IMSLP Forums

I’ve noticed the beginnings of a nice collection of scores of Francis Poulenc, whose works (those published in his lifetime, with no other copyright issues such as lyricists) will enter the public domain in the life+50 years parts of the world next year. Is it too early to make a few requests for attention being given to finding scores of some particular works, given the wishlist page is listing the usual ‘don’t upload without permission’ rubric?

I would like to assist finding scores of the unaccompanied choir music, which is truly extensive and represents some undoubted masterpieces of the twentieth century choral repertoire, in particular these six works as highest priority:

French, secular:
Sept Chansons (1936), texts by Paul Éluard (1895—1952) and Guillaume Apollinaire (1880—1918)
Figure humaine (1943), text by Éluard; is there a score without the English translation by Rollo H. Myers (1892—1985)?!
Un soir de neige (1944), text by Éluard

Latin, sacred:
Messe en Sol Majeur (1937)
Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence (1938/39)
Quatre motets pour le temps de Noël (1951/52), traditional Vulgate texts

And obviously there is a wealth of Poulenc’s piano, chamber, orchestral and stage music which I’d love to see on IMSLP come next year, but I’d be happy for other people to express their wishes for prioritising those fields. I’m in Australia, which regrettably went to life+70 years some years back, but I’d be more than happy to try to facilitate obtaining scores of the above for IMSLP contributors in Canada or some other life+50 country.

Cathy

I promise you won't be disappointed come next year.

Thanks, Daphnis! (et Chloë?)

Wow, marvellous news — even for the problematic Figure humaine? (I’ve only ever seen the one Editions Salabert score for this work, which incorporated the English translation from the first printing onward as far as I’m aware, because of the wartime circumstances the première occurred in London, in English.)

I’ve one or two scores of Poulenc’s voluminous piano music so perhaps I can help with some of the info for those works, and I also have the Salabert works catalogue from 2006 which seems to list a few things differently from the IMSLP worklist — I noticed IMSLP’s listing for the Trois Pièces (FP 48) has the 3 movements listed in the 1928 order, which were changed around in the revised version (“Nouvelle édition 1953 revue par l’auteur”), published by Heugel; I’d expect the revised order to be definitive as regards Poulenc’s intentions. The Salabert catalogue also frequently has movement by movement breakdowns of pieces, which I noticed some of the current Poulenc pages are missing — as I have a score of the Cinq Impromptus (FP 21) I noticed that page was missing them, along with the dedication (the username Cat was already taken over on the main IMSLP, so I’m the Cathy C who edited that one).

Two things I would like to request:

1) Cocardes, in the original Voice, Cornet, Trombone, Bass Drum, Triangle, Violin -- if not parts, then at least a full score that we can typeset from. IMSLP has the voice/piano version, but not the chamber version.

2) L'invitation au chateau, for violin, clarinet, and piano (with contralto and child's voice in one of the movements), which was incidental music to a play. This may be more difficult, as it was unpublished. However, the play was premiered in 1947, and the music was recorded in 1994.

The Figure humaine is only slightly problematic insofar as the translation is concerned. Although it remains very, very questionable if a translation is sufficient to qualify for the same level of protection as the music or poetry, it can easily be redacted.

The original version of Cocardes was republished in facsimile around 2000 if I recall, but in score format only.

L'invitation au chateau was never published as you mentioned, and I have never heard of manuscript made available in printed form.

It will be fun seeing all of Poulenc's 'children' skipping out of the copyright bastille on January 1st.

Or most in any case. Some rather nice ones will remain incarcerated still.