''L'Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant'' (The story of Babar, the little elephant),
FP 129, is a composition for narrator and piano by
Francis Poulenc
Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...
, based on ''
Histoire de Babar'' and written from 1940.
Genesis
During the summer of 1940, Francis Poulenc stayed with cousins in
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of oc, Briva la Galharda) is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the agglomeration was 7 ...
. The children of the house, bored by his piano playing, put the book ''
Histoire de Babar'' by
Jean de Brunhoff
Jean de Brunhoff (; 9 December 1899 – 16 October 1937) was a French writer and illustrator remembered best for creating the Babar the Elephant, Babar series of children's books concerning a fictional elephant, the first of which was published in ...
on his piano and asked him to "play" the story. Poulenc obliged and freely improvised around the narrative situations that were proposed to him. In the following years, he often recalled this incident. ''L'Histoire de Babar'' was born from his memories.
The score is dedicated to the eleven children who inspired it: "For my little cousins Sophie, Sylvie, Benoît, Florence and Delphine Périer; Yvan, Alain, Marie-Christine and Marguerite-Marie Villotte; And my little friends Marthe Bosredon and André Lecœur, in memory of Brive". It was created in a broadcast on 14 June 1946 played by the composer, assisted by the recitation of
Pierre Bernac
Pierre Louis Bernac (né Bertin; 12 January 1899 – 17 October 1979) was a French singer, a baryton-martin, known as an interpreter of the French mélodie. He had a close artistic association with Francis Poulenc, with whom he performed i ...
. In 1962,
Jean Françaix
Jean René Désiré Françaix (; 23 May 1912, in Le Mans – 25 September 1997, in Paris) was a French neoclassicism (music), neoclassical composer, piano, pianist, and orchestration, orchestrator, known for his prolific output and vibrant style.
...
proposed an orchestral version of the piece, which satisfied Poulenc. The English composer
David Matthews also transcribed it for chamber orchestra.
''L'histoire de Babar'' is one of Francis Poulenc's most popular compositions. According to
Guy Sacre, "it is in every respect a success, and one of the most accomplished works he has given to his instrument".
Structure
This narrative composition presents itself as an "uninterrupted succession of pianistic images". The most diverse musical forms succeed each other:
*Elephantine
berceuse
A berceuse is "a musical composition usually in time that resembles a lullaby". Otherwise it is typically in triple meter. Tonally most berceuses are simple, often merely alternating tonic and dominant harmonies; since the intended effect is ...
sung by the mother of Babar (pp. 1–2), whom the latter then recalls with tears (pp. 10)
*
Valse
The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position.
History
There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wal ...
musette of the pastry (pp. 12–13)
*Babar's wedding
march
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...
, celebrated by a whole collection of pompous chords (pp. 26–27)
*Dancing
polka
Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas.
History
Etymology
The term ...
played on the evening of the same wedding (pp. 27–29)
*Final
nocturne
A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night.
History
The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...
in the form of a lunar reverie (pp. 30–31)
Selected recordings
A recording of ''L'Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant'' was made in 2012 by
Natalie Dessay
Natalie Dessay (; born 19 April 1965) is a French singer, known for her former career as an operatic soprano. She gained wide recognition after her portrayal of Olympia in ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' in 1992, and then performing at leading stages, ...
, narrator and
Shani Diluka
Shani Diluka (born 7 November 1976 in Monaco) is a pianist of Sri Lankan parents. She was among those to benefit from a programme initiated by Princess Grace of Monaco, which allowed children to receive music lessons integrated into their school ...
piano, at éditions .
Other recordings with piano solo include:
* one with
Pierre Fresnay
Pierre Fresnay (4 April 1897 – 9 January 1975) was a French stage and film actor.
Biography
Born Pierre Jules Louis Laudenbach, he was encouraged by his uncle, actor Claude Garry, to pursue a career in theater and film. He joined the company a ...
, narrator, and Francis Poulenc piano
* one with
Raymond Gérôme
Raymond Gérôme (17 May 1920 — 3 February 2002) was a Belgian-born, French stage and screen actor.
Gérôme was born as Raymond Joseph Léon De Backer in Koekelberg. He made his first stage appearance in 1946, in a stage production of ''Jeanne ...
, narrator, and
Jacques Février
Jacques Février (26 July 1900 – 2 September 1979) was a French pianist and teacher.
Life and career
Jacques Février was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the son of the composer Henry Février. He studied with Édouard Risler and Marguerite Lo ...
piano
* one with
Bruno Belthoise, narrator and pianist, éditions Frémeaux et associés 1997
Among the recordings for orchestra are:
* one with
Peter Ustinov
Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...
, narrator, with the
Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire
The Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire was a symphony orchestra established in Paris in 1828. It gave its first concert on 9 March 1828 with music by Beethoven, Rossini, Meifreid, Rode and Cherubini.
Administered by the philha ...
under the direction of
Georges Prêtre
Georges Prêtre (; 14 August 1924 – 4 January 2017) was a French orchestral and opera conductor.
Biography
Prêtre was born in Waziers ( Nord), and attended the Douai Conservatory and then studied harmony under Maurice Duruflé and conducting ...
(EMI Classics)
* one with
Sophie Marceau
Sophie Marceau (; born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films ''La Boum'' (1980) and ''La Boum 2'' (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Act ...
, narrator, with the orchestre de l'opéra de Lyon under the direction of
Kent Nagano
Kent George Nagano GOQ, MSM (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 20 ...
in 1994 (ERATO junior)
* one with
Àgata Roca, narrator, with the
Ensemble Orquestra de Cadaqués under the direction of
Philippe Entremont
Philippe Entremont (born 7 June 1934) is a French classical pianist and conductor. His recordings as a pianist include concertos by Tchaikovsky, Maurice Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saëns and others.
Early life
Philippe Entremont was born in ...
in 2004 (Tritó)
References
Bibliography
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External links
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Francis Poulenc L'histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant, melodrama for narrator & piano (or orchestra)on AllMusic
''L'Histoire de Babar''with lyrics (French)
''L'histoire de Babar le petit éléphant''cartoon on YouTube
''Poulenc: L'histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant (The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant)''on Presto classical (list of all interpretations)
* Agathe Mélinand
Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphantlestive.com 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Histoire De Babar Le Petit Elephant
Compositions by Francis Poulenc
Compositions for solo piano
1946 compositions
Compositions with a narrator
Songs about elephants
Songs about fictional male characters