Symphony No. 3 (Milhaud)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 3, op. 271, sub-titled Te Deum, is a work for orchestra and chorus by French composer Darius Milhaud
. The piece originated in a 1946 request by Radio France
for a Te Deum
celebrating the allied victory in World War II
. Instead of confining himself to a setting of the liturgical text, Milhaud delivered a four-movement symphony
in which the orchestra
plays two movements (I and III) alone. The chorus joins without words in Movement II; only in the finale is the Latin text of the Te Deum sung. This symphony is not to be confused with Milhaud's Chamber Symphony No. 3 "Sérénade," op. 71 (1921).
Milhaud's Third Symphony has a total running time of about 27 minutes. The descriptive titles of the movements are as follows:
This symphony is published by Heugel & Cie. Recordings of this symphony currently available include a 1997 all-digital recording by Alun Francis
and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Basel
, part of a boxed set of Milhaud's Symphonies No. 1-12 on CPO.
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...
. The piece originated in a 1946 request by Radio France
Radio France
Radio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...
for a Te Deum
Te Deum
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
celebrating the allied victory in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Instead of confining himself to a setting of the liturgical text, Milhaud delivered a four-movement symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
in which the orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
plays two movements (I and III) alone. The chorus joins without words in Movement II; only in the finale is the Latin text of the Te Deum sung. This symphony is not to be confused with Milhaud's Chamber Symphony No. 3 "Sérénade," op. 71 (1921).
Milhaud's Third Symphony has a total running time of about 27 minutes. The descriptive titles of the movements are as follows:
- Fièrement (approx. 5'45")
- Très recueilli (approx. 10')
- Pastorale (approx. 4')
- Hymnus Ambrosianus—Te Deum (approx. 7'15")
This symphony is published by Heugel & Cie. Recordings of this symphony currently available include a 1997 all-digital recording by Alun Francis
Alun Francis
Alun Francis is a Welsh conductor.-Professional career:Francis was the principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1966 for ten years...
and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Basel
Sinfonieorchester Basel
The Sinfonieorchester Basel is a Swiss orchestra based in Basel. The orchestra performs symphony concerts at the Musiksaal, Basel. The orchestra also serves as the opera orchestra and ballet orchestra for the Theater Basel...
, part of a boxed set of Milhaud's Symphonies No. 1-12 on CPO.