Beyond the Human Voice: Francis Poulenc's Psychological Drama La Voix humaine (1958): Searching Inside

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... into the Russian fire,"14 expressing, however, his appreciation for inherently Russian music. Rather than promoting... French music based on another country's tradition, he wanted music from France's heritage. Cocteau... of simplicity in music.15 Ironically, Cocteau also criticized the theater and instead, along with many composers..., preferred the popular music heard in the music-hall. He viewed the theater as a place in which artistic... Poulenc's ballet Les Biches, with the observation, "Yes, Poulenc's music is distant. It is haughty

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..." of the surrealists as well as Andr6 Breton's dislike of music.4 Satie collaborated with Jean Cocteau and Pablo... of Picasso's sets. While Cocteau's scenario and Satie's music also fall into the Cubist umbrella, Glenn... Watkins prefers music critic Huntley Carter's description of Parade as "simultaneous." The audience... is able to listen simultaneously to a parade outside of the staged theater and the music inside... Press, 1990), 234-35. * Glenn Watkins, Pyramids at the Louvre: Music, Culture, and Collage from

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... was set as a song in 1918.28 Although Poulenc withdrew his setting, he supplied the music... association with Cocteau when he turned to the opera La Voix humaine (1958). He also supplied music... for an unstaged monologue entitled La Dame de Monte Carlo (1961). In 1962, Poulenc provided incidental music... of Cocteau's La Voix humaine. Although the music occasionally reveals Poulenc's fascination with popular... music in the early twentieth century, the overall mood of the opera summons a different aesthetic

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... On the same pitches, Poulenc uses the music in La Voix humaine, when the woman says she had... A-vant-hiersoir? J'ai dormi. P _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The music reappears up an augmented..., the music still conveys this idea of suffering. When the woman speaks to the servant Joseph in La Voix..., Poulenc calls attention to her suffering through the music (Example 45). 76

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... of the Ballets Su6dois, Cocteau's creation consisted of ballet and music, with choruses and songs. The subject... matter addressed common events, reflecting the fascination with popular music culture. The premiere... of popular music on the ballet. Rather than composing music to reflect the stately character of a general

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... into the musical numbers of Auric, Milhaud, and Poulenc reflect a common goal to promote caf6 and cabaret music....25 However, the other three members of Les Six held more traditional views, as they embraced Satie's music... Poulenc's fascination with popular music, including mimicry of a barrel-organ. His original scoring... music-hall styles.27 Another Cocteau poem, Toreador, 24 Perloff, 5. 25 Ibid., 188. 26 Ibid., 6. 27 Hell

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... CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Francis Poulenc's (1899-1963) music has been described often as humorous... music. In particular, a young group of composers, called "Les Six"' by critic Henri Collet, of which... on music for a theatrical event led by Jean Cocteau.3 This work, entitled Les Marids de la tour Eiffel

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... music, with his focus on melody and subsidiary accompaniment. Poulenc also composed music for chorus..., piano, chamber groups, and orchestra. In La Voix humaine much of singer's music is declamatory, rather

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... self-borrowings, Poulenc recontextualized parts of his dramatic works into purely instrumental music, adding... the opera in a late sonata. Overriding differences between their respective subjects, Poulenc takes music... from Dialogues des Carmelites and places it in the worldly context of La Voix humaine. The music

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.... If the text provides only one perspective of the conversation, the music reveals deeper levels... of psychological complexity. Although Poulenc's vocal music is praised for its lyricism, La Voix humaine treats... into the music, particularly with reference to the dramaturgy of Claude Debussy's Pellias et Milisande. Placed

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... a number of music-hall scenes promoted by two managers who hope to attract the attention of a crowd..., consequently, it was natural for Satie to have supplied the music for Parade. However, Satie objected to some..., something that satisfied Satie.8 Satie's simple, sometimes "popular," music inspired other composers

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.... Beard, B.M. Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF MUSIC UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2000... Thomas Sovik, Committee Member William V. May, Dean of the College of Music C. Neal Tate, Dean

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... dishonesty, as well as her self-deception, by providing music that contradicts her emotional state.2 Poulenc... with her feelings of abandonment.3 Yet the music contradicts the woman's intensity, just as Poulenc mocked

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... complains about music Imitation of music that she in the background of the hears. man's telephone line. 45

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... a prop and a sign for the unseen and unheard man. The Music Poulenc began composing La Voix humaine... of the three symphonic commissions from America. But I do not think this indicates that my music is unimportant

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..., Twentieth-Century Music (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1992), 84. 3 Joseph Kerman, 154. 4 Glenn Watkins..., Soundings: Music in the Twentieth Century (New York: Schirmer Books: 1995), 77. 36

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... reflects different aspects of the woman's ambiguous attachment, the music illuminates the text through its... concrete, the music still emphasizes the intensity of her feelings. In comparing the first occurrence

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... BIBLIOGRAPHY Antokoletz, Elliott. Twentieth-Century Music. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1992... to Francis Poulenc. Chamber Music. Deutsche- Grammophone 427 639-2. 1989, Compact Disc. Crosland, Margaret

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... the opera. Duval attests that Poulenc gave her the music as he composed it, eager to hear her sing it. He... in a letter that he had finished copying the parts for La Voix humaine and would be playing the music

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..., as the woman prepares to conclude the conversation, the music becomes highly chromatic (Example 6... of the opera, as the woman prepares to conclude the conversation, the music becomes highly chromatic (Example 6