Darius Milhaud (~ 1926), Paris

Darius Milhaud (French pronunciation: [daʁjys mijo]; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality. Darius Milhaud is to be counted among the modernist composers.^[1]

Life and career[link]

Born in Marseilles to a Jewish family from Aix-en-Provence, Milhaud studied in Paris at the Paris Conservatory where he met his fellow group members Arthur Honegger and Germaine Tailleferre. He studied composition under Charles Widor and harmony and counterpoint with André Gedalge. He also studied privately with Vincent d'Indy. As a young man he worked for a while in the diplomatic entourage of Paul Claudel, the eminent poet and dramatist, who was serving as French ambassador to Brazil.

On a trip to the United States in 1922, Darius Milhaud heard "authentic" jazz for the first time, on the streets of Harlem, ^[2] which left a great impact on his musical outlook. The following year, he completed his composition "La création du monde" ("The Creation of the World"), using ideas and idioms from jazz, cast as a ballet in six continuous dance scenes.^[2]

In 1925, Milhaud married his cousin, Madeleine (1902–2008), an actress and reciter. In 1930 she bore him a son, the painter and sculptor Daniel Milhaud, to be the couple's only child.^[3]

The rise of Nazism forced the Milhauds to leave France in 1939,^{[1][not in citation given]} and then emigrate to America in 1940 (his Jewish background made it impossible for Milhaud to return to his native country until after its Liberation). He secured a teaching post at Mills College in Oakland, California, where he collaborated with Henri Temianka and the Paganini Quartet. In an extraordinary concert there in 1949, the Budapest Quartet performed the composer's 14th String Quartet, followed by the Paganini's performance of his 15th; and then both ensembles played the two pieces together as an octet.^[4] The following year, these same pieces were performed at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, by the Paganini and Juilliard Quartet.^[5]

The jazz pianist Dave Brubeck became one of Milhaud's most famous students when Brubeck furthered his music studies at Mills College in the late 1940s (he named his eldest son Darius). In a February 2010 interview with Jazzwax, Brubeck said he attended Mills, a women's college (men were allowed in graduate programs), specifically to study with Milhaud, saying "Milhaud was an enormously gifted classical composer and teacher who loved jazz and incorporated it into his work. My older brother Howard was his assistant and had taken all of his classes."^{[cite this quote]}

Milhaud's former students also include popular songwriter Burt Bacharach.^[6] Milhaud told Bacharach, "Don't be afraid of writing something people can remember and whistle. Don't ever feel discomfited by a melody".^[7]

Milhaud (like his contemporaries Paul Hindemith, Gian Francesco Malipiero, Alan Hovhaness, Bohuslav Martinů and Heitor Villa-Lobos) was an extremely rapid creator, for whom the art of writing music seemed almost as natural as breathing. His most popular works include Le bœuf sur le toit (a ballet which 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 (for Saxophone and Piano, also for two pianos), and Saudades do Brasil (dance suite). His autobiography is titled Notes sans musique (Notes Without Music), later revised as Ma vie heureuse (My Happy Life).

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 sometime before 1947), compelled him to retire. He died in Geneva, aged 81.

Works[link]

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

See List of compositions by Darius Milhaud.

See also: Category:Compositions by Darius Milhaud

Notable students[link]

Archival collections[link]

• There is a Darius Milhaud Collection at Mills College in California.
• There is another Darius Milhaud Collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City.
• The Western Jewish History Center, of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, in Berkeley, California has librettos for Milhaud's opera, David, as well as a program for its American premiere, in Los Angeles, at the Hollywood Bowl, and photocopies of newspaper coverage in the B'nai B'rith Messenger of Los Angeles, of this event (1956) [WJHC Collection Number 1970.002].

References[link]

External links[link]

• Complete categorized list of Darius Milhaud's composed works, with opus numbers.
• Darius Milhaud biography and works on the UE website (publisher)
• Biography and audio from Service Sacrée at the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music
• Darius Milhaud 1892–1974 by Ronald Crichton. Musical Times, August 1974.
• The Boeuf Chronicles – How the ox got on the roof: Darius Milhaud and the Brazilian sources of "Le Boeuf sur le Toit" by Daniella Thompson.
• Darius Milhaud's maximum card from Israel
• [1] - Riccardo Caramella performs the Fantaisie pastorale, Suite Provençale, and Le carnaval d'Aix
• [2] - Part 2 of Jazzwax interview with Dave Brubeck, in which Milhaud is discussed in detail.
• (French) A biography of Darius Milhaud, from IRCAM's website.
• Free scores by Darius Milhaud at the International Music Score Library Project
• František Sláma (musician) Archive. More on the history of the Czech Philharmonic between the 1940s and the 1980s: Conductors

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Emilio Colón (born in Puerto Rico) is an American solo cellist, chamber musician, conductor, composer and pedagogue.^[1] He is an international artist, concertizing in Canada, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Japan, Korea, Malta, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States.

He has performed as guest conductor and soloist of the Classical Symphony Orchestra of Guatemala and the Orquesta de Camara Concerto in Puerto Rico; for Barge Music in New York City; at the Casals Festival of Prades and for recital tours of Malta, Italy, Holland, Korea and Japan.

Colón recordings are featured on the Enharmonic, Centaur, Zephyr, and Lyras labels. Colón currently records for Klavier as solo cellist, chamber musician, conductor, and composer under the label. Colón’s arrangements, editions and original compositions are published by Masters Music Publications and H.P. Music Publications.

