The effects of war as reflected in Francis Poulenc’s song cycle Banalités

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand how Francis Poulenc expressed the effects of war through the composition of his song cycle, Banalités, FP 107. Poulenc selected five poems by Guillaume Apollinaire, which he set to music for this work. The interpretation of these poems may prove challenging for a singer, due to their Surrealist nature. Apollinaire’s Surrealism is characterised by unorthodox forms, and unconventional and exaggerated imagery. However, Apollinaire argued that exaggerated images must convey reality and lend themselves to intelligent interpretation. Since Poulenc lived through both world wars and Apollinaire lived through WWI, an interpretation in light of war enables a deeper insight into the poems. In order to achieve this understanding, the impact of WWI, WWII and the German occupation of France on Poulenc’s life and work was investigated. Furthermore, the socio-historical context of Apollinaire’s poems that comprise Banalités, and the way in which these poems reflect the effects of war were explored. These insights were gained by way of a hermeneutic reading of the poems and the music of Banalités. The close reading is supported by a literature review, concerning the lives and works of Poulenc and Apollinaire, and elements of a music analysis. Themes such as escapism, loyalty to France, the physical and emotional effects of living through war, as well as scenes of war, were identified. It became apparent that Poulenc used various compositional devices in Banalités to reflect these themes. Following the example of French classicism, Poulenc favoured simplicity in his music and emulated the popular Parisian music tradition to convey nostalgia and patriotism, which is apparent in Banalités. Furthermore, he preferred setting poems of poets that he had met to music, such as Apollinaire, since this enabled him to better understand the meaning of the poetry and to convey it in his music.