Leaving behind an abundance of primary documents, Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) reveals himself to be a colorful, opinionated composer, with an intriguing mindset regarding the role of twentieth-century composers. Poulenc’s writings place importance on the idea of musical legacy, where engaging with the music of past composers can only enrich compositions of the present, as opposed to the idea that such inspiration makes one’s work less “original.” This idea of compositional heritage stems from Poulenc’s musical education, which was informal, and mainly the product of his robust social network of important musical and artistic figures. Poulenc’s ideology adds a new perspective to neoclassical composition, and is especially present in his harpsichord concerto, the Concert champêtre (1928). This thesis surveys Poulenc’s writings to form a compositional ideology and examines the ways these ideas appear within his music, especially in the Concert champêtre. By identifying his ideology, this thesis highlights the value of Poulenc’s ideas as a neoclassicist with a less-than-conventional career.
","abstract_html":"<p>Leaving behind an abundance of primary documents, Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) reveals himself to be a colorful, opinionated composer, with an intriguing mindset regarding the role of twentieth-century composers. Poulenc’s writings place importance on the idea of musical legacy, where engaging with the music of past composers can only enrich compositions of the present, as opposed to the idea that such inspiration makes one’s work less “original.” This idea of compositional heritage stems from Poulenc’s musical education, which was informal, and mainly the product of his robust social network of important musical and artistic figures. Poulenc’s ideology adds a new perspective to neoclassical composition, and is especially present in his harpsichord concerto, the Concert champêtre (1928). This thesis surveys Poulenc’s writings to form a compositional ideology and examines the ways these ideas appear within his music, especially in the Concert champêtre. By identifying his ideology, this thesis highlights the value of Poulenc’s ideas as a neoclassicist with a less-than-conventional career.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Levy, Juliet E."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Jack Sheinbaum","Gillian Gower","Kristin Taavola","Thomas Nail"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:02:45Z","subjects":["Concert champêtre","Francis Poulenc","Harpsichord","Les Six","Musical heritage","Neoclassicism","Arts and Humanities","Composition","Music","Other Music"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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