''Trois novelettes'' (''Three

novelettes Novelette may also refer to: * ''Novelette'' (ballet), a solo modern dance work choreographed by Martha Graham * Novelette (music), a short piece of lyrical music * Novelette (literature), a work of narrative prose fiction that is longer than ...

'') are three short pieces for

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

composed by Francis Poulenc. The first two novelettes, in C major and

B-flat minor B-flat minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has five flats. Its relative major is D-flat major and its parallel major is B-flat major. Its enharmonic equivalent, A-sha ...

, FP 47, written in 1927 and 1928 respectively, were originally published together. The third, in

E minor E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major. The E natural minor scale is: : Changes needed ...

, FP 173, was written in 1959. These novelettes demonstrate multi-layered piano writing. *Novelette in C major (1927) is dedicated to Virginie Liénard, a family friend, also the dedicatee of Poulenc's piano suite ''

Soirées de Nazelles ''Les Soirées de Nazelles'', FP 84, is a set of variations for piano written by the French composer Francis Poulenc. During the evenings, the composer used to sit at the piano and improvise "portraits" of his friends, all based on a given them ...

'' (1930–36). The piece features a neo-classical song-like melody interrupted by a central contrasting section. *Novelette in B-flat minor (1928) is similar in ways to a

scherzo A scherzo (, , ; plural scherzos or scherzi), in western classical music, is a short composition – sometimes a movement from a larger work such as a symphony or a sonata. The precise definition has varied over the years, but scherzo often re ...

. It is dedicated to Poulenc's friend and critic

Louis Laloy Louis Laloy ( Gray, 18 February 1874 – Dole, 4 March 1944 ) was a French musicologist, writer and sinologist. A Doctor of Letters (he spoke French, English, German, Italian, Latin, Russian, Greek and Chinese), he became an eminent musicologist ...

. *Novelette in E minor (1959) is based on Manuel de Falla's 7/8 theme from ''

El amor brujo ''El amor brujo'' (, "The sorcerer love") is a ballet by Manuel de Falla to a libretto by María de la O Lejárraga García, although for years it was attributed to her husband Gregorio Martínez Sierra. It exists in three versions as well as a p ...

'' (1916), simplified by Poulenc into 3/8 time, and without a contrasting section. It employs fluid arpeggio figures. This piece is dedicated to Poulenc's close friend R. Douglas Gibson. *Manuel de Falla: Reference is found in Pantomima, Andantino Tranquilo. Poulenc premiered his first two novelettes at a concert in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

on 10 June 1928.

References

Sachania, M. & Potter, C. ''Francis Poulenc: Three Novelettes for Piano'', Chester Music, revised edition (1999).

Bibliography

* {{Authority control Compositions by Francis Poulenc 1927 compositions 1928 compositions 1959 compositions Compositions for solo piano