Francis Poulenc
Le travail du peintre, song cycle for voice & piano, FP 161
Description by Joseph Stevenson [-]
Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963) was one of the great writers of art songs of any era, and certainly of the twentieth century. This song cycle has his characteristic mixture of energy and lyricism, of hard "modern" harmonies alternating with sweetness or tenderness.
In 1948 Poulenc thought of writing a song cycle on poems about painters in Paul Éluard's book Voir. Poulenc wanted a closing poem on Matisse so as to be able to end the cycle "...in joy and sunshine," as he wrote in his invaluable Journal de mes mélodies. The poet's death in 1952 made that impossible. After concluding other work including his great opera Dialogues of the Carmélites Poulenc was finally able to write this cycle in tribute to Éluard. The songs are reactions more to the poems than to the painters or their pictures.
"Pablo Picasso" is hard-edged and dark, despite being in C major. Éluard's poem is about the process of painting, and Poulenc captures the implacable energy of the highly prolific Spaniard in regular, indomitable rhythms. Poulenc wrote that by 1956 C major "...no longer means peaceful happiness."
"Marc Chagall," on the other hand, was a painter Poulenc was less than enamored with, and this song, as he aptly described it, is a "rambling scherzo." Its melody is rather sing-songish.
Poulenc said that "Georges Braque" was rather too mannered or tasteful, "...but that is how I feel Braque." He somewhat underrates the song, in this writer's estimation, for it is gentle and lyrical, with a nice contrast capturing the poet's juxtaposition of Braque's bird paintings and tender human paintings.
"Juan Gris" is the masterpiece of the set. Poulenc sketched out ideas for it when he first thought of the cycle. Poulenc expresses pride that he accurately caught the poem's rhythms, but even more impressive is the way he enhances the poem's tenderness and affection. (Singers should always consult Pierre Bernac's book Francis Poulenc: The Man and His Songs as preparation for performing Poulenc's mélodies: This is particularly important with this song, which requires uncommon dynamic sensitivity and, Bernac points out copying errors in the printed edition.)
"Paul Klee" is a weaker poem, and inspired a weaker song. Mostly, it fills the need, at this point in a cycle, for a presto movement. It "...must go like a bang," Poulenc wrote.
But "Joan Miró" is a much better song, very difficult to interpret with its wide variety of mood and more changes of tempo than common in his or anyone's songs of this length.
Poulenc was almost as fond of "Jacques Villon," the concluding song, as he was of "Juan Gris." Initially, the song is like a proclamation, and seemingly rather heartless, but a litany-like passage toward the end inspired a very affecting moment of humanity. This passage also is the subject of detailed discussion in Bernac's book, which correctly (the writer thinks) tells other baritones how to achieve the "...sudden softness,...sudden wonder" inherent in these lines.
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Parts/Movements
Pablo Picasso
March Chagall
Georges Braque
Juan Gris
Paul Klee
Joan Miro
Jacques Villon
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