''Le Gendarme incompris'' (''The misunderstood Gendarme'') is a

one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in wri ...

written in 1920 by

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

and

Raymond Radiguet Raymond Radiguet (18 June 1903 – 12 December 1923) was a French novelist and poet whose two novels were noted for their explicit themes, and unique style and tone. Early life Radiguet was born in Saint-Maur, Val-de-Marne, close to Paris, th ...

and set to music by Francis Poulenc, his FP 20a. The play features three characters: Commissaire Médor played by Pierre Bertin), a

gendarme Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

named the Penultimate whose replicas are from a poem in the '' Divagations'' by Stéphane Mallarmé, and an old lady, the Marquise de Montonson. It was played publicly only once, on 24 May 1921, in addition to the dress rehearsal the day before. Two more performances were scheduled for 25 and 26 May.

Suite

Poulenc derived a suite for orchestra drawn from the incidental music, which was first performed in London on 11 July 1921, conducted by

Ernest Ansermet Ernest Alexandre Ansermet (; 11 November 1883 – 20 February 1969)"Ansermet, Ernest" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 435. was a Swiss conductor. Biography Ansermet ...

). The work comprises 3 movements for double bass, cello, violin, clarinet, trumpet and trombone: * I. Ouverture * II. Madrigal * III. Final The duration is about 6:35 minutes

Notes

References

External links

''Le Gendarme incompris''
on YouYube
''Le Gendarme incompris''
on data.bnf.fr
Le gendarme incompris (suite), FP 20b
on IMSLP

Poulenc: ''Le Gendarme Incompris - Comédie-bouffe en un acte mêlée de chants'' - Scène 2 - "Enfin cette ridicule comédie va cesser"
on Amazon {{DEFAULTSORT:Gendarme incompris Plays by Jean Cocteau 1920 plays Compositions by Francis Poulenc