The Composer and Dance Collaboration in the Twentieth Century: Darius Milhaud’s Ballets, 1918-1958

Sandra S. Yang, Cedarville University

Abstract

Darius Milhaud wrote twenty-two ballets from 1918 to 1958, but only two of them, Le boeuf sur le toil and La creation du monde are commonly included in music histories of the twentieth century. While discussion of these ballets centers around analyses of the music, the fact is often neglected that Milhaud wrote these in collaboration with choreographers, artists, scenarists, and directors of dance companies. A good number of Milhaud's ballets were successful on the stage, but have been somewhat forgotten as concert or recorded works. These include L'homme et son desir, Les maries de Ia Tour Eiffel, Salade, Le train b/eu, Les songes, Moise, Les cloches, and 'Adame Miroir. This dissertation seeks to accomplish two purposes: to present a survey of Milhaud's entire output of ballet music and to study the effects of the collaborative team on each of these musical compositions.