Six, Les (lā sēs), a short-lived group of six young early 20th-century French musicians. They were united by their adverse reactions to the extravagant impressionism of French composers such as Claude Debussy Debussy, Claude Achille (klôd äshēl` dəbüsē`)
..... Click the link for more information. and Maurice Ravel Ravel, Maurice (mōrēs` rävĕl`), 1875–1937, French composer, b. in the Pyrenees.
..... Click the link for more information. and the overwrought romanticism of Germans such as Richard Wagner Cosima Wagner, 1837–1930, was the daughter of Liszt and the comtesse d'Agoult. From 1857 to 1870 she was the wife of Hans von Bülow . In 1870 she married Wagner. After his death she was largely responsible for the continuing fame of the Bayreuth festivals.
..... Click the link for more information. and Richard Strauss Strauss, Richard (rĭkh`ärt shtrous), 1864–1949, German composer.
..... Click the link for more information. . The group's name was coined in 1920 by the music critic Henri Collet. Inspired by the cool, abstract, and relatively unadorned compositions of Erik Satie Satie, Erik (ārēk` sätē`)
..... Click the link for more information. and by the works of Jean Cocteau Cocteau, Jean (zhäN kôktō`), 1889–1963, French writer, visual artist, and filmmaker.
..... Click the link for more information. , their literary prophet and spokesman, Les Six attempted to write in a more simplified, sophisticated, and often jazzily rhythmic fashion. Nonetheless, all of the composers maintained their own distinctive styles. Les Six consisted of Arthur Honegger Honegger, Arthur (hŭn`ēgər, Fr.
..... Click the link for more information. , Darius Milhaud Milhaud, Darius (däryüs` mēyō`), 1892–1974, French composer. Milhaud studied at the Paris Conservatory.
..... Click the link for more information. , Francis Poulenc Poulenc, Francis (fräNsēs` p
..... Click the link for more information. , Georges Auric (1899–1983), Louis Durey (1888–1979), and Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983), the group's only woman.

Six, Les

(French; “The Six”)

Group of young French composers in the 1920s. Named by the critic Henri Collet (1885–1951), the group was made up of Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Georges Auric (1899–1983), Louis Durey (1888–1979), and Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983). Their music represents a strong reaction against German Romanticism, as well as against the lush style sometimes termed Impressionism, exemplified by the work of Claude Debussy. Most of Les Six were inspired by the iconoclastic music of Erik Satie, and they benefited from the promotion of Jean Cocteau. They were only active as a group for a few years.