Canon
Where to start with Milhaud
Essential works to know this composer by — spread across their styles-
StageLa création du monde, op. 81 — Ballet
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KeyboardSaudades do Brasil, op. 67
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OrchestralSuite provençale, op. 152a
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Vocal2 Chansons de Madame Bovary, op. 128d
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Chamber3 Divertissement, suite for wind quintet, op. 299b
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StageLe boeuf sur le toit, op. 58 — Ballet
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KeyboardScaramouche: Suite for 2 Pianos, op. 165b
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Orchestral12 Saudades do Brasil, for saxophone and orchestra, op. 67b
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Vocal2 Petits airs, for voice and piano, op. 51
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Vocal2 Poèmes d'amour, songs for voice and piano, op. 30
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Vocal3 Chansons de négresse, songs for voice and orchestra, op. 148b
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Vocal3 Poèmes de Jean Cocteau, songs for voice and piano, op. 59
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Vocal3 Poèmes en prose de Lucille de Châteaubriand, songs for voice and piano, op. 10
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Vocal4 Poèmes de Paul Claudel, songs for voice and piano, op. 26
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Vocal4 Poèms de Latil, for voice and piano, op. 20
Listening guide
Hand-curated paths into Milhaud's catalogueMost Popular
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La Création du mondejazz orchestra — premiered before Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
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Suite provençale
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Scaramouche (two pianos)
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Le boeuf sur le toit (ballet)
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Saudades do Brasil (piano)
Most Acclaimed
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String Quartet No. 14 and No. 15each separate piece; played simultaneously they become an octet
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La Création du monde
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Christophe Colomb (opera)
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Piano Concerto No. 1
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Oresteia (trilogy of operas)
Most Weird
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String Quartets Nos. 14 & 15 simultaneouslythe two quartets are each coherent alone; but they’re composed to also work as an octet when played at the same time
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La Création du monde1923 jazz orchestra — the first classical work to incorporate jazz idioms; premiered 7 months before Rhapsody in Blue
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Machines agricoles Op. 56song cycle — texts from a farming catalogue; pastoral and absurdist
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Catalogue de fleurs Op. 60songs — texts from a flower catalogue
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Les Choéphoresspoken chorus + orchestra + percussion — brutal Aeschylus; the speaking chorus on rhythms without pitch
Similar composers
Same era, overlapping styles — by genre & period affinityWorks 111
- Stage
- ● La création du monde, op. 81 — Ballet
- ● Le boeuf sur le toit, op. 58 — Ballet
- L' Homme et son désir, 'poème plastique' for 4 voices, 12 instruments and 15 percussion, op. 48 — Ballet
- Le train bleu — Ballet
- Les Choëphores, incidental music for vocal quartet, narrator, chorus, and orchestra, op. 24
- Les Malheurs d'Orphée,, op. 85 — Opera
- Moïse, ballet symphonique for orchestra, op. 219
- Keyboard
- ● Saudades do Brasil, op. 67
- Scaramouche: Suite for 2 Pianos, op. 165b
- 9 Preludes, for organ, op. 231b
- Caramel mou, for piano, op. 68arr
- L'Album de Madame Bovary, suite from film score, op. 128b
- La création du monde, reduction of ballet for piano, 4 hands, op. 81b
- La muse ménagère, op. 245
- Le boeuf sur le toit, reduction of ballet for piano, 4 hands, op. 58arr
- Mazurka, for piano
- Tabernacles, for piano
- Orchestral
- Suite provençale, op. 152a
- 12 Saudades do Brasil, for saxophone and orchestra, op. 67b
- 5 Suite française, op. 248b
- Aspen-Serenade, for chamber orchestra, op. 361
