Darius Milhaud facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Darius Milhaud
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Milhaud in 1923
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| Born | 4 September 1892 Marseille, France
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| Died | 22 June 1974 (aged 81) Geneva, Switzerland
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| Education | Paris Conservatory |
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Works
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List of compositions |
| Spouse(s) | Madeleine Milhaud Milhaud |
| Children | 1 |
Darius Milhaud (born September 4, 1892 – died June 22, 1974) was a famous French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was part of a group of musicians called Les Six, or The Group of Six. Milhaud wrote a huge amount of music in the 20th century.
His music was inspired by jazz and Brazilian sounds. He often used a technique called polytonality, which means using more than one musical key at the same time. Milhaud is known as a key modernist composer. He was also a great teacher. Many future jazz and classical musicians learned from him, including Burt Bacharach, Dave Brubeck, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich.
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Milhaud's Early Life and Music Journey
Milhaud was born in Marseille, France. He first started playing the violin. Later, he decided to focus on writing music instead. He studied at the Paris Conservatory, a famous music school. There, he met other musicians who would become part of Les Six, like Arthur Honegger and Germaine Tailleferre. He learned how to compose music and how to combine different musical lines.
From 1917 to 1919, Milhaud worked for Paul Claudel. Claudel was a well-known poet and writer. He was also the French ambassador to Brazil. Milhaud and Claudel worked together for many years. Milhaud wrote music for Claudel's poems and plays. While in Brazil, they created a ballet called L'Homme et son désir.
Music Inspired by Brazil and Jazz
When Milhaud returned to France, his music showed the influence of Brazilian popular music. He had heard this music during his time there. For example, his ballet Le bœuf sur le toit (The Ox on the Roof) uses melodies from Brazilian composers. It makes you think of the sounds of Carnival, a big festival in Brazil. He also created Saudades do Brasil, a set of twelve dances. Each dance was inspired by a different neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro.
Milhaud was also influenced by music from Europe. He dedicated one of his string quartets to the composer Arnold Schoenberg. In 1922, Milhaud visited the United States. He heard real jazz music for the first time in Harlem, New York. This experience greatly changed his musical ideas. The next year, he finished his ballet La création du monde (The Creation of the World). This work used jazz ideas and styles. It was a ballet with six continuous dance scenes.
Family and Moving to America
In 1925, Milhaud married his cousin, Madeleine. She was an actress. In 1930, they had a son named Daniel. Daniel later became a painter and sculptor. He was their only child.
When Nazi Germany invaded France in 1940, the Milhaud family had to leave. Because Milhaud was Jewish, it was not safe for him to stay in France. They moved to the United States. He got a job teaching at Mills College in Oakland, California. There, he wrote an opera called Bolivar. He also worked with other musicians. In 1949, something amazing happened at a concert. Two different string quartets played two of his pieces. Then, both groups played the two pieces together as one big octet (eight musicians).
Milhaud as a Teacher
Many famous musicians studied with Darius Milhaud. Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck was one of his most well-known students. Brubeck studied with Milhaud at Mills College in the late 1940s. Brubeck said that Milhaud was a very talented classical composer and teacher. He loved jazz and used it in his own music. Dave Brubeck even named his first son, Darius, after his teacher.
In 1947, Milhaud helped start the Music Academy of the West. This was a summer music school. The popular songwriter Burt Bacharach was one of his students there. Milhaud gave Bacharach some great advice. He told him, "Don't be afraid to write something people can remember and whistle. Don't ever feel bad about writing a good melody."
From 1947 to 1971, Milhaud taught at both Mills College and the Paris Conservatoire. He taught in alternate years. He had to retire because of his health. He had used a wheelchair since the 1930s. He also taught at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Besides Brubeck and Bacharach, his students included William Bolcom and Steve Reich. Milhaud passed away in Geneva, Switzerland, at the age of 81. He was buried in France.
Milhaud's Works and Legacy
Darius Milhaud was a very productive composer. He wrote music for many different types of instruments and groups. He wrote 443 pieces in total!
Some of his most popular works include:
- Le bœuf sur le toit (The Ox on the Roof): This ballet gave its name to a famous cabaret (a type of club) in Paris. Milhaud and his friends often went there.
- La création du monde (The Creation of the World): This ballet for a small orchestra uses jazz sounds. It even has a solo saxophone.
- Scaramouche: This is a suite for two pianos. It also has versions for saxophone or clarinet and orchestra.
- Saudades do Brasil: This is a dance suite inspired by Brazil.
Milhaud wrote an autobiography (a book about his own life) called Notes sans musique (Notes Without Music). Later, he updated it and called it Ma vie heureuse (My Happy Life).
Milhaud's music is an important part of 20th-century music. Even though he wrote so much, some of his pieces are not performed very often. However, his influence on other composers and his unique style make him a very important figure in music history. A school near Paris, Lycée intercommunal Darius-Milhaud, is named after him.
Archival Collections
- There is a Darius Milhaud Collection at Mills College in California.
- Papers for the Darius Milhaud Society are kept at Cleveland State University. This society was started by Milhaud's student Katharine Mulky Warne.
- Another Darius Milhaud Collection is at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City.
Images for kids
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Milhaud in 1923
See also
In Spanish: Darius Milhaud para niños
