Oboe Sonata (Poulenc)
Encyclopedia
The Sonata for oboe
and piano
by Francis Poulenc
dates from 1962. It is his opus number 185 and is dedicated to the memory of Sergei Prokofiev
. According to many oboists, the last movement "Déploration" was the last piece he wrote before he died. It sits as a kind of obituary.
The Oboe Sonata is very difficult in places, especially the Scherzo. The sorrowful Déploration also requires great skill. To express his mourning for his friend Prokofiev, Poulenc uses the extremes of the oboe. For example, in one passage the player must play a phrase at the bottom of the oboe's range including B flat, the oboe's lowest note, very loudly (fortissimo). The same phrase is then repeated but is marked to be played very quietly (pianissimo). Another obvious example of Poulenc's use of extreme scoring in the first movement is the starting theme which is very high and the player must be skilled to control the notes and keep them in tune.
The piece is in three movements:
The movements are in the order slow-fast-slow as opposed to the fast-slow-fast of the traditional sonata.
A typical performance will last between 13 and 15 minutes.
The sonata is the last of Poulenc's three sonatas for wind instrument
s, the others being the Flute Sonata
(1956) and the Clarinet Sonata
(1962).
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
by Francis Poulenc
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and a member of the French group Les six. He composed solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music...
dates from 1962. It is his opus number 185 and is dedicated to the memory of Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
. According to many oboists, the last movement "Déploration" was the last piece he wrote before he died. It sits as a kind of obituary.
The Oboe Sonata is very difficult in places, especially the Scherzo. The sorrowful Déploration also requires great skill. To express his mourning for his friend Prokofiev, Poulenc uses the extremes of the oboe. For example, in one passage the player must play a phrase at the bottom of the oboe's range including B flat, the oboe's lowest note, very loudly (fortissimo). The same phrase is then repeated but is marked to be played very quietly (pianissimo). Another obvious example of Poulenc's use of extreme scoring in the first movement is the starting theme which is very high and the player must be skilled to control the notes and keep them in tune.
The piece is in three movements:
- Elégie (Paisiblement, Sans Presser)
- Scherzo (Très animé)
- Déploration (Très calme)
The movements are in the order slow-fast-slow as opposed to the fast-slow-fast of the traditional sonata.
A typical performance will last between 13 and 15 minutes.
The sonata is the last of Poulenc's three sonatas for wind instrument
Wind instrument
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
s, the others being the Flute Sonata
Flute Sonata (Poulenc)
The Flute Sonata by Francis Poulenc, for flute and piano, was written in 1957. It is dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, an American patron of chamber music. Poulenc composed it for the flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, and he and Rampal gave the première in June 1957 at the...
(1956) and the Clarinet Sonata
Clarinet Sonata (Poulenc)
Francis Poulenc's Sonata for clarinet and piano dates from 1962 and is one of the last pieces he completed. The piece is dedicated to the memory of an old friend, the Swiss composer Arthur Honegger, who like Poulenc had belonged to the group of "Les Six." A typical performance takes about 13...
(1962).