Poulenc

Poulenc was a very versatile French composer, composing chamber music, ballet music, orchestral music, and probably most famous for his art songs. His music is very french sounding in that it has a clear texture, has much lyricism, has a transparent texture and uses harmonies that still sound pleasing. This qualities can all be heard in his piano piece, Napoli, a suite for the piano. It is composed of three movements, a Barcarolle, Nocturne, and Caprice Italien. The Barcarolle has a very clear texture. All the parts are very distinguishable, and the melody remains prominent. It is very short however, and lasts only about one minute. The second movement is much different than the other two movements. It begins with an arpeggiated pattern in the base that repeats through much of the piece. This is very similar to Chopin's nocturnes. It is very lyrical and sounds like melody and accompaniment. The third movement has a fuller sound with more "crunchy" sounding chords. Throughout the large build up however, it remains very lyrical, giving it its French sound.