Cleveland State University EngagedScholarship@CSU Darius Milhaud Society Newsletters Michael Schwartz Library 1991 The Darius Milhaud Society Newsletter, Vol. 7, Summer/Fall 1991 Darius Milhaud Society Follow this and additional works at: https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/milhaud_newsletters Part of the History Commons, and the Music Commons How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! Recommended Citation Darius Milhaud Society, "The Darius Milhaud Society Newsletter, Vol. 7, Summer/Fall 1991" (1991). Darius Milhaud Society Newsletters. 21. https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/milhaud_newsletters/21 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Michael Schwartz Library at EngagedScholarship@CSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Darius Milhaud Society Newsletters by an authorized administrator of EngagedScholarship@CSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE DARIUS MILHAUD SOCIETY NEWSLETTER Cleveland, Ohio Summer I Fall 1991 Vol. 7, No.2 71ze search for poetic expression ofa text does not consist only of the idea that is in the text, and also to give the dramatic moveme111 giving a musical synonym to the verbal music ofthis text or to the that it implies. weight ofeach ofits syllables. It consists especially ofligluing up the sense, ofgiving sonorous and material prolongation­ physical as a COIJSequence- ofwhat it expresses; to materialize :\tADELEil'iE MILHAUD SPEAKS On May 19, 1991, Madame Madeleine Milhaud was in Cleveland to address the au­ dtence at The Cleveland Institute of Music attending Cemennial Prelude: Choral Music by Darius MiliUIUd. A paraphrase ofher talk follows: Danus Milhaud's love of nature was nurtured by flowers, fragrances, sounds and the landscape surrounding Aix-en-Pro­ vence, his childhood home. Until World War ll he spent his summers at L'Enclos, his grandparents' resi~nce oo the edge of AlX, where be reveled in the garden, and often took pen and paper outdoors to work on his newest composition. Titles ofMilbaud's compositions such as Printemps, L 'Automne, concertinos for the four seasons, pastorales, often express his love of nature. lnsptred by the birth and growth ofthe grand river that bisects ranee, Milhaud dedicated his Eighth Symphony to the Rh6rte. · s work QuaJrains valaisans, dedicated to George Haenni and Madeleine andDarius Milhaud at the dedicotion ofthe Mills Colkge electronic "La chanson valaisanne •, was stimulated by a picnic with Haermi studio in 1963 that the Milhauds enjoyed in Switzerland not far from Rilke's grave. ofOregon, in 1947. When Milhaud !raveled to Brazil with Paul Claude) as an After becoming established at Mills College in Oakland, Cali­ envoy ofthe French Embassy, be was intrigued by the many new fornia, Milhaud's thoughts turned constantly to his invaded coun­ and exotic sounds of the Brazilian forest. During his two-year try, which he hoped would soon be liberated. The desire for stay there, he collaborated with Claude) (who wrote the scenario) French liberation inspired him to choose Bolivar as the subject and Audrey Parr (who designed the costumes) to write his first for an opera. Bolivar liberated his compatriots &om slavery and ballet, L 'hom meet son disir. Although be worked with many all ofSouth Amenca from Spanish domination. In Milbaud's other writers over !he years, Claude! and a friend &om Milbaud's mind the benevolent human qualities of both leaders and people boyhood, Armand Lunel, were his favorite collaborators. were ofthe greatest unportance. lA tragedie humaine, his work Paul Claude! was always ready and willing to contribute his for chorus and orchestra, was written to a text by Agrippe writing whenever needed. For the centennial ofAristide Briand d'Aubigne protesting the 16th-century wars between the Protes­ in 1937, at Mi.lhaud's request Claude I created the text for Canlale tants and the Catholics. LA mort d'un tyran, a protest against dic­ de /.a paix. Milbaud set it for an amateur children's choir, which tatorship, and Chateau du feu, a work written in memory ofthe had been organized by 1'Abbe Maillet to keep the youngsters off Holocaust, also manifested his preoccupation with the human !he street Milbaud wrote Les deux cilis for the same group. It condition. In 1963, he wrote Murder ofa GreaJ ChiefofStale was astonishing how well the children sang those works. In July in memory of John F. Kennedy at the invitation of Gerhard 1937, Milhaud was requested by Charles V ildrac to write a work Samuel, conductor of the Oakland Symphony, three days after for performance at the convention of the International League the President's assassination. The work was performed by that Against Anti-Semitism. Milhaud used Vildrac's poem Main orchestra one week later. tendue awus that encourages the ideals of the brotherhood of Milhaud was deeply devoted to his own Jewish faith while at man. Unfortunately this text is as relevant today as when it was the same time respecting and tolerating the faiths