Villageoises

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)

SATB Saxophone Quartet

Villageoises by Poulenc, arranged for saxophone quartet SATB. Villageoises or “The Villagers” (1933) was composed for piano by Francis Poulenc. He was an early 20th century French composer and a member of the French composers group Les Six. He composed art song, solo piano music, chamber music, oratorio, choral music, opera, ballet music, and orchestral music. A self-taught modernist, Poulenc’s music is strongly influenced by Stravinsky & Satie but he never copies them directly – he follows his own path. His works are immediately identifiable by their bright colors, strong, clear rhythms, and novel but (mostly) diatonic harmonies.

Although Poulenc considered himself Parisian by birth and by preference, rural France provided the creative inspiration for several of his piano works including Villageoises. Originally written for solo piano, this arrangement is for SATB saxophone quartet. It contains 6 short movements inspired by French folk songs and dances as follows:

1. Valse Tyrolienne
2. Staccato
3. Rustique
4. Polka
5. Petite Ronde
6. Coda

Originally written for piano solo, this arrangement of Villageoises is for Saxophone Quartet SATB. Melodies move from part to part and everyone gets a solo turn at one time or another.

• The range for each saxophone part is shown below.
• Audio and score excerpts are available above.
• Registered users can download a complete sample score and full length audio file of Villageoises on the ‘Samples’ tab.

The audio sample above is of the complete Movement 6 – Coda. It features melodies from each of the preceding five movements.