- Cello Concerto no. 1, op. 136
- Cinéma fantaisie d'aprés Le boeuf sur le toit, for violin and orchestra, op. 58b
- Concertino d'automne, for 2 pianos and 8 instruments, op. 309
- Concertino d'hiver, for trombone and string orchestra, op. 327
- Concerto no. 1 for 2 Pianos, op. 228
- Concerto, for marimba, vibraphone and orchestra, op. 278
- Concerto, for percussion and chamber orchestra, op. 109
- Le Globe-trotter, suite op. 358arr
- Piano Concerto, no. 2, op. 225
- Scaramouche, suite for clarinet and orchestra, op. 165d
- Scaramouche, suite for saxophone and orchestra, op. 165c
- Suite provencale, op. 152c
- Suite symphonique no. 2, op. 57, "Protée"
- Symphony no. 10, op. 382
- Symphony no. 11, op. 384, "Romantique"
- Symphony no. 12, op. 390, "Rurale"
- Symphony no. 7, op. 344
- Symphony no. 8, "Rhodanienne"
- Symphony no. 9, op. 380
- Vocal
- 2 Chansons de Madame Bovary, op. 128d
- 2 Petits airs, for voice and piano, op. 51
- 2 Poèmes d'amour, songs for voice and piano, op. 30
- 3 Chansons de négresse, songs for voice and orchestra, op. 148b
- 3 Poèmes de Jean Cocteau, songs for voice and piano, op. 59
- 3 Poèmes en prose de Lucille de Châteaubriand, songs for voice and piano, op. 10
- 4 Poèmes de Paul Claudel, songs for voice and piano, op. 26
- 4 Poèms de Latil, for voice and piano, op. 20
- 6 Machines agricoles, song cycle for voice and 7 instruments, op. 56, "pastorales"
- Alissa, song cycle for voice and piano, op. 9
- Cain and Abel, for reciter and orchestra, op. 241
- Cantate de la Guerre, for chorus, op. 213
- Cantate de la Paix, for men's choir and children's choir, op. 166
- Cantate des Proverbes, for women's chorus and small ensemble, op. 310
- Catalogue des fleurs, op. 60
- Chanson bas, for voice and piano, op. 44
- Chansons de Ronsard, for voice and orchestra, op. 223
- Chansons de théâtre, song cycle for voice and piano, op. 151b
- Chants Populaire Hébraïques, for voice and orchestra, op. 86
- D'un cahier inédit d'Eugènie de Guérin, song cycle for voice and piano, op. 27
- Gam Hayom, Palestinian folksong setting for voice and piano, op. 179, no. 2
- Holem Tsaudi, Palestinian folksong setting for voice and piano, op. 179, no. 1
- L' amour chante, songs for voice and piano, op. 409
- Les Soirées de Pétrograd, 12 songs for voice and piano in 2 volumes, op. 55
- Naissance de Vénus, cantata for a capella chorus, op. 292
- Poème du Gitanjali, song for voice and piano, op. 22
- Poème du journal intime de Léo Latil, song for voice and piano, op. 73
- Poèmes de Coventry Patmore, songs for voice and piano, op. 31
- Poèmes juifs, songs for voice and piano, op. 34
- Psalm 122, for male a capella chorus, op. 72
- Quatrain à Albert Roussel, song for voice and piano, op. 106
- Rêves, for voice and piano, op. 233
- Service sacre pour le samedi matin, for solo voice, reciter, chorus and orchestra, op. 279
- Tristesses, for voice and piano, op. 355
- Vocalise, op. 105
- Chamber
- 3 Divertissement, suite for wind quintet, op. 299b
- 4 Visages for Viola and Piano, op. 238
- 5 Suites de Concert aprés La création du monde, for piano quintet, op. 81arr
- Caprice, for clarinet and piano, op. 335a
- Cello Sonata, op. 377
- Clarinet Sonatina, op. 100
- Corcovado, arranged for flute and guitar, op. 67, no. 7arr
- Duo Concertante, for clarinet and piano, op. 351
- Elégie, for cello and piano, op. 251
- Exercice musical, for pipe and piano, op. 134
- Flute Sonatina, op. 76
- Jacob's Dreams, dance suite for oboe, string trio and double-bass, op. 294
- La Cheminée du Roi René, suite for wind quintet, op. 205
- Le Printemps, for violin and piano, op. 18
- Little Symphony, for 10 winds no. 5, 'Dixtour d'instruments à vent', op. 75
- Little Symphony, for chamber orchestra no. 3,, op. 71, "Sérénade"
- Pastorale, for oboe, clarinet and bassoon, op. 147
- Rag-caprices, for chamber orchestra, op. 78arr
- Sonata, for 2 violins and piano, op. 15
- Sonatina for Viola and Cello, op. 378
- Sonatina for Violin and Cello, op. 324
- Sonatina for Violin and Viola, op. 226
- Stanford Serenade, for oboe and 11 instruments, op. 430
- String Quartet no. 1, op. 5
- String Quartet no. 6, op. 77
- String Quartet no. 7, op. 87
- String Quartet no. 8, op. 121
- Suite d'après Corrette, for oboe, clarinet and bassoon, op. 161b
- Suite for Violin, Clarinet, and Piano, op. 157b
- Sumaré, arranged for cello and piano, op. 67, no. 6arr
- Ségoviana, for guitar, op. 366
- Viola Sonata no. 1, op. 240
- Viola Sonata no. 2, op. 244
- Violin Sonata no. 2, op. 40
- Élégie pour Pierre, for viola, timpani and 2 percussionists, op. 416
- Études sur des thèmes liturgiques du comtat Venaissi, for string quartet, op. 442