ofothers. His written. The CanJale de /.a gue"e, dedicated to I ' Abbe Maillet, family came from the Comtat Venaissin in the south of France )vith a text by Claude), was set by Milhaud in February 1940. The and had lived there for centuries. When the papacy was seated in Milhauds were forced to flee France for the U.S. in June ofthat Avignon, the Jews ofthe Com tat enjoyed a much more amicable year when the Nazis overran their nation, and as a result, the situation under papal rule than did the Jews in the Kingdom of premiere performances ofthis work. took place at the University France. continued. Darius Milhaud Society Newsletter © 199115715 Chadbourne Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44120 ISSN 0898-1558 HONORARY TRUSTEES HONORARYCO~TTEE Madeleine Milbaud, Chair Maurice Abravanel Vitya Vronsky Babin William Bolcom Grant Johannesen Dave Brubeck Odette Valabregue Wurzburger Charles Jones FOUNDING T~USTEES: Clinton and Katharine Warne, Ursula Korneitchouk Milhaud's first work inspired by his Jewish tradition was his ~tting of Psalm 121 for men's choir, translated by Paul Claude}. In addition to settings of liturgical texts such as Borechu, Kaddish and Shema Yisroel, Milhaud wrote many songs and cantatas which were inspired by the religious music of the Comtat Venaissin. ln 1958 Milhaud accepted a commission to write Three Psalms ofDavid for the Benedictine monastery ofMt Angel in Oregon, whose choir is famous for their knowledge ofGregorian chant He had initially refused to write a t:na$ because he was not a Catholic. In these three Psalm settings, Milbaud alternates plainchant with polyphonic choral sections. Milhaud's writing of the Sacred Service was undertaken with a great sense ofresponsibility. He felt the same seriousness when he wrote Pacem in Terris, with its text drawn from the Encyclical ofPope Jolm XXIll. Milhaud found the Pope's ideas, Madeleine Milhaud wilh Ralph Swickard. Am~ Paturson and Paul O!my, especially the expression of freedom of thought, protection of during the Milhaud O!oral Festival in Ck1•eland. the oppressed and abolition ofdiscrimination, very attractive. As Paul Claudel wrote, Milhaud set forth the professed virtues Les Amours de Ronsard, Milbaud's setting offourpoemsby the ofChristianity as well as those derived from the Old Testament. 16th-century poet Pierre Ronsard, for chorus and eight instru­ ments (flute, clarinet, bassoon, hom, v10Lin, viola, cello and CENTENNIAL PRELUDE As a prelude to the two-season contrabass). celebration of the centennial of Darius Milhaud's birth, the Following the program, dinner to honor Madame Milhaud( Darius Milhaud Society, in cooperation with The Cleveland In­ and the choral directors was served in Le Pavilion. Vice-Presi­ stitute ofMusic, presented a festival ofCleveland premieres of dent Gilbert M. Brooks of The Cleveland Institute of Music the composer's choral music on May 19, 1991. Madame Made­ served as master ofceremonies and David Cerone, PreSident of leine Milhaud traveled from Paris to address an appreciative The Institute, presented Madame Milhaud with a certificate of audience. During the course ofherspeech she presented a poetry appreciation for hersuperb artistry, her devotion to her husband's reading oftexts from Les amours de Ronsard and Main tendue music and her valuable assistance to the Darius Milhaud Society. atous and discussed selections of Milliaud's choral works. Out-of-town guests mtroduced to the assemblage included Participating choral groups included the Cleveland Choral Dr. Paul Cherry, Professor ofMusic at the Uruversity ofSouth Artists, Paul McGahie, director; the Epworth-Euclid Chancel Dakota, Dr. Anne Patterson ofthe University ofCentral Arkan· Choir, Margaret Sihler Anderson, director, the Old Stone Sing­ sas, Conway, Dr. Ralph Swickard of Los Angeles and Ms. ers, Warren Scharf, director; and the Robert Page Singers, Robert Martha Arnold ofMichigan, Director ofthe Strosacker Fowxla­ Page, director. The Old Stone Singers opened the program with t:ion. performance of three a Cappella works: Main Iendue aIOUS' For more information about the music featured on the pro­ Cantate de Ia guem and Cantale de Ia paix. The Main /endue gram, see the article on Madame Milbaud's talk on page I and the atous text is by Charles Vildrac, and both cantatashave texts by quoted publication written for Salabert by editor Jeremy Drake. Paul Claudel. The Robert Page Singers followed with three more a Cappella works: Les deux cites. Naissance de venus and Quatrains va/aisans, composed by Milhaud to texts by Paul The Darius Milhaud Society warmly thanks the following for Claudel, Jules Supervielle and Rainer Maria Rilke, respectively. their valuable work on the Newslener: Ursula Komeitclwukfor Following the intermission, the audience beard three brief typesetting, Susann Bowers for layout, Nancy Fuerst for editing works in Hebrew with organ accompaniment the liturgical texts the last issue as well as this one; also Nana Landgraf, Lucile ofBorechu, Kaddish ard Shema Yisroel.