Poulenc Babar
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
When you think of the classic composers, does the image of a cartoon elephant ever float to mind?
If you’re talking about Francis Poulenc then it should. Apparently Poulenc was a fan of children’s book Babar the Elephant, first released in 1931. Though Poulenc was already over 30 by the time the Babar books first came out he was taken by the charming fictional elephant, demonstrated by his creation of The Story of Babar the Elephant which Poulenc scored for joint narrative and piano.
First released in 1940, The Story of Babar the Elephant can still be found today online and through stores (though it’s probably been a while since they last recorded a new version).