One of the poems from Figure Humaine, 'Liberté' by Paul Éluard, was smuggled to Algeria, printed, and scattered in thousands of copies over France by the RAF during World War II.
Composer Biography
Francis Poulenc, the composer, was known for his merciless self-criticism, once describing himself as a "brilliant second-rate composer."
Composition History
Poulenc composed Figure Humaine in just six weeks in the summer of 1943, abandoning all other projects after seeing the poems by Paul Éluard, which became a secret hymn for the French resistance.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Poulenc believed his choral music was his most significant contribution, stating shortly before his death that if his music was remembered in fifty years, it would be his choral works, not his piano music.
Composition History
Poulenc's Mass in G major, dedicated to his father, was written in 1937 after he studied Monteverdi motets with Nadia Boulanger, a renowned French composer and teacher.
Composition History
The cantata Un soir de neige was written in just three days in December 1944, with its snow imagery symbolizing the German occupation during World War II.
Composition History
Poulenc experienced a drastic change in his life in the mid-1930s, reconverting to Catholicism after the tragic death of his friend, composer and critic Pierre-Octave Ferroud.
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Poulenc: Mass in G; Exultate Deo; Salve Regina / Peeters: Missa Festiva
