Poulenc, Francis [key], 1899–1963, French composer and pianist. He was one of Les Six, a group of French composers who subscribed to the aesthetic ideals of Erik Satie, whose influence he encountered in his teens. The spontaneity, lyricism, and refined quality of Poulenc's style are best adapted to small forms—piano pieces such as Mouvements perpétuels (1918) and songs. Also outstanding are the ballet Les Biches (1924); Concert Champêtre (1929), for harpsichord and orchestra; the Mass in G (1937), for chorus and organ; Litanies à la Vierge noire (1936), for women's choir and organ; the Intermezzo in A Flat Major (1944), for piano; and the Concerto in G Minor for organ, strings, and percussion (1938). He was particularly gifted in setting sacred and secular texts. His operas are Les Mamelles de Tirésias (1947) and Dialogues des Carmélites (1957).
See biographies by G. Johnson (2020) and R. Nichols (2020).
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