francis poulenc (1899 - 1963)

Sonata for Piano Duet (1918)

Poulenc, like Mozart, made a major contribution to the four-hand piano repertoire, with works not arranged or reduced from orchestral forces, but in music especially conceived for the medium. Each wrote one sonata and one concerto for two pianos, together with a variety of other four-hand works. The Sonata for Piano Duet was one of the earliest Poulenc compositions taken by the London music publisher J & W Chester, to whom Stravinsky had introduced the composer. Lasting a little more than five minutes, the sonata, first heard in 1918, has a brevity typical of many of Poulenc's best early works. The self-critical composer destroyed many of his early works, but the sonata is one work that did survive.

The sonata has Stranvinskian percussiveness and explores bell-like (gamelan) sonorities which arise from superimposing diatonic and pentatonic scales. Because this sonata was written for the composer to perform himself in company with another pianist, it expresses personal charm and communicates bold wit with spontaneity and breeziness.

poulenc potpourri program