Musicology Annotation << Back The spiritual theme in chamber music by Francis Poulenc Elena Y. Bagrova Francis Poulenc said that the juxtaposition of the secular and spiritual is one of the paradoxes of his work. The paper deals with the relationship between the two genre spheres: sacred cantatas and instrumental chamber works, created in the last decade of the composer’s life. Mixing of elements of various styles within one composition, both in historical and genre understanding, is the characteristic feature of Poulenc’s music style. Semantic connections between the works of various genres are marked by numerous examples of cross self-quotation. The author uses the method of thematic comparison as the main examination tool. Analyzing the genre and theme quotes from sacred cantatas found in sonatas, the author concludes that the genres are assimilated, the boundary between the secular and the spiritual principles is erased in Poulenc’s late works. Keywords: F. Poulenc, sacred music, sonata, thematism, quotations. Contacts: E-mail: bagrova.e@gmail.com Pp. 03-08.