Francis Poulenc

Ravel proved uninterested in his work. He had already met Milhaud when his piano teacher introduced him to Satie, Casella and Auric. Satie told him to laugh off his rejection by the Conservatoire for being too radical; Stravinsky, who became a lifelong friend, arranged to have a piece of his published when he heard the story. Bartók wrote expressing interest in his work. He composed settings for texts by his friends Apollinaire, Jacob, Cocteau and especially Éluard. Cocteau (mentor and lifelong friend) planned a forged letter to get him out of military barracks. 40 years after befriending Prokofiev, he dedicated his last major piece to him.