a comparative analysis of louis durey and francis poulenc's settings ...

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c. Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Francis Poulenc was born in Paris on January 7, 1899. His father Emile was a
chemical manufacturer. His parents both had a love for the arts. His mother, Jenny,
played the piano and his father was a music admirer. His parents never missed opening
night at the opera house. Poulenc’s mother taught him how to play the piano when he was
a child. He was considered a prodigy and eventually studied with Ricardo Viñes, a
Spanish virtuoso pianist, who introduced him to Erik Satie and Georges Auric. Viñes had
a profound musical impact on Poulenc and “contributed heavily to the formation of
Poulenc’s taste as well as his piano technique.” 28
Poulenc began composing in 1917 when it was popular to set Negro texts to
music. His first composition, Rhapsodie Nègre, brought him overnight success in the
Parisian music scene. That same year, Poulenc was summoned to join the army and
served in the antiaircraft unit until October 1921. He made several trips back and forth to
Paris and composed several pieces while serving in the army. In 1919, Poulenc was
introduced to the illustrated version of Guillaume Apollinaire’s Le Bestiaire poetery.
Poulenc decided to set a number of the poems to music, inciting a deep admiration for
Apollinaire’s poetry.
Around this time, Poulenc began to identify with Les Six. He benefited greatly
from his friendship with the other composers in the group, although he differed from
them artistically. After his ballet Les Biches received favorable review in 1924, he split
from Les Six, due to personal conflict with Erik Satie. Over the next several years,
Poulenc composed a variety of works for various instruments. He turned to Apollinaire
28 
Vivian Wood. Poulenc’s Songs: An Analysis of Style. (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1979),
11.