Beyond the Human Voice: Francis Poulenc's Psychological Drama La Voix humaine (1958) Page: 32
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are made to this motive, Poulenc's technique remains additive rather than
developmental.7 This somewhat static dramaturgy underscores the fact that nothing
really changes. The motive still appears as a repetition, with minor adjustments to lead to
the end of the section. Even the important motives that articulate stages in the opera
undergo few alterations: all motives maintain their essential character.
One consideration that deserves special consideration in discussing La Voix
humaine is the use of a waltz. Poulenc often wrote waltzes and other dances heard in the
caf6s of Paris8 and, although the waltz-section in La Voix humaine is subdued, it still
reflects his affection for popular styles. In this instance, however, the waltz carries ironic
connotations.
The eclectic musical language of the opera involves a fluctuation between
functional tonal passages, chromatic passages, and material referable to the octatonic 1-2
model. The interval-3 basis of the octatonic material allows Poulenc to integrate tertian
harmonies into a non-functional setting. In fact, the interval-3 cycle is a prevailing
feature of the vocal line. The wedge at Rehearsal 14 is referable to an octatonic 1-2
model on G# (see Example 10). The prominent harmony G#-B-D-F# outlines the
interval-3 cycle to which octatonic disposition of pitches is referable. This passage is
purely octatonic, unlike other passages in which there is a basic octatonic content with
diatonic interaction.9 After these octatonic two measures Poulenc moves to
7 Daniel, 311.
8 Ibid., 67.
9 Pieter C. van den Toorn, The Music of Igor Stravinsky (New Haven: Yale University Press,
1983).32
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Beard, Cynthia C. Beyond the Human Voice: Francis Poulenc's Psychological Drama La Voix humaine (1958), thesis, May 2000; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2543/m1/38/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .