Les Six
French composer
Definition
A group of six French composers working in Paris in the early 1920s: Tailleferre, Poulenc, Milhaud, Honegger, Auric, and Durey. Championed by critic Henri Collet and writer Jean Cocteau, they reacted against Wagnerian Romanticism and Debussy-style Impressionism in favour of wit, economy, and clarity.
Interpretive Guidance
Music by Les Six tends to favour dry wit over lush sentiment, transparent textures over thick harmony, and rhythmic precision over expressive rubato. Resist over-pedalling and exaggerated dynamics.