La Courte Paille
La Courte Paille ("The Short Straw"), FP 178, is a set of seven songs for voice and piano, composed in 1960 by Francis Poulenc on poems by Maurice Carême. The duration of the work is about 8 minutes. History of the work. Composed in July–August 1960, the songs were premiered at the festival of Royaumont Abbey, in 1961, by soprano Colette Herzog and Jacques Février as the pianist. Origin of the poems. "Le sommeil", "Ba, be, bi, bo, bu" and "Le carafon" come from the collection of Maurice Carême "La Cage aux grillons" (1959). "Quelle aventure  ! ", "La reine de cœur", "Les anges musiciens" and "Lune d'avril" come from the collection "Le Voleur d'étincelles" (1960). Dedicatee. "La Courte Paille" is dedicated to the singer Denise Duval (1921–2016) for her son Richard Schilling. References. Clifton, Keith E. "Beyond Childhood: Poulenc, "La courte paille", and the Aural Envelope." "College Music Symposium" 49/50 (2009/2010): 333-44.