Madeleine Milhaud
Encyclopedia
Madeleine Milhaud was the cousin and the wife of Darius Milhaud
, a 20th-century French composer.
Madeleine Milhaud was born in Paris. Her father, Darius' uncle, was from Aix-en-Provence
, and her mother from Brussels
. She began acting at a young age, and had a long career as an actress and reciter.
Darius and Madeleine Milhaud were married in 1925; they had one son, Daniel (born 1930), a painter. Darius' piano suite
La Muse Menagère (The Household Muse) is dedicated to her, and depicts their daily life together. She wrote the libretti
for his opera
s Médée and Bolivar.
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud 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...
, a 20th-century French composer.
Madeleine Milhaud was born in Paris. Her father, Darius' uncle, was from Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, and her mother from Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. She began acting at a young age, and had a long career as an actress and reciter.
Darius and Madeleine Milhaud were married in 1925; they had one son, Daniel (born 1930), a painter. Darius' piano suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
La Muse Menagère (The Household Muse) is dedicated to her, and depicts their daily life together. She wrote the libretti
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for his opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
s Médée and Bolivar.
Further reading
- Milhaud, Madeleine & Clary, Mildred (2002). Mon XXème siècle. Paris: Bleu Nuit Editeur.
- Nichols, Roger (1996). Conversations with Madeleine Milhaud. London: Faber and Faber Limited.