L'Album des Six - Music by French Avant-Garde Composers of Early 20th Century
6/21/2019, 28 Tracks, 59:47
Featuring
Corinna Simon
Georges Auric
Louis Durey
Arthur Honegger
Darius Milhaud
Francis Poulenc
Germaine Tailleferre
Did you know?
1/7
Composer Biography
Germaine Tailleferre, the only woman in Les Six, enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire at age 12 in 1904 and won several prizes there.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Les Six sought to create 'clear, healthy, robust music' that was distinctly French, moving away from the styles of Debussy and Ravel.
Historical Context
Many works on this album were created in the shadow of the First World War, but none explicitly deal with its horrors, perhaps reflecting a quest for levity.
Composition History
The group 'Les Six' was formed after critic Henri Collet randomly chose six names for an article, which then gained worldwide interest.
Composition History
In 1920, the publishing firm Eugène Demets released 'L'Album des Six', a volume containing one piece from each member of the group, mostly dating from 1919.
Compositional Technique
A main feature of the pieces in 'L'Album des Six' is their brevity and concision, described as 'miniatures with no extraneous frills'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The composers of Les Six were inspired by jazz, vaudeville, folk music, and circus motifs, favoring free-form pieces like burlesques and musical satires over conventional forms.
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