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Biography of Darius Milhaud
Name: Darius Milhaud
Birth Date: September 4, 1892
Death Date: June 22, 1974
Place of Birth: Aix-en-Provence, France
Nationality: French
Gender: Male
Occupations: composer
Darius Milhaud
The French composer and teacher Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) was the main champion of polytonality in the 20th century.Darius Milhaud was born on Sept. 4, 1892, in Aix-en-Provence. His family, descended from a line of Jews established in the region for generations, had the time and means to encourage their son's musical interests: violin lessons at age 7, participation in the quartet organized by his violin teacher at age 13, and studies at the Paris Conservatory (1909-1912) mark the well-planned stages of his student career. Typical of his generation, he voiced a strong distaste for the music of Richard Wagner and an equally strong admiration for Modest Mussorgsky and Claude Debussy. Sensing, nevertheless, the dangers of impressionism for his own development--"too much fog," "too many perfumed breezes"--Milhaud resolved to "break the spell" of Debussy, although "my heart always remained faithful."Anti-impressionism was undoubtedly one of the two major factors uniting, just after World War …showed first 150 words…
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…showed last 150 words…as a composer of absolute music, that is, music free from extramusical implications.The number of symphonies (16), concertos (31), and chamber works (about 60) that Milhaud composed is considerable; indeed, in 20th-century terms his production of over 400 works is enormous, a fact which engendered some negative criticism about his work, such as unevenness in quality, inattention to detail, and signs of haste. Such accusations ignore Milhaud's basic motivation as a composer, namely, that the act of creation is more important than the thing created. His production was all the more remarkable in view of his teaching schedule. From 1948 on he spent alternate years in Paris and at Mills College, California. Milhaud died on June 22, 1974. Associated Organizations Further Reading Milhaud's own account is Notes without Music: An Autobiography (1949; trans. 1953). Biographical information on Milhaud is also in Edward Burlingame Hill, Modern French Music (1924; rev. ed. 1970), and David Ewen, The World of Twentieth Century Music (1968).
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