POULENC, Francis
b Paris, 7 January 1899
d Paris, 30 January 1963, aged sixty-four
His mother gave him his first piano lessons, but afterwards he had little formal musical education. However, his friendships with other composers, particularly Milhaud, Honegger, Satie, Schoenberg, Berg and Webern, were influential. He inherited a strong religious feeling from his father, which is apparent in his works. He was high-spirited and witty, and very popular. Apart from time spent in the Army during World War I, he devoted his life to composing.
1917 (18)
Rapsodie negre, for cello, piano, flute and string quartet
1918 (19)
Sonata for two clarinets
Sonata for piano (four hands)
Trois mouvements perpetuelles, for piano
Toréador, songs (1918-32)
1919 (20)
Valse, for piano
Le Bestaire au cortege d'Orphée, songs
Cocardes, songs
1920 (21)
Cinq impromptus, for piano
Suite in C major for piano 1
921 (22)
La Baigneuse de Trouville and Discours du General, for orchestra: two numbers of a group work composed by all members of 'les Six' (except Louis Durey)
for a play by Jean Cocteau
1922 (23)
Sonata for trumpet, horn and trombone
Sonata for clarinet and bassoon
Chanson a boire, for a cappella male choir
1923 (24)
Les Biches, ballet
1924 (25)
Promenade, for piano
Poemes de Ronsard (1924-5)
1925 (26)
Napoli Suite, for piano 1
926 (27)
Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano
Chansons Gaillardes
1927-8 (28-9)
Concert champetre, for harpsichord and orchestra
Deux novelettes, for piano
Airs chantes
1928 (29)
Trois pieces, for piano 1
929 (30)
Aubade, for piano and eighteen instruments
horn mage a Roussel, for piano
Huit nocturnes, for piano (1929-38)
1930 (31)
Epitaphe, song
1931 (32)
Bagatelle, for violin and piano
Trois poemes de Louise Lalanne, songs
Four Songs
Five Songs
1932 (33)
Concerto in D major, for two pianos and orchestra
Sextet for piano and wind quintet (1932-40)
Improvisations for piano (1932-43)
Intermezzo, in D minor, for piano
La bal masqué, cantata
1933 (34)
Feuillets d'album, for piano (Ariette, Reve, Gigue)
Villageoises, children's piano pieces
1934 (35)
Intermezzo, in Db major, for piano
Intermezzo, in C major, for piano
Presto, Badinage and Humoresque, for piano
Huit chansons polonaises
Quatre chansons pour enfants (1934-5)
1935 (36)
Suite francaise, for chamber orchestra
Cinq poemes (Paul Eluard)
'A sa guitaré (Ronsard), song
Margot, incidental music (in collaboration with Auric)
1936 (37)
Sept chansons, for a cappella mixed choir
Litanies a la Vierge noire, for women's or children's voices and organ
Petites voix, five choruses for three-part a cappella children's choir
Les soirees de Nazelles, for piano 1
937 (38)
Deux marches et un intermede, for chamber orchestra
Mass in G major
Sécheresses, cantata
Bourée d'Auvergne, for piano
Tel jour telle nuit, songs
1938 (39)
Concerto in G major, for organ, strings and timpani
Four Penitential Motets (1938-9)
1939 (40)
Fiançailles pour rire, songs
1940 (41)
Melancolie, for piano
Banalities, songs
Histoire de Babar le petit éléphant, for piano and narrator (1940 5)
Cello Sonata (1940-8)
1941 (42)
Salve regina, for four-part a cappella mixed choir
Exultate Deo, for four-part a cappella mixed choir
Les animaux modeles, ballet
La fille du jardinier, incidental music
1942 (43)
Violin Sonata (1942-3)
Chansons villageoises, songs
1943 (44)
Figure humaine, cantata
Metamorphoses, songs
Deux poemes, songs
'Montparnasse', song
1944 (45)
Les mamelles de Tiresias, opera bouffe
Le Voyageur sans bagage, incidental music
La nuit de la Saint-lean, incidental music
Un soir de neige, cantata
1945 (46)
Chansons francaises, for a cappella mixed choir
Le soldat et la sorciere, incidental music
1946 (47)
Two Songs
1947 (48)
Flute Sonata
1948 (49)
Quatre petites prieres (St Francis), for a cappella male choir
1949 (50)
Piano Concerto
1950 (51)
Stabat Mater, for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra
1953 (54)
Sonata for two pianos
Dialogues des Carmelites, opera (1953-6)
1954 (55)
La Guirlande de Campra (Matelote provencale), for orchestra, in
collaboration with other composers
Variations sur le nom de Marguerite Long (Bucolique), for orchestra,
in collaboration with other composers
1956 (57)
Le travail du peintre, song cycle
Deux mélodies, songs
1957 (58)
Elegy, for horn and piano
1958 (59)
La voix humaine, Lyric tragedy, monodrama for soprano
1959 (60)
Gloria, for soprano, mixed choir and orchestra
1960 (61)
Elegy, for two pianos
1961 (62)
La dame de Monte Carlo, monologue for soprano and orchestra
1962 (63)
Sept répons des tenebres, for soprano, choir and orchestra
Oboe Sonata
Clarinet Sonata