He was a Parisian by birth and death, and always preferred the city to the country. His mother, an amateur pianist, taught him to play, and music formed a part of family life.
Poulenc was a member of Les Six, a group of young French composers, Darius Milhaud, Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger and Germaine Tailleferre, who also had links with Erik Satie and Jean Cocteau. He embraced the Dada movement's techniques, creating melodies that would have been appropriate for Parisian music halls. An outstanding pianist, Poulenc featured the keyboard in many of his early compositions. He also, throughout his career, borrowed from his own compositions as well as those of Mozart and Camille Saint-Saëns.
He composed music in all major genres, including art song, chamber music, oratorio, opera, ballet music and orchestral music. Among Poulenc's last series of major works is a series of works for Winds and Piano. He was particularly fond of the woodwind instruments, and planned a set of sonatas for all of them, yet only lived to complete four: the Flute Sonata (1956), and sonatas for oboe, clarinet and horn.
Poulenc's Rapsodie nègre (1917), written for baritone, piano, string quartet, flute, and clarinet, sets nonsense syllables purportedly by a black Liberian poet. The piece, dedicated to Erik Satie, kept him out of the Paris Conservatoire, composition teacher Paul Vidal saying, according to Poulenc, "Your work stinks, it's inept, infamous balls... Ah! I see you're a follower of the Igor Stravinsky and Erik Satie gang. Well, goodbye!" Stravinsky, hearing of this story, arranged to have the piece printed.
Later in his life, the loss of some close friends, coupled with a pilgrimage to the Black Madonna of Rocamadour, led him to rediscovery of his faith and resulted in compositions of a more sombre, austere tone. His opera, Les Dialogues des Carmelites was written at this time.
France
Stabat Mater: II. Cujus Animam Gementem
Francis Poulenc Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Contristatam ac dolentem
Pertransivit, pertransivit
Gladius, gladius.
Cujus animam gementem
Contristatam ac dolentem
Pertransivit gladius.
Cujus animam gementem
Pertransivit gladius.
Gladius.
The Latin title "Cujus animam gementem" translates to "Whose grieving soul." The song is the second movement of Francis Poulenc's choral masterpiece, Stabat Mater. It is a powerful lamentation that narrates the stabbing pain endured by the Virgin Mary while watching her son being crucified. The lyrics convey the immense sorrow and agony that Mary went through as she witnessed the suffering of her son.
The phrase "Cujus animam gementem" underscores the theme of the grieving mother, with "animam" translating to "soul" and "gementem" to "grieving" or "lamenting." The repetition of the first verse emphasizes the intense agony of the Virgin Mary, where the word "dolentem" suggests an ever-present state of pain. It is said that Poulenc's harmonic choices are very effective, as they help to heighten the emotional impact of the lyrics.
The phrase "Pertransivit gladius" or "the sword has pierced" emphasizes the brutal reality of Christ's crucifixion. The word "gladius" translates to "sword," which is traditionally viewed as the instrument used to inflict the mortal wound. The repetition of the last line creates a dramatic effect that echoes the pain of the Virgin Mary.
Line by Line Meaning
Cujus animam gementem
The soul of whom was lamenting in sorrow
Contristatam ac dolentem
Deeply afflicted and grieving
Pertransivit, pertransivit
It passed through, it passed through
Gladius, gladius.
The sword, the sword.
Cujus animam gementem
The soul of whom was lamenting in sorrow
Contristatam ac dolentem
Deeply afflicted and grieving
Pertransivit gladius.
The sword passed through.
Cujus animam gementem
The soul of whom was lamenting in sorrow
Contristatam, ac dolentem, ac dolentem
Deeply afflicted, grieving, grieving
Pertransivit gladius.
The sword passed through.
Gladius.
The sword.
Writer(s): Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc
Contributed by Jayce T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.