Poulenc stated that he learned his craft as a melodist by accompanying Pierre Bernac in works by Schubert, Schumann, Fauré, Debussy, and Ravel.
Composition History
Poulenc's final songs, La Courte Paille, were a gift to singer Denise Duval, intended for her to sing to her six-year-old son.
Performer Biography
Barbara Hendricks, the performer, had the privilege of working with Pierre Bernac, a baritone who collaborated with Poulenc for 25 years, on Debussy's La Demoiselle Élue.
Composer Biography
Poulenc, an excellent pianist, accompanied the baritone Pierre Bernac for 25 years and dedicated many masterpieces to him.
Composition History
Poulenc composed the Airs chantés on poems by Jean Moréas as a 'game' to tease his publisher, François Hepp, despite not liking the poet.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Francis Poulenc, the composer, believed that the song for voice and piano was where he most successfully asserted his personality.
Compositional Technique
In Tel jour telle nuit, Poulenc included a solo piano coda, similar to Schumann's Frauenliebe und -Leben, to allow the audience to prolong their emotion.
