Three stylistic traits in Poulenc's chamber works for wind instruments

xvii, 260 leaves : music ; 28 cm. Bibliography: leaves 252-259.Poulenc's chamber works for wind instruments span his entire career as a composer. Examination of these works, listed below, reveals three significant stylistic traits, here labelled Experimental, Neo-classical and Popular, which are the focus of this study. These traits tend to remain separate and identifiable, often appearing alternately in the same work, until the Sonata for clarinet and piano, where they seem to merge. Early Works Sonata for two clarinets (1918) Sonata for clarinet and bassoon (1922) Sonata for trumpet, trombone and French horn (1922) Middle Works Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (1926) Sextuor for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn and piano (1931-1944) Late Works Sonata for flute and piano (1957) Elegie for French horn and piano (1957) Sonata for oboe and piano (1962) Sonata for clarinet and piano (1962) The dissertation is divided into six chapters. Details of Poulenc's early life and personality as well as information regarding the composition and first performances of these works appear in Chapter 1. The impressionable, privileged young Poulenc was at home in music's traditions and at the same time perfectly placed to experience first-hand (often as a pianist) the trends of Paris concert music in the 20's--in which experimentation and neo-classicism were significant--as well as the Parisian popular music he enjoyed. Chapter 2 presents an overview of the works in terms of formal structure and tonal relationships. The possible predictability of the (almost exclusively) ternary individual movements is somewhat mitigated by Poulenc's tendency towards sections (and also adjoining phrases) out of proportion in terms of length. Sections tend to be harmonically open and often feature frequent and rapid modulation. While certain harmonic patterns tend to recur in the works, each composition has a distinctive inter-movement tonal pattern. Another finding is an increasing tendency towards anticipation and retention of tonal centers as the works appear in chronological order. The first stylistic trait to be considered (in Chapter 3), Experimental, dominates the early works, appearing less often afterwards, usually serving to provide "instability" to transitions and introductions. It reflects some of the prevailing "mainstream" compositional tendencies in Paris in the 20's. Influenced by Stravinsky, the music of this trait is characterized by the non-tonal use of exact sequences, exotic scales, chords in oscillation, ostinati and parallelism, as well as polymeters, isomelody and the manipulation of pitch within cells. The Neo-classical trait, considered in Chapter 4, appears in most of the middle and late works, often associated with both primary and secondary thematic material. Unlike Stravinsky and Hindemith, whose "neo-classical" tendencies at the time are more aptly described as neobaroque, Poulenc tends to utilize here melodies, formal structures, harmonies, textures and rhythms evocative of eighteenth-century classic music. Also, cyclic themes appear, along with quotations from Stravinsky's works and Poulenc's own compositions. The last stylistic trait, Popular, discussed in Chapter 5, is found in four of the works (one early, both middle works and one late work) and is almost always associated with secondary thematic material. It is characterized by melodies and textures reminiscent of Parisian popular songs and music hall revues from the 20's through the 40's, modulating fifth relation harmony and syncopated rhythm. Finally, in Chapter 6, in the Sonata for clarinet and piano, characteristics associated with the three distinctive stylistic traits of this study are found incorporated into what appears to be a single, unified style