Poulenc Le Bestiaire, ou Cortege d'Orphee, for Double Bass and Piano

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963), French composer and pianist, wrote Le Bestiaire in 1919 for Voice and Piano (also orchestrated for flute, clarinet, bassoon, and string quartet). The work is dedicated to the French composer Louis Durey (1888-1979), one of Les Six (with Poulenc, Milhaud, Auric, Honneger, and Tailleferre).

In this edition for cello or double bass the piano accompaniment is the original vocal score. The interpretation of the music by the instrumentalists is enhanced by the presence of the poetry of Guillaume Apollinaire. Willard Bohn in his article in The Modem Language Review (01/01/20041 writes: “Apollinaire’s 1911 collection of short poems, Le Bestiaire ou Cortege d’Orphee. is patterned on earlier collections of animal myths and fables. Each poem is accompa­nied by a block print by Raoul Dufy that both interprets and complements the text.”

Roger Nichols in his program notes of the CD Poulenc d’apres Poulenc (Pearl Germany CD-9311) states “even at the age of 20, Poulenc already possessed the simplicity of genius.”