Francis Poulenc was born in Paris on January 7th 1899. He was born to Jenny Royer and Emile Poulenc. Jenny was a craftswoman with an extreme interest in the world of arts, and a free-thinker. Francis father Emile on the other hand was from the Aveyron region of Central France and was a devout Catholic. As a result, Francis Poulenc was brought up between two differing attitudes and many believe this may have been responsible for his compositional style and energy.

Francis mother was responsible for introducing Francis to the piano, herself being a talented pianist. Jenny became his first piano tutor. When the 14-year old Francis heard 'Idylle' from Chabrier's Dix Pieces pittoresques being played by the eminent pianist Eduard Risler, he knew that he wanted to be a composer.

In 1914, the famous Ricardo Vines tutored Francis, and he befriended Darius Milhaud, Georges Auric and Erik Satie. Sadly, during this time his mother died and was followed by his father in 1917. His parents never heard any of Francis' compositions being performed. The first of his compositions being performed in December of 1917, entitled Rapsodie Negre for baritone and chamber ensemble, which was recieved well.

In 1918, Francis Poulenc was called for his National Service, but as well as completing this he still found time for the composition of three miniatures. A Sonata for piano, a Sonata for Two Clarinets and the third was a set of Trois Mouvements Perpetuels. The third composition combined Parisian and provinical elements and was played pubically in 1919. The piece became popular around Europe.

Francis Poulenc was getting attention, and in 1919 the famed music critic Henri Collet, named Poulenc in the group which he called 'Le Groupe des Six'. Although the 'group' classified themselves as just friends with no musical manifesto, Poulenc's Suite in C and Impromptus for piano was spun well by the group's spokesman Jean Cocteau, increasing Poulenc's profile.

In 1921, Poulenc introduced his more serious side with the composition of the ten-movement Promenades, this composition explored new musical techniques. Poulenc then began collabarations with Charles Koechlin. Koechlin helped hone Poulenc talent's and in 1922 he produced two Sonatas, one for clarinet and bassoon and one for horn, trumpet and trombone. Poulenc's 1920's chamber works were completed with the Trio for piano, oboe and bassoon in 1926.

The 1930's, saw a re-birth of Francis Poulenc's Roman Catholic faith after the death of his friend, Pierre-Octave Ferroud in a car accident. Affected by the death he visited the Black Virgin of Rocamadour and before the statue he said he experienced a life-changing transformation. This made Poulenc one of the twienth centuries greatest religious composers, creating such masterpieces as Litanies à la Vierge Noire, Mass in G, and Quatre Motets pour le temps de Pénitence. The pieces are not epic, but rather strive to examine the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Poulenc was also considerably successful at operatic composition. His first was the comic opera of Les Mamelles de Tirèsias of 1944 and staged in 1947. The tragic opera Dialogue des Carmèlites, dealt with the execution of Carmelite nuns during the French Revolution. He based this opera on the book Die Letzte am Schafott (The Last on the Scaffold) by Gertrud von Le Fort. Poulenc, also, composed for the ballet Les Biches using the harpischord, organ and piano.

The 1950's seen Poulenc turn his focus on three vocal works the Stabat Mater (dedicated to the death of his artist friend Christian Bérard), the opera Dialogues des Carmélites and the “lyric tragedy” La Voix humaine. Poulenc also brought an end to his chamber music with four dedicated works for wind instruments.

Francis Poulenc died on the 30th January 1963 of heart failure in his home city of Paris.