Darius Milhaud (1892-1974); FRA

Milhaud, Darius (b Aix-en-Provence, 1892; d Geneva, 1974). Fr. composer and pianist. Entered Paris Cons. 1909, studying with Gédalge, Widor, and d'Indy. Attaché at Fr. legation, Rio de Janeiro, 1917-19, meeting Claudel, poet-diplomat, who was to write libs. for several of his works. Returned Paris 1919, becoming known as one of Les Six who owed allegiance to Satie and Cocteau. Visited USA 1922 as pianist in his own works. Left Fr. 1940, settling in USA, teaching at Mills Coll., Oakland, Calif., 1940-71 and in summers at Aspen, Colorado. Also taught at Paris Cons. 1947-71. Extremely prolific composer, despite handicap of precarious health from late 1920s when rheumatic condition necessitated use of wheelchair. Dominating feature of his mus. is use of polytonality. Experimented with many instr. combinations and also with tape. Prin. works:

OPERAS: Esther de Carpentras (1910-14); La brebis égarée (1910-15); Les Malheurs d'Orphée (1925); Le Pauvre Matelot (1926); trilogy: L'enlèvement d'Europe (1927), L'abandon d'Ariane (1928), La déliverance de Thésée (1928); Christophe Colomb (1928); Maximilien (1930); Médée (1938); Bolivár (1943); David (1952); Fiesta (1958); La Mère Coupable (based on 3rd play of Beaumarchais's Figaro trilogy) (1964-5); St Louis (1970).

BALLETS: L'Homme et son désir (1918); Le Bœuf sur le toit (1919); Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel (1921); La Création du monde (1923); Le Train bleu (1924); La Bien-Aimée (after Schubert and Liszt) (1928); La Mort d'un tyran (1933); Mme Miroir (1948); Jeux de printemps (Imagined Wing) (1944); The Bells (1946); Les Rêves de Jacob (1949); Vendange (1952); Le rose des vents (1958); La branche des oiseaux (1965).

THEATRE: Agamemnon, incidental mus. to Claudel adaptation of Aeschylus (1913-14); Protée, incidental mus. to drama by Claudel (1913-19); Les Choëphores, Claudel, after Aeschylus (1915); Les Euménides, Claudel, after Aeschylus (1917-22); L'Annonce faite à Marie, incidental mus. to Claudel drama (1932); Le Jeu de Robin et Marion, mystery play after Adam de la Halle (1951); L'Opéra des gueux, arr. of The Beggar's Opera (1937).

ORCH.: Syms. Nos. 1-12 (1940-62, No.3 Hymnus ambrosianus with ch.); 3 syms. for small orch. (Le Printemps (1917), Pastorale (1918), Sérénade (1921)); Dixtur à cordes (1921); Dixtur d'instruments à vents (1922), 10 str. instr., 10 wind instr., 4 vv., ob., vc.) (1917-22); Saudades do Brazil (1920-1, orig. for pf.); Suite provençale (1937); Suite française (1945); va. conc. (1927); 2 vc. concs. (1935, 1946); cl. conc. (1941); hp. conc. (1954).

PIANO & ORCH.: 5 concs.; 5 Études (1920); Le Carnaval d'Aix (1926); Conc. for 2 pf. (1942).

VIOLIN & ORCH.: Concertino de printemps (1934); 3 concs. (1927-58) (No.3 Concerto Royal).

MISC.: Conc., perc., small orch. (1930); Suite for harmonica (or vn.), orch. (1942); L'Apothéose de Molière, hpd., str. (1948); conc. for marimba, vib., orch. (1947); Concertino d'hiver, tb., str. (1953).

CHAMBER MUSIC: 18 str. qts. (1912-51; Nos. 14 and 15 can be played separately or together as an octet, 1949); 2 vn. sonatas (1911, 1917); La Cheminée du roi René, suite (1939); str. trio (1947); str. septet (1964); sonatinas for vn. and va., fl. and pf., cl. and pf.; sonatas for va., and for vn. and hpd.; Élégie for vc. and pf. (1945).

PIANO: Sonata No.1 (1916), No.2 (1949); Saudades do Brazil (1920-1, also orch.); L'Album de Madame Bovary (1934); Le Candélabre à sept branches (1951); Scaramouche for 2 pf. (1939); Paris, suite of 6 pieces for 4 pf. (1948); 6 Danses en 3 mouvements, 2 pf. (1970).

VOCAL & CHORAL: Machines agricoles, v., 7 instr. (1919); Catalogue des fleurs, v., chamber orch. (1920); Sym. for vocal qt., ob., vc. (1923); Cantate de la paix (1937); Les quatre éléments, sop., ten., orch. (1938); Cantate de la guerre, unacc. ch. (1940); Kaddisch, v., ch., org. (1945); Sabbath Morning Service, bar., ch., org. (1947); Cantate de l'initiation, ch., orch. (1960); Pacem in terris, ch., orch. (1963).

Also many songs and music for about 30 films, 1929-59, incl. Madame Bovary (dir. J. Renoir, 1933) and Péron et Evita (1958).

Copyright © 1996 Oxford University Press - By permission of Oxford University Press

Recommended Oxford books

###

Read biography at allmusic.com.