Francis Poulenc — Gloria
SATB choir, soprano soloist and organ (1960)

Choral singing in France has never been as popular a pastime as it is here in the United Kingdom. In France, particularly at the start of the twentieth century, the arts were considered to be largely for experts and consequently carried with them a certain degree of perceived sophistication. There seems to have been a reluctance on the part of French composers to write for choral forces and this may relate to the lack of opportunity for repeated, good quality performances. When voices were used they were treated more instrumentally: consider Debussy’s use of the wordless female chorus in the Nocturnes. It is surprising then, that Poulenc’s Gloria is considered one of his most important and significant works.

The Gloria was completed in 1960. It was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation in honour of Sergei Koussevitzky and his wife Natalia. The foundation had originally approached Poulenc in 1959 to write a symphony but he had replied to them saying that this was not his “type of thing”. They persevered and suggested instead an organ concerto. Poulenc dismissed this idea also as he had already written one! The foundation tried again, offering Poulenc a fee of $2000 for a piece of his own choosing. He accepted this offer, and the Gloria was the result.

Francis Poulenc was largely a self-taught composer. He came under the influence of Satie early in his life and became a member of the breakaway group of French composers known as Les Six. The other composers in this group were Georges Auric (1899–1983), Louis Durey (1888–1979), Arthur Honegger (1892–1955), Darius Milhaud (1892–1974) and Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983). The common aims of the members of this group were simplicity and clarity within their music – a revolt against more formal and traditional Germanic influences as well as the impressionism in the music of their own country. They actively tried to avoid pretentiousness, focusing on the creation of melodic lines of extreme simplicity, exploring the use of irregular and unexpected rhythmic devices and manipulating harmony that at times was simple and at others complex.

Of all the composers in the group, Poulenc was the only one who really excelled in the field of choral music, perhaps with the exception of Honegger who produced two significant choral works: Le roi David (King David) and Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher (Joan of Arc at the Stake).

The familiar liturgical text of the Gloria, taken from the greater Doxology of the Mass, are set in a joyful yet sincere and in places humble manner. Upon initial hearings critics labelled the work as sacrilegious. Poulenc disputed this and answered them in saying, "While writing it I had in mind those Crozzoli frescoes with angels sticking out their tongues, and also some solemn-looking Benedictine monks that I saw playing football one day". It is thought that the second movement of the work (Laudamus Te) was particularly inspired by this ad hoc football match!

The first movement opens with a great, strident chordal motif reminiscent of Stravinsky and Shostakovich. The chorus then enters singing in an accented and declamatory manner. The introduction begins in G major and modulates to a G minor chord, the first considerable harmonic shift that characterizes the entire work. The chorus enters in double-dotted rhythms, reminiscent of the brass fanfare, in the key of B minor, accompanied by B minor triads over a pedal G in the bass. This juxtaposition of G major and B minor is an important one that returns throughout the piece.

The second movement is the most active, opening with a strange, quick instrumental introduction. A light tune repeats throughout this movement along with an often-changing time signature, moving the emphasis of certain key parts of the text to unusual and unexpected parts of the bar. The last line of the text, beginning Gratias agimus... is in a sombre chromatic mode, which provides a more ethereal and contemplative characteristic to the middle section before the return of the original musical material to close the movement.

The third movement is led by the extremely dramatic and declamatory solo soprano line after an instrumental introduction. The movement ends with an unexpected raised third, preparing the way for the more joyful and optimistic fourth movement.

The fourth movement is the shortest and resembles the second movement in the joyful nature of the instrumental phrases, but also contains some of the accented, rhythmic nature of the first movement in the chorus parts. The melodic lines are often pentatonic, and the quick tempo and spiky rhythmic figures are reminiscent of a dance, grounded by the constant return of the main melodic theme.

The fifth movement resembles the third with the return of the soprano soloist as leader. The music is darker and more mysterious, due in part to the inclusion of two particularly angular intervals: an augmented fourth and an augmented fifth in the soprano's opening melodic line. The movement finishes with an E-flat minor chord, a fifth lower than the beginning B-flat minor, creating a slightly unsettled, mysterious feeling to the end.

The sixth movement begins with alternating a cappella chorus and interjections of the organ intoning the chordal fanfare theme from the first movement. After the introduction, the main setting of the text is reminiscent of the first movement. The final section is preceded by a solo Amen from the soprano, echoed by the chorus. The chorus proceeds to repeat the text, this time over a mixture of B minor and G major chords in the accompaniment. The fanfare theme from the first movement returns one final time before the final Amen, triumphantly slower and grander than before. The final Amen intoned by the soprano on a D relates to both the B minor and G major chords played simultaneously, bringing the work to a satisfying conclusion.

Last modified 22 November 2023 14:41:21 EST by Webmaster –