Chanson à boire (Poulenc)
Chanson à boire,[note 1] (Drinking song), FP 31, is a choral work by Francis Poulenc, composed in 1922 on an anonymous text of the 17th century for a four-part men's chorus a cappella. It was published first by Rouart-Lerolle,[1] but today by Salabert.
| Chanson à boire | |
|---|---|
| Choral composition by Francis Poulenc | |
 Silver drinking cups from the 15th and 17th centuries | |
| English | Drinking song |
| Catalogue | FP 31 |
| Text | Anonymous text of the 17th century |
| Language | French |
| Composed | 1922 |
| Dedication | Harvard Glee Club |
| Performed | 1950: The Hague |
| Scoring | Four-part men's chorus |
History
Chanson à boire is Poulenc's first choral work, commissioned by a student choir, the Glee Club of Harvard University in the United States. Upon completion, Poulenc sent them the score. In an interview with Claude Rostand dated 1954, he said:
When my song was finished, I sent it to Harvard. Kaboom! Meanwhile, the Prohibition Act had just passed, and made this work impossible to sing. Then I forgot all about it, when, twenty-eight years later, in 1950, being in Holland, the president of the admirable male choir of the Hague invited me to listen to a repetition of my prayers Of St. Francis of Assisi and ... of this "Song to drink". I confess I was in my little shoes because I had never heard it.[M 1]
Twenty-eight years separate the composition of the work and its first performance in The Hague. Poulenc states: "I was ready to do a lot of retouching. What was not my amazement (...) of not having one note to change!."[M 1]
Structure
The work is written for an unaccompanied four-part men's chorus. The total performance time is approximately four minutes.
Selected recordings
- Poulenc - Secular Choral Music, Norddeutscher Figuralchor, Jörg Straube (cond.), label MDG Gold, MDG9471595 ;
- Chansons française, Harry Christophers (cond.), label Technics, 1993
Notes
- This work should not be confused with Chanson à boire, the second of the eight Chansons gaillardes, FP 42, a work by the same composer on a different text.
- pp. 40-41
Bibliography
- 1978: Hell, Henri. Francis Poulenc. Fayard. p. 388. ISBN 2-213-00670-9.
- 1995: Machart, Renaud (1995). Poulenc. Éditions du Seuil. p. 252. ISBN 2-02-013695-3.