motet notes - Poulenc

Francis Poulenc was one of a somewhat notorious group of young French composers who became known as ‘Les Six’. The aims of the French group were to break away from the twin influences of Germanic formality and French impressionism, and to employ a direct and simple style in their own music. Of the six, Poulenc was by far the most successful. The third in a set of Quatre Motets pour le Temps de Noël (Four Motets for the Christmas Season), "Videntes stellam" was composed in 1952.  The exquisite, ethereal refrain begins pianissimo without the basses of the choir, evoking the image of the star hovering above. The entrance of the basses, some fourteen measures later, depicts the arrival of the Magi at the stable to present their gifts.

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