Poulenc composed 'Le Bal masqué' in 1932 on poems by Max Jacob, describing it as a 'profane cantata' that gently mocks academicism.
Composer Biography
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) wrote nearly 150 mélodies, or French art songs.
Performer Biography
Didier Henry, the French baritone on this recording, is known for his role as Pelléas, which he premiered in Moscow in 1987 and recorded for Decca, winning a Grammy Award.
Composition History
Poulenc's first mélodies, dating from 1918-1919 when he was barely twenty, were excerpts from Guillaume Apollinaire's 'Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Poulenc's inspiration for his vocal music was most spontaneous when prompted by a literary text, and he excelled at marrying text and music.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Poulenc confessed that he only felt musically comfortable with poets he had personally known, such as Apollinaire, Cocteau, Jacob, and Eluard.
Compositional Technique
The texts for Poulenc's 'Cocardes' are word puzzles, where the last syllable of a word in one line begins the next word.
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