, with such elegance, tenderness, charm, with which only the works of Poulenc so generously endow us ... The value of this music is enduring, time will not touch it, and it will forever retain its youthful freshness and originality.

AT early works Poulenc already showed the most essential aspects of his temperament, taste, creative style, a special purely Parisian coloring of his music, her inseparable bond with Parisian chanson. B. Asafiev, characterizing these works, noted "clarity ... and liveliness of thinking, fervent rhythm, accurate observation, purity of drawing, conciseness - and concreteness of presentation."

In the 1930s, the composer's lyrical talent flourished. He enthusiastically works in the genres of vocal music: he writes songs, cantatas, choral cycles. In the person of Pierre Bernac, the composer found a talented interpreter of his songs. With him as a pianist, he toured extensively and successfully throughout the cities of Europe and America for more than 20 years. Of great artistic interest are Poulenc's choral compositions on spiritual texts: Mass, "Litanies to the black Rocamadour Mother of God", Four motets for the time of repentance. Later, in the 1950s, "Stabat mater", "Gloria", Four Christmas motets will also be created. All compositions are very diverse in style, they reflect the traditions of French choral music of various eras - from Guillaume de Machaux to G. Berlioz.

Poulenc spends the years of the Second World War in besieged Paris and in his country mansion in Noise, sharing with his compatriots all the hardships of military life, deeply suffering for the fate of his homeland, his people, relatives and friends. The sad thoughts and feelings of that time, but also the belief in victory, in freedom, were reflected in the cantata "The Face of a Man" for double choir a cappella to the verses of P. Eluard. The poet of the French Resistance, Eluard, wrote his poems in the deep underground, from where he secretly smuggled them under an assumed name to Poulenc. The composer also kept secret the work on the cantata and its publication. In the midst of the war, this was an act of great courage. It is no coincidence that on the day of the liberation of Paris and its suburbs, Poulenc proudly displayed the score of The Human Face in the window of his house next to the national flag. The composer in the opera genre proved to be an outstanding master-dramatist. The first opera, The Breasts of Theresa (1944, to the text of the farce by G. Apollinaire) - a cheerful, light and frivolous buff opera - reflected Poulenc's penchant for humor, jokes, and eccentricity. 2 subsequent operas - in a different genre. These are dramas with deep psychological development.

" Dialogues of the Carmelites" (lib. J. Bernanos, 1953) reveals the gloomy story of the death of the inhabitants of the Carmelite monastery during the Great french revolution, their heroic sacrificial death in the name of faith. " The human voice" (Based on the drama by J. Cocteau, 1958) is a lyrical monodrama in which a living and quivering human voice sounds - the voice of longing and loneliness, the voice of an abandoned woman. Of all the works of Poulenc, this opera brought him the greatest popularity in the world. It showed the brightest sides of the composer's talent. This is an inspired composition imbued with deep humanity, subtle lyricism. All 3 operas were created based on a remarkable talent French singer and actress D. Duval, who became the first performer in these operas.

are completing creative way Poulenc 2 sonatas - Sonata for oboe and piano dedicated to S. Prokofiev, and Sonata for clarinet and piano dedicated to A. Honegger. Sudden death cut short the life of the composer during a period of great creative upsurge, in the midst of concert tours.

The composer's heritage consists of about 150 works. His vocal music has the greatest artistic value - operas, cantatas, choral cycles, songs, the best of which are written to the verses of P. Eluard. It was in these genres that the generous gift of Poulenc as a melodist was truly revealed. His melodies, like the melodies of Mozart, Schubert, Chopin, combine disarming simplicity, subtlety and psychological depth, serve as an expression of the human soul. It was the melodic charm that ensured the lasting and enduring success of Poulenc's music in France and beyond.

Poulenc is one of the most significant French composers of the 20th century. His music is notable for its optimistic mood, Gallic humour, richness and beauty of melodies, for which he earned the fame of the "French Schubert". The composer also paid great attention to religious themes. His legacy includes works of various genres, including ballets and operas.

Francis Poulenc was born in Paris on January 7, 1899 in the family of a wealthy businessman. His mother was an excellent pianist, there was always music in the house, and piano lessons with the boy began at the age of four, and when he was eight, a wonderful teacher appeared in the house, Cesar Franck's niece, Mademoiselle Boutet de Monvel. The most powerful musical impressions of childhood were the works of Debussy, Stravinsky and Schubert's "Winter Journey". At the age of sixteen, the young man decided to choose the pianoforte as his profession. Classes began with the excellent pianist Ricardo Viñes, who introduced Poulenc to Eric Satie and Georges Auric, who later became his closest friends. Passion for literature led him to meet Guillaume Apollinaire, Paul Valery, André Gide, Paul Eluard.