As the second youngest faculty member to be appointed in the history of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Colón is also known as a pedagogue.^[2] He has offered courses at the Paris Conservatoire, the Geneva Conservatoire, the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, and Toho Gakuen in Tokyo, Japan. He is also on faculty at the International Festival-Institute at Round Top in Texas^[3](Rountop Website) and Chamber Music Unbound at the Mammoth Lakes Music Festival in California.(MLMF Website)

Colón received a bachelor’s degree from the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music in 1986 as a student of Joaquín Vidaechea, where he won the Pablo Casals Medal upon graduation. As a student and teaching assistant to the distinguished cellist and pedagogue Janos Starker, Colón earned a master’s degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 1989.^[4] He won first prize at the Las Americas Festival Solo Competition. Colón plays on a J.B. Vuillaume Cello from 1844 and a Dominique Peccatte bow.

Recordings[link]

• Title: Esencia Label: Klavier

Co-producer for the album, arranger, and cello soloist

Description: All new arrangements by Emilio Colón for cello and piano

Program: Lecuona: Danzas Afro-Cubanas Ginastera: Danzas Argentinas Piazzolla: Nuevo Tango: Oblivion, Tzigane Tango, Milonga del Angel, Muerte del Angel Danzas Célebres Puertorriqueñas Morel Campos: Felices Días Mislán: Tu y Yo Miranda: Impromptu, Op.10 Colón: Armando's Waltz for Cello and Piano (premiere)

• Title: Alma Latina, The Latin Soul of the Cello Label: Klavier, International distribution

Emilio Colón, cello and Sung Hoon Mo, Piano. Cello and piano pieces from Spain and Latin America

Program: Ginastera: Pampeana No. 2, Op. 21 Ponce (arr. Cassadó): Estrellita Falla (arr. Colón): Siete Canciones Populares Españolas Piazzolla: Le Grand Tango Villa-Lobos: Pequena Suite Morel-Campos (arr. Colón): Bella Illusión Tavárez (arr. Colón): Un Recuerdito Danza capricho Turina (arr. Colón): Tres Sonetos, Op. 54: 1. Anhelos (Desires) Sarasate (arr. Colón): Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20

• Title: Obseción Label: Klavier

Emilio Colón: Co-producer for the album, cellist, arranger, composer

Trio Amadé debut recording

Program: Copland: Vitebsk Bernstein: Trio Piazzolla: Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas Colón: “N” Tango for Piano Trio

Compositions[link]

• Los Jolgoriosos (2007)

Salmetón para Violin y Piano

Dedication: for Jessica Mathaes on the occasion of her Cuypers 200th birthday; inspirado por mis queridos amigos Rafi y Ramonita

Premiered on December 9, 2007 by Jessica Mathaes & Rick Rowley at Bates Recital Hall in Austin, Texas.

• Los Niños y las Minarets (2007)

Suite Miniatura para Violin, Cello y Piano

1. Ari y Sofía: El Juego de las Sillas
2. Bodie at Horshoe Lake
3. Erratics
4. Iris y Naomi: Libros de Niños
5. Ana y Elisa: Par' de Camisas

Commissioned by Ellen Siegal and the Felici Trio

Dedication: A mis queridos amigos The Felicio Trio y Ellen Siegal

Premiered on August 1, 2007 by the Felici Trio at the Mammoth Lakes Festival in California

• Dana la Colorá (2007)

For Double Bass & Piano

Commissioned by James Vandemark

Dedication: A mi querido amigo JB and his lovely daughter Dana

Premiered on June 9, 2007 at the International Festival-Institute in Roundtop Texas by James Vandemark and Nariaki Sugiura

• Recuerdos de Tata (2007)

Poemas Borincanos para Cello y Orquesta

1. La Casa Grande: La Casa Vieja de Maresúa
2. Tinayarí
3. Bonita
4. El Combate

Commissioned by the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra

Dedication: A lamemoria de dos seres queridos Elsie Ramírez de Roque y Evelina Cucalón de Fougeres

Premiered on May 4, 2007 by Emilio Colón and the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Lowenheim, conductor

• Antecedentes (2005)

For Cello & Piano as companions to Armando’s Waltz
Premiered on April 10, 2005 recital at the Centro de Bellas Artes in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Doña Bele y Don Enrique
Armando’s Waltz
Pambel

• Armando’s Waltz (2002)

For Cello and String Quartet

• “N” Tango for Violin, Cello, and Piano (2001)

Premiered by Trio Amadé on 8/23/2001 at the Sommerabendmusik Series, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Delray Beach, Fl

Recorded by Trio Amadé for Klavier Records 8/2001

• Renaten Satz (1995)

For Cello and String Quartet

Commissioned by and premiered at the Cedar Arts Forum String Camp, Waterloo, IA

• Romanza Para Emma (1995)

For Cello and String Quartet

• Tres Recuerdos (1994)

For Piano Trio and String Orchestra

Commissioned by and premiered at the Cedar Arts Forum String Camp, Waterloo, IA

• Fantasías Boricuas (1987)

For violin and piano

Guánica
Jíbaro
Impro sobre un seis
Madre

• Pena en Frustración (1986)

Prelude for Piano

• Amor: Tu y Dos Cuadros (1986)

For medium voice and piano

• Pensamiento (1985)

Prelude for Piano

• El Ladrón (1985)

For medium voice and piano

References[link]

• Indiana University Jacob School of Music Faculty Profile
• International Festival Institute at Roundtop Faculty Profile

External links[link]

• http://www.emiliocolon.com/