Abstract

In Poulenc scholarship, one repeatedly reads about this composer's propensity for using Parisian entertainment aesthetic in his oeuvre and for being described as moine et voyou. These persistent narratives give rise to numerous questions regarding the relationship that Poulenc cultivated with this type of lowbrow aesthetic. Despite the consensus that Poulenc made use of the popular idioms found in cafés-concert, Parisian music-hall, circus, country fair and bal musette, little in depth research has been done thus far to clearly ascertain what this aesthetic consists of and how it was applied. It also became apparent that the concepts of nostalgia and patriotism held important roles both in the composer's life and in his views of Parisian popular culture.

Poulenc's memories of his youth in Paris and its suburb Nogent-sur-Marne were prominent in his mind during the compositional process of works containing a popular aesthetic. Yet instead of direct quotations or paraphrasing of the chanson, Poulenc tapped into the listener's memories of a lowbrow entertainment from a past era through the use of compositional and performance-related techniques that were familiar to his French audience. The cheerful, eclectic and chaotic surroundings found in popular establishments created a lasting memory that stimulated the composer in his attempt to reconstruct these disappearing modes of entertainment.

The other element that encouraged the surfacing of the lowbrow aesthetic in Poulenc was his personal identification as a Frenchman. The composer's search for an identity occurred at a time when French politics and socio-cultural policies were engaged in developing a response to the First World War and the growing globalization. Thus, despite Poulenc's young age and his apparent lack of interest in politics, he could not be oblivious to the various social and political currents of his time and this question of national identity, which would return regularly throughout Poulenc's lifetime, was one for which the composer constructed a partial answer through his use of Parisian entertainment aesthetic.

In conclusion, this research's goal was to provide scholars with a new view of Poulenc, one that addressed the cursory manner in which this composer's Parisian aesthetic had been dealt.