Auric, Georges (1899-1983)

French composer. His works include a comic opera, several ballets, and incidental music to films including Jean Cocteau's Orphée/Orpheus (1950). He was one of the musical group called Les Six, who were influenced by Erik Satie.

Auric was born at Lodève, Hérault, and studied both at the Conservatoire and the Schola Cantorum in Paris. His first success was incidental music for Molière's play Les Fâcheux (1923), which he turned into a ballet. After his music for René Clair's film À nous la liberté (1932) he was much sought after by both French and English film studios. He also wrote a few choral, orchestral, and chamber works, and numerous piano pieces and songs.

Works Comic opera Sous le masque (libretto by L Laloy, 1907).

Ballet Les Noces de Gamache (from Don Quixote), Les Matelots (1925), La Pastorale (1925), La Concurrence (1931), Les Imaginaires (1933).

Incidental music plays Les Fâcheux (Molière; 1923), The Birds (Aristophanes; 1928), Volpone (Ben Jonson; 1927), Le Mariage de Figaro (Beaumarchais), Le 14 Juillet (Rolland; 1931), and nine others; film music À nous la liberté (René Clair; 1932), Caesar and Cleopatra (after Bernard Shaw).

Orchestral symphony; suite; overture; Fox-trot and Nocturne for orchestra; piano concerto.

Chamber piano sonata and sonatina; Three Pastorales for piano (1920); Chandelles romaines for piano duet; trio for oboe, clarinet, and bassoon; violin and piano sonata.

Other several song cycles.