The American Classical Music Hall Of Fame offers a complimentary smartphone application for playing inductee music through your phone and also through Washington Park’s PA system.
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Born in 1892
Composer
Inducted in 2002
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and professor, and a member of Les Six, a group of young composers trying to break away from the traditions of Richard Wagner and the Impressionists. On a trip to the United States in 1922, Milhaud discovered jazz, which had a great impact on his musical outlook. He emigrated to America in 1940 and was appointed to the faculty of Mills College, Oakland, California. Among his students were Dave Brubeck, Iannis Xenakis, Steve Reich, Burt Bacharach, William Bolcom, Philip Glass, and several other composers who went on to illustrious careers. In Milhaud’s enormous output are eighteen string quartets, twelve symphonies, three operas, three ballets, and dozens of choral works, film scores, and pieces for various ensembles the most famous being an orchestral piece, The Creation of the World, a blend of jazz and classical sensibilities. In 1947, Milhaud was confined to a wheelchair by rheumatic arthritis and cared for by his devoted wife. The same year, he took a teaching position at the Paris Conservatory. He continued a fulltime career, and spent alternative academic years at Mills College and the Paris Conservatory until 1971. His influence continues even today.