born Sept. 4, 1892, Aix-en-Provence, France
died June 22, 1974, Geneva, Switz.
French composer.
Milhaud studied at the Paris Conservatoire, then at the Schola Cantorum with Vincent d'Indy . He became known as one of Les Six , a group of young French composers. His music is characterized by polytonality (simultaneous use of different keys), as in Saudades do Brazil (1921); though dissonant, his compositions retain a lyrical quality. The influence of jazz is audible in his best-known work, the ballet The Creation of the World (1923). He wrote many ballets, operas, and film scores in the 1920s, culminating in the grand opera Christophe Colomb (1928). Milhaud had a longtime association with the Aspen Music Festival, which he helped found in 1949.