An authoritative account of the life and work of Francis Poulenc, one of the most prolific and striking figures in twentieth-century classical music
"An assured overview of Poulenc’s life and work."—Alex Ross, New Yorker
“Essential reading for anyone interested in the French musical culture of Poulenc’s time. This is the biography the composer deserves.”—Christopher Dingle, BBC Music Magazine,
Named one of the Best Books on Classical Music in 2020 by BBC Music Magazine
Francis Poulenc is a key figure in twentieth-century classical music, as well as an unorthodox and striking individual. Roger Nichols draws upon Poulenc's music and other primary sources to write an authoritative life of this great artist.
Although associated with five other French composers in what came to be called “Les Six”, Poulenc was very much sui generis in personality and in his music, where he excelled over a wide repertoire—opera, songs, ballet scores, chamber works, piano pieces, sacred and secular choral works, orchestral works and concertos. This book fully covers this wide range, while also describing the vicissitudes of Poulenc's life and the many important relationships he had with major figures such as Satie, Ravel, Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Cocteau and others.
Industry Reviews
"Absorbing . . . Nichols gives an assured overview of Poulenc's life and work, applying a light touch that is appropriate to the subject's man-about-town facade."-Alex Ross, New Yorker
"Roger Nichols examines Poulenc's life and charming music . . . An accessible biography for the common reader."-John Check, Wall Street Journal
"I don't think anyone writes better about classical music than Nichols, his wry humour and gift for surprising connections never losing touch with scholarly erudition."-Duncan Fallowell, Spectator
"Nichols interweaves life and works in a narrative richly informed by his long immersion in modern French music."-Rupert Christiansen, Literary Review
"True to form, Nichols presents the life of Poulenc in a scholarly, clear and authoritative style...This beautifully produced, meticulously researched book will certainly grace the shelves of music lovers, especially those with a keen interest in French music."-Stephen Greenbank, MusicWeb International
"Refreshingly open about the limits of the evidence, especially for the composer's various flings, Nichols provides rich context making this essential reading for anyone interested in the French musical culture of Poulenc's time. This is the biography the composer deserves."-Christopher Dingle, BBC Music Magazine 'Best Books of 2020'
"This expertly researched, well-written volume contains a surprising recent discovery about its subject's private life."-George Hall, Opera
"Expertly details how music drama was an essential part of [Poulenc's] life and achievement, almost from birth...Nichols presents the full background information needed to understand just how Poulenc became passionate about opera."-Benjamin Ivry, Opera Now
CHOICE 2021 Outstanding Academic Title
"Nichols is the perfect biographer for Poulenc. He has the same light touch, the same urbane charm and wit, and he knows everything there is to know about French music, its sources, its context and its psychology."-Stephen Walsh, author of Debussy
"Packed with entertaining detail and engagingly written, Nichols' biography is essential reading for anyone interested in French music of the 20th century."-Caroline Potter, author of Erik Satie
"A fluent biography, written with sensitivity and compelling enthusiasm for the composer's music. Readers are guided to the poetry behind the music and the theology behind his Carmelites, all in the context of the highs and lows of the life of this fascinating man."-Professor Richard Langham Smith, Royal College of Music
"It is with great expectation that we should welcome the release of this book about the quintessential French musician Francis Poulenc; all the more so for being written by Nichols who is such an authority on the subject."-Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor and violinist
