Trio For Piano, Oboe + Bassoon
POULENC
Movement 2
Poulenc Form in this movement
O
The music he wrote from the early 1920s onwards O
The division of the movement into ternary form is
(including this piece) is largely Neo-classical, although he problematic, but it is a good way of getting to grips with
also wrote some religious works later in life that do not the overall shape
so easily fit in this bracket
O
Poulenc was a key member of a group of young French
composers known as ‘Le Six’ (the others were Durey,
Honegger, Nilhaud, Auric + Tailleferre), whose music was
promoted by the older maverick composer Erik Satie +
also the novelist, playwright + filmmaker Cocteau
↳
Their music was in part a reaction against the
G
Another way of understanding the form is as a
influence of what they saw as the excesses of German transition between the A major of the 1st movement +
music represented by Wagner + the high seriousness of the DD major of the last
1920s Modernism ↳
This is not without its problems either, in particular
They aimed to write in a more straightforward +
-
the way it minimises the role of F major at the end of
direct way than Debussy + other older French the 2nd movement
composers
↳
The group did not last much past the mid-twenties but
Poulenc + Auric continued to write at least some of
their music in the light-hearted style with which ‘Les
Six’ are associated
Poulenc’s musical style
O
Form
↳
Form is often based on Classical models, but the
relationship can be very loose, with various twists +
modifications along the way
↳
This andante is less Classical in its form than is
typical in Poulenc’s works
O
Melody + motif
↳
Poulenc (in some respects like Stravinsky + Debussy)
tends not to develop his melodies in the usual Classical
way, often repeating them before moving on to a new
idea without much attempt at transition
↳
Although there are lots of motivic links between ideas,
the ideas themselves are rarely subject to extensive
development
O
Harmony + tonality
↳
Poulenc uses a harmonic language that incorporates
some more recent innovations (e.g. plenty of ‘wrong
note’ dissonances + some use of the octatonic scale)
but is recognisably based on that of the Western
Classical Tradition
↳
There are plenty of surprising twists in terms of
modulations + the tonal structure is a long way from
what you might expect in a ‘real’ Classical piece,
particularly in this movement
O
Instrumentation
↳
Both the choices + uses of instruments in Poulenc are
usually fairly traditional
O
Rhythm
↳
Poulenc’s rhythmic writing is reasonably traditional,
but he often throws the rhythm of balance with
unexpected changes of metre
POULENC
Movement 2
Poulenc Form in this movement
O
The music he wrote from the early 1920s onwards O
The division of the movement into ternary form is
(including this piece) is largely Neo-classical, although he problematic, but it is a good way of getting to grips with
also wrote some religious works later in life that do not the overall shape
so easily fit in this bracket
O
Poulenc was a key member of a group of young French
composers known as ‘Le Six’ (the others were Durey,
Honegger, Nilhaud, Auric + Tailleferre), whose music was
promoted by the older maverick composer Erik Satie +
also the novelist, playwright + filmmaker Cocteau
↳
Their music was in part a reaction against the
G
Another way of understanding the form is as a
influence of what they saw as the excesses of German transition between the A major of the 1st movement +
music represented by Wagner + the high seriousness of the DD major of the last
1920s Modernism ↳
This is not without its problems either, in particular
They aimed to write in a more straightforward +
-
the way it minimises the role of F major at the end of
direct way than Debussy + other older French the 2nd movement
composers
↳
The group did not last much past the mid-twenties but
Poulenc + Auric continued to write at least some of
their music in the light-hearted style with which ‘Les
Six’ are associated
Poulenc’s musical style
O
Form
↳
Form is often based on Classical models, but the
relationship can be very loose, with various twists +
modifications along the way
↳
This andante is less Classical in its form than is
typical in Poulenc’s works
O
Melody + motif
↳
Poulenc (in some respects like Stravinsky + Debussy)
tends not to develop his melodies in the usual Classical
way, often repeating them before moving on to a new
idea without much attempt at transition
↳
Although there are lots of motivic links between ideas,
the ideas themselves are rarely subject to extensive
development
O
Harmony + tonality
↳
Poulenc uses a harmonic language that incorporates
some more recent innovations (e.g. plenty of ‘wrong
note’ dissonances + some use of the octatonic scale)
but is recognisably based on that of the Western
Classical Tradition
↳
There are plenty of surprising twists in terms of
modulations + the tonal structure is a long way from
what you might expect in a ‘real’ Classical piece,
particularly in this movement
O
Instrumentation
↳
Both the choices + uses of instruments in Poulenc are
usually fairly traditional
O
Rhythm
↳
Poulenc’s rhythmic writing is reasonably traditional,
but he often throws the rhythm of balance with
unexpected changes of metre
