''Banalités'' ( FP 107) is a set of five

mélodie A ''mélodie'' () is a form of French art song, arising in the mid-19th century. It is comparable to the German ''Lied''. A ''chanson'', by contrast, is a folk or popular French song. The literal meaning of the word in the French language is "melod ...

s for voice and piano composed by

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kn ...

in 1940 on poems by

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire) of the Wąż coat of arms. (; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French French poetry, poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish-Belarusian, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered ...

(1880–1918).

History of the work

Composed in 1940, the mélodies were premiered at

salle Gaveau The Salle Gaveau, named after the French piano maker Gaveau, is a classical concert hall in Paris, located at 45-47 rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It is particularly intended for chamber music. Construction The plans for th ...

, on 14 December 1940, by

Pierre Bernac Pierre Louis Bernac (né Bertin; 12 January 1899 – 17 October 1979) was a French singer, a baryton-martin, known as an interpreter of the French mélodie. He had a close artistic association with Francis Poulenc, with whom he performed i ...

(baritone) and the composer (piano).Banalités
on

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national reposito ...

Titles

# Chanson d’Orkenise # Hôtel # Fagnes de Wallonie # Voyage à Paris # Sanglots

Source of the poems

"Chanson d'Orkenise", "Fagnes de Wallonie" and "Sanglots" are taken from the collection ''Il y a'' (1925). "Hôtel", written in 1913, was published in the posthumous collection ''Le Guetteur mélancolique'' (1952). "Voyage à Paris" was published in the ''Poèmes retrouvés'' from the ''Œuvres poétiques'' by Apollinaire in 1956.

Dedicatees

"Chanson d'Orkenise" is dedicated to

Claude Rostand Claude Rostand (3 December 1912 – 9 October 1970) was a French musicologist, musicographer and music critic. Biography While studying literature and law at the Sorbonne, Rostand studied piano, harmony, counterpoint and musical composition ...

, "Hôtel" to Marthe Bosredon, "Fagnes de Wallonie" to Ms. Henri Frédéricq, "Voyage à Paris" to

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his materna ...

, and "Sanglots" to Suzette Chanlaire.

Discography

(baritone) and

(piano) in 1950 (

Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ...

). * 1 and 2:

Régine Crespin Régine Crespin (23 February 1927 – 5 July 2007) was a French singer who had a major international career in opera and on the concert stage between 1950 and 1989. She started her career singing roles in the dramatic soprano and spinto soprano ...

(soprano) and John Wustman (piano) in 1967 (Decca). *

Nathalie Stutzmann Nathalie Stutzmann (née Dupuy; born 6 May 1965) is a French contralto and conductor. Biography Born in Suresnes in France, Stutzmann first studied with her mother, soprano Christiane Stutzmann, then at Nancy Conservatoire and later at the ''É ...

(contralto) and (piano) (RCA). *

Michel Piquemal Michel Piquemal (born 15 April 1947) is a French choir conductor and conductor. He is also an operatic singer ( baritone). Biography Born in Paris, originally from Ariège, his parents were not musicians at all. Michel Piquemal wanted to play ...

(baritone) and Christine Lajarrige (piano) (Naxos). *

Véronique Gens Véronique Gens (born 19 April 1966) is a French operatic soprano. She has spent much of her career recording and performing Baroque music. Gens was born in Orléans, France, and studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, winning first prize at the ...

(soprano) and

Roger Vignoles Roger Vignoles (born 12 July 1945), is a British pianist and accompanist. He regularly performs with the world's leading singers, including Kiri Te Kanawa, Thomas Allen, Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Hampson, Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Sarah Walker, ...

(piano) (Erato).

Quote

* One song by the band

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band that was founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as classical, latin, traditional pop, and jazz. The co-lead v ...

, "

Sympathique ''Sympathique'' is the first full-length album from the Portland, Oregon band Pink Martini. It was released on November 11, 1997 by Pink Martini's own record label, Heinz Records. As of 2013 it has sold over one million copies worldwide. Track l ...

",''Sympathique (je ne veux pas travailler)''
on YouTube is inspired by the poem "Hotel" by Apollinaire and its setting to music by Poulenc.

References

External links

Banalités
on IMSLP
Pierre Bernac sings "Banalites" of Poulenc with Poulenc
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Banalites Mélodies Song cycles by Francis Poulenc Adaptations of wroks by Guillaume Apollinaire Music based on poems