La Courte Paille (The Short Straw), FP 178, is a set of seven songs for voice and piano, composed in 1960 by Francis Poulenc on poems by Maurice Carême.
Composed in July–August 1960, the songs were premiered at the festival of Royaumont Abbey, in 1961, by soprano Colette Herzog and Jacques Février as the pianist.
, La reine de cœur, Les anges musiciens and Lune d'avril come from the collection Le Voleur d'étincelles (1960).
La Courte Paille is dedicated to the singer Denise Duval (1921–2016) in honor of her son Richard Schilling.
[1] Clifton, Keith E. "Beyond Childhood: Poulenc, La courte paille, and the Aural Envelope."