: Poulenc noted in his correspondence that working on the light-spirited music for Léocadia helped lift his spirits during the "menace of the occupation". Musical Analysis and Structure
: While Poulenc provided roughly 20 minutes of music for the production, Les chemins de l'amour is the only portion that has survived; the rest of the score is lost. Poulenc: Les chemins de l'amour, FP. 106
Originally, the song was not intended as a standalone recital piece but as part of the incidental music for Jean Anouilh’s play Léocadia . The play tells the story of a young prince obsessed with the memory of a woman he knew for only three days; a young woman is eventually hired to impersonate her and bring him back to reality. : Poulenc noted in his correspondence that working