La Courte Paille
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (November 2021) |
| La Courte Paille | |
|---|---|
| Songs by Francis Poulenc | |
| Catalogue | FP 178 |
| Based on | Poems by Maurice Carême |
| Composed | Summer 1960 |
| Performed | September 1961 |
| Scoring |
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| Premiere | |
| Location | Festival de Royaumont (then Seine-et-oise department) |
La Courte Paille (The Short Straw), FP 178, is a set of seven songs for voice and piano, composed in 1960 by Francis Poulenc on poems by Maurice Carême. The duration of the work is roughly 8 minutes.
History of the work
[edit]Composed in July–August 1960, the songs were premiered at the festival of Royaumont Abbey, in 1961, by soprano Colette Herzog and Jacques Février as the pianist.[1]
Titles
[edit]- Le sommeil
- Quelle aventure !
- La reine de cœur
- Ba, be, bi, bo, bu
- Les anges musiciens
- Le carafon
- Lune d'avril
Origin of the poems
[edit]Le sommeil, Ba, be, bi, bo, bu and Le carafon come from the collection of Maurice Carême La Cage aux grillons (1959).
Quelle aventure ! , La reine de cœur, Les anges musiciens and Lune d'avril come from the collection Le Voleur d'étincelles (1960).
Dedicatee
[edit]La Courte Paille is dedicated to the singer Denise Duval (1921–2016) in honor of her son Richard Schilling.[1]
Discography
[edit]- Fiançailles pour rire ; La Courte Paille - Colette Herzog (soprano) and Jacques Février (piano) - Deutsche Grammophon, 1963.
- 3 et 6 : Les Nuits d'été ; mélodies - Régine Crespin (soprano) and John Wustman (piano) - Decca Records, 1967.
- La Dame de Monte Carlo ; La Courte Paille - Mady Mesplé (soprano) and Gabriel Tacchino (piano) - EMI Group, 1986.
- Mélodies - Elly Ameling (soprano) and Dalton Baldwin (piano) - EMI Group, 1991.
- Voyage à Paris - Frederica von Stade (mezzo-soprano) and Martin Katz (piano) - BMG France, 1995.
- Mélodies - Felicity Lott (soprano) and Pascal Rogé (piano) - Decca Records, 1998.
References
[edit]- ^ a b La Courte Paille Archived 2013-06-30 at the Wayback Machine on the site of the Bibliothèque nationale de France
Clifton, Keith E. "Beyond Childhood: Poulenc, La courte paille, and the Aural Envelope." College Music Symposium 49/50 (2009/2010): 333-44.
External links
[edit]- Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) - La courte paille on YouYube
- La Courte Paille, cycle de mélodies ? by Joelle Brun-Cosme
- Francis Poulenc sur La courte paille on INA.fr (26 February 1961)
- La courte paille, FP178 on Hyperion with French lyrics and English translations
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