Auric's only work for piano four hands, composed between October 1925 and February 1926. The early 1920s was a period when Auric's activities greatly expanded, including composing for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and actively writing criticism for Les Nouvelles littéraires.

Cinq Bagatelles (Five Bagatelles) is an extraction and arrangement for piano four hands from two theatrical works for which Auric composed the incidental music: Marcel Achard's comedy La femme silencieuse (The Silent Woman), based on Ben Jonson's play of the same name, and Alfred Savoir's play Le dompteur (The Tamer), based on Jacques Thery's novel La fuite en avant (The Flight Forward). It is dedicated to the playwright Marcel Achard, with whom Auric frequently collaborated.

The premiere took place on May 2, 1926, at the Salle des Agriculteurs in Paris, performed by Auric and Poulenc [Note: This concert, featuring their works, also included Auric's piano piece Sonatine, songs Deux Romances (premiere), Poulenc's Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano (premiere), and piano piece Napoli (premiere)].

The critic André Schaeffner particularly praised "Petite marche" and "Rêverie." On November 30, 1927, a wind sextet version was performed at the Salle Pleyel. On May 22, 1943, at the Pléiade concert held at the Galerie Charpentier [Note: See background on Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen], the Maurice Hewitt Orchestra performed a small orchestral version. However, versions other than the piano version remain unpublished, and the scores of the incidental music from which this work originated have also not been published. The version performed by Hewitt's ensemble might have been in the same instrumentation as the original incidental music.

Movement 1: Ouverture

At the beginning, a loquacious motif is presented. A section in F major, characterized by a dialogue between high and low registers, is inserted midway. The Italian indications, such as "con ironia" (with irony), "con nettezza" (clearly), and "burlesco" (comically), are rich in variety, which is a characteristic feature of this work.

Movement 2: Petite marche

A familiar melody is accompanied by a simple accompaniment. The middle section in D major, featuring frequent use of thirds and sixths in the high register, hints at Classical style.

Movement 3: Valse

A comical waltz, marked "senza espressione, ben ugualmente" (without expression, very evenly). The opening melody reappears later in an ornamented form.

Movement 4: Rêverie

The melody is sung smoothly over an arpeggiated accompaniment. It takes an ABA form, and when A reappears for the second time, it is similarly ornamented.

Movement 5: Retraite

As the G-flat major of "Rêverie" concludes and the G-major motif of "Retraite" appears, the vivid tonal contrast surprises the ear. "Retraite" also means "retreat" or "a bugle call for return to camp." The image of actors cheerfully exiting the stage comes to mind.