Darius Milhaud

Darius Milhaud was born in southern France on 4 September 1892 and grew up steeped in Provençal roots that would color his sound. He joined Les Six, the postwar band of French modernists pushing back against Romanticism, and became the most prolific of them all. His ear pulled in jazz, Brazilian music, and the clash of polytonality - melodies in different keys layered until they locked. The output was relentless: symphonies, ballets, chamber works, operas, year after year. He taught at conservatories on two continents and shaped a generation that included Burt Bacharach, Dave Brubeck, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He died on 22 June 1974, leaving a catalog few composers ever match in sheer volume.