Poulenc was fifteen when the First World War. At the beginning of 1916 he was mobilized. He served in the anti-aircraft formation, then, until 1921, in the Ministry of Aviation. He devoted his free time to music. His first works appear - piano pieces, songs to poems by J. Cocteau, G. Apollinaire, P. Eluard. During these years, Poulenc became close friends with Darius Milhaud, Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger and Germaine Taiffer. Together with Orik, they made up the "Six", inspired by the poet and artist Jean Cocteau. After demobilization in 1921, Poulenc, who was already too late to enter the conservatory, began to study counterpoint with Professor Charles Kouklin. In 1923, his first major work was created - the ballet Lani for the Diaghilev troupe. Other compositions include the choreographic concerto for piano and 18 instruments "Morning Serenade", the Rural Concerto for harpsichord and small orchestra, "Merry Songs" based on anonymous texts of the 17th century.

The composer's multi-faceted talent manifested itself most vividly in the 1930s: he wrote the cantatas Un ballo in maschera and The Drought, the Litany to the Black Mother of God, choirs, piano French Suite on the themes of the 16th century composer C. Gervaise. Poulenc wrote the ballet "Exemplary Animals" after La Fontaine after the outbreak of World War II, "in the darkest days of the summer of 1940, when he wanted to find hope for the fate of his homeland at all costs." The images of the fables symbolically represented France. At this time, the composer was again drafted into the army and served in an anti-aircraft formation. By the day of the liberation of the country, he writes the cantata "The Face of Man" to the verses of P. Eluard. In subsequent years, the buffa opera The Breasts of Tiresias (1944), the tragic, complex opera Dialogues of the Carmelites (1953) and, finally, the one-act mono-opera The Human Voice (1958) appeared. More and more attracted to his spiritual themes. Poulenc writes Four small prayers to St. Francis of Assisi, Four Christmas motets, Stabat Mater, Gloria, Awe verum corpus motet, Lauda of St. Anthony of Padua. Among his latest works- piano improvisation in memory of Edith Piaf, monologue for soprano and orchestra "The Lady from Monte Carlo", music for Cocteau's play "Renaud and Armida".

Poulenc was largely self-taught, although in student years instead of fulfilling the strict instructions of his parents regarding his education, he successfully used free time for piano and composition lessons.

Poulenc, Francis (1899-1963), French composer and pianist. Born January 7, 1899 in Paris. Poulenc was largely self-taught, although during his student years, instead of fulfilling the strict instructions of his parents regarding his education, he successfully used his free time to study piano and composition. Being quite anti-romantic, he fell under the influence of E. Satie and in the 1920s was a member of the famous French "Six". Subsequently, Poulenc remained faithful to the aesthetic program of this group and continued to compose sound music, which, rejecting the excesses of the Wagner-Straussian era, cultivated simplicity, artlessness, used "music hall" motifs and often hid feeling under the guise of irony. Poulenc wrote a lot on the texts of contemporary poets (Cocteau, Eluard, Aragon, Apollinaire and Anouille), and likewise on the texts of the poet of the 16th century. Ronsard. The vocal cycles Ronsard's Poems (Pomes de Ronsard, 1924–1925) and Gallant Festivities (Ftes galantes, 1943) are among the composer's most frequently performed works. Poulenc was a first-class accompanist when performing his own vocal compositions. Brilliant mastery of the piano was reflected in a number of Poulenc's pieces for this instrument, such as Perpetual Motions (Mouvements perptuels, 1918) and Evenings at Nazelle (Soires de Nazelles, 1936). But Poulenc was not only a miniaturist. His legacy also includes compositions of a large form - for example, the Mass (1937), a witty concerto for two pianos and orchestra (1932), Concerto for organ and orchestra (1938) and other successful choral and instrumental cycles. Poulenc also wrote music for theater, cinema, ballet; composed two operas - Breasts of Tiresias (Les Mamelles de Tirsias, 1944) and Dialogues of the Carmelites (Les Dialogues des Carmlites, 1957), as well as the mono-opera The Human Voice (La voix humaine, 1959). Poulenc died in Paris on January 30, 1963.