Darius Milhaud

Full biography Darius Milhaud

Darius Milhaud was a French composer , conductor, and teacher who lived from 1892 to 1974. He was a member of Les Six, a group of French composers who sought to break away from the heavy Germanic influence on classical music. Milhaud composed more than 400 works, including radio and motion-picture scores , a setting of the Jewish Sabbath Morning Service , and ballets for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. He was known for his use of polytonality, or the use of multiple keys simultaneously, and for incorporating elements of jazz and Brazilian music into his compositions.

Milhaud taught at Mills College in California and at the Paris Conservatory, where his students included Burt Bacharach. Milhaud was also a prolific writer, with publications ranging from essays on music to autobiographical works. Throughout his career, Milhaud struggled with chronic pain from arthritis, but continued to compose and perform despite his condition. He passed away in 1974 at the age of 81.