Francis Poulenc (1899- 1963) is one of the most outstanding French composer and pianist in the twentieth century, and a member of Les Six, a group of six musicians who united by their adverse reactions to the Wagnerism, Romanticism, and Impressionism.

Among the thirteen chamber works of Francis Poulenc, eight were composed for woodwind instruments; he was particularly fond of woodwind instruments for the sound is the most similar to the vocal. The flute sonata written by Francis Poulenc was chose as the topic of this research because the melody and sophisticated chords has been contemporarily appraised as the music effused from his mind that is as beautiful as the rainbow in the blue sky.

In this dissertation, Francis Poulenc’s flute sonata will be studied from the following three viewpoints. First, the motivation and background of this work will be discussed through reviewing Francis Poulenc’s biography and his music style. Second, the delicate characteristics of melody and chords will be addressed by musical analytical methodologies. Finally, this work will be further examined through interpreting the sheet-music terminology, music dynamics and performance skills. The research is expected to provide a thorough comprehension of this work, and facilitate a distinctive style in performance.