Trivia

A Provençal Jewish composer who often collaborated with Paul Claudel, with whom he was attached to the French embassy in Rio de Janeiro from 1916 to 1919.

In the 1920s Milhaud was a member of "Les Six", a group of young composers who rebelled against Romanticism and Impressionism in French music. They were mentored by Erik Satie and publicized by Jean Cocteau.

As musical executor of Erik Satie's estate, Milhaud discovered several unknown Satie compositions and arranged for their publication.

Milhaud is considered one of the key modernist composers.

His compositions are influenced by jazz and Brazilian music and make extensive use of polytonality.

His most popular works include Le boef sur le toit (a ballet that lent its name to the legendary cabaret frequented by Milhaud and other members of Les Six), La création du monde (a ballet for small orchestra with solo saxophone, influenced by jazz), Scaramouche (a suite for two pianos, also for alto saxophone or clarinet and orchestra), and Saudades do Brasil (a dance suite).

His autobiography is titled Notes sans musique (Notes Without Music), later revised as Ma vie heureuse (My Happy Life).

In 1925, Milhaud married his cousin, Madeleine (1902-2008), an actress and reciter. In 1930 she gave birth to a son, the painter and sculptor Daniel Milhaud, who was the couple's only child.

From 1947 to 1971, he taught alternate years at Mills and the Paris Conservatoire, until poor health, which caused him to use a wheelchair during his later years (beginning in the 1930s), compelled him to retire.

Darius Milhaud was very prolific and composed for a wide range of genres. His opus list ended at 443.

There is a Darius Milhaud Collection at Mills College in California.

As well as Brubeck, his students included William Bolcom, Steve Reich, Katharine Mulky Warne, and Regina Hansen Willman.

Milhaud (like such contemporaries as Hindemith, Malipiero, Henry Cowell, Hovhaness, Martinu, and Villa-Lobos) was an extremely rapid creator, for whom the art of writing music seemed almost as natural as breathing.

He also taught on the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and School.

A renowned teacher, he taught many future jazz and classical composers, including Burt Bacharach, Dave Brubeck, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis among others.