Les Six facts for kids
Les Six (pronounced "Le sees") means "The Six" in French. This was a group of six young French composers who were friends around the year 1920. They were young and shared many ideas about how music should sound. The famous composer Erik Satie first called them "Les Nouveaux Jeunes" (The New Young Ones). But then, a writer named Henri Collet used the name "Les Six" in an article, and that name stuck.
These composers wanted their music to be different. They didn't want to sound like older composers such as Richard Wagner or those who wrote Romantic music. They also wanted to move away from the "Impressionistic" style of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Instead, they aimed for simple music, avoiding the complex rhythms found in music by Igor Stravinsky or the twelve-tone music of Arnold Schoenberg. Many of their pieces were quite short. They enjoyed strong, energetic music, especially jazz.
Even though they were a group, the six composers didn't stay together for very long. They soon started to develop their own unique styles of composing.
Who Were Les Six?
This section introduces each of the six talented composers.
- Georges Auric (1899–1983)
* Georges Auric wrote music with lots of energy and strong rhythms. * He became well-known for writing music for movies.
- Louis Durey (1888–1979)
* Louis Durey didn't like to follow popular trends in music. * He preferred to compose in his own traditional and personal style.
- Arthur Honegger (1882–1955)
* Arthur Honegger enjoyed writing chamber music (music for small groups) and symphonies. * His famous piece Pacific 231 sounds like a train journey. It describes a trip on the Canadian Pacific Railway.
- Darius Milhaud (1892–1974)
* Darius Milhaud was a very gifted composer who wrote in many different styles. * Some of his music uses bitonality or polytonality. This means writing in two or more keys at the same time. * His love for jazz can be heard in popular pieces like Le Boeuf sur le Toit (The Ox on the Roof). He even called this piece a "cinema-symphony."
- Francis Poulenc (1899–1963)
* Francis Poulenc was the most famous composer in the group. * He continued to write music in a style similar to the 1920s. * Many of his pieces are still performed often today. These include his Gloria, his ballet Les Biches, some of his chamber music, and many songs.
- Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983)
* Germaine Tailleferre was the only female composer in the group. * She liked to use dance rhythms in her music. * She was the only member of Les Six to earn special diplomas from the Paris Conservatory. * Germaine loved children and animals, and she wrote many musical works about them. * She also composed operas, concertos, and many pieces for the piano.
What Happened After 1920?
The group was most active together in 1920. They were all inspired by Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie. However, by 1921, Louis Durey had already left the group.
Even though they went their separate ways, Les Six continued to be linked with the unique style of French music from the 1920s. They remained friends and often visited a bar called "La Gaya." This bar later became famous as Le Boeuf sur le Toit (The Ox on the Roof), which was the title of Darius Milhaud's ballet.
The group also worked on some projects together. They published an album of piano pieces called "Album des Six." Five of the members also created music for Jean Cocteau's work Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel (The Wedding on the Eiffel Tower).
The name "The Six" was actually a nod to another group of Russian composers who were known as "The Five."
Images for kids
-
Le Groupe des six, 1922, painting by Jacques-Émile Blanche. In this painting of eight people, only five of Les Six are represented; Louis Durey was not present. In the center: pianist Marcelle Meyer. On the left, from bottom to top: Germaine Tailleferre, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Jean Wiener. On the right, standing Francis Poulenc, Jean Cocteau; and seated Georges Auric.
See also
In Spanish: Los Seis para niños
