Francis POULENC / Signed Autograph Letter / The Masked Ball / Secular Cantata

  
Autographed letter signed "Francis Poulenc" to Frederick Woods [Saint-Raphaël], April 3, 1960, 1 p. In-12° Central fold trace inherent to the folding, very light browning. Autographed envelope (stamped and postmarked) included, small loss on the back (see scan).

Poulenc refuses to speak about his secular cantata Le Bal masqué. "Sir, Excuse me but I have neither the time nor the inclination to talk about Le Bal masqué. For your information, I point out the excellent text by Henri Hell that appears on the cover of the Vega record. Please accept, Sir, my distinguished sentiments.

" While Poulenc composed nearly fifty melodies throughout his career based on various poems, including those by Ronsard, Banville, Moréas, and Apollinaire, his adaptation of Max Jacob's poetry in 1932 with Le Bal masqué remains one of the composer's most celebrated works. Poulenc here refers to the recording Max Jacob, Francis Poulenc - Le Bal Masqué - Cantate Profane, recorded in 1956 by Studio Vega.