100 Heroes: Francis Poulenc
The gay man who was a renowned composer.
Francis Poulenc was a composer and pianist.
His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music.
Early Life
Poulenc was born in 1889, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.
As the only son of a prosperous manufacturer, Poulenc was expected to follow his father into the family firm, and he was not allowed to enrol at a music college.
Largely self-educated musically, he studied with the pianist Ricardo Viñes, who became his mentor.
Poulenc also made the acquaintance of Erik Satie, under whose tutelage he became one of a group of young composers known collectively as Les Six.
Career
In his early works Poulenc became known for his high spirits and irreverence. During the 1930s, a much more serious side to his nature emerged, particularly in the religious music he composed from 1936 onwards, which he alternated with his more light-hearted works.
In addition to composing, Poulenc was an accomplished pianist. He was particularly celebrated for his performing partnerships with the baritone Pierre Bernac and the soprano Denise Duval.
He was among the first composers to understand the potential of the gramophone - he recorded extensively from 1928 onwards.
Personal life
It seems to have been fairly widely known by his contemporaries that Poulenc was a gay man.
Significant relationships included Richard Chanlaire, Raymond Destouches, Lucien Roubert, and Louis Gautier.
Poulenc died in 1963.