Poulenc, Francis << poo LANK, frahn SEES >> (1899-1963), was a French composer and pianist. He was particularly noted for his vocal music, which features beautiful melodies and great sensitivity to words. Poulenc’s songs and song cycles are among the most important solo vocal works of the 1900’s.
Poulenc, a devout Roman Catholic, wrote several major religious works, including his Mass in G (1937), Stabat Mater (1950), and Gloria (1959). He also wrote the religious opera The Dialogues of the Carmelites (1957) and a one-act tragedy for soprano, The Human Voice (1959). Poulenc was a fine pianist and developed a highly personal composing style in such works as Trois mouvements perpetuels (1918).
Poulenc was born on Jan. 7, 1899, in Paris. In the early 1920’s, he became a member of a group of six French composers known as Les Six. He died on Jan. 30, 1963.
