Madeleine Milhaud

Madeleine Milhaud Milhaud (22 March 1902 – 17 January 2008)^[1] was a French actress and librettist. She was both cousin to and wife of composer Darius Milhaud.^[2]

Madeleine Milhaud was born in Paris to Michel and Maria Milhaud.^[3] Her father was from Aix-en-Provence,^[3] and her mother from Brussels. She began acting at a young age, and had a long career as an actress and reciter.^{[citation needed]}

Madeleine married her cousin, Darius Milhaud, in 1925. The couple had one son,^[2][3] Daniel (born 1930 died 2014), a painter. Darius' piano suite La Muse Menagère (The Household Muse) is dedicated to her,^[4] and depicts their daily life together.^[5] She wrote the libretti for his operas Médée, Bolivar, and La mère coupable.^[1]

The family fled France when the Germans were within range of Paris in May 1940. They reached Lisbon and from there sailed to America, where they and their 10-year-old son stayed for the remainder of the war. Darius taught at Mills College (in California) and Madeleine taught American students about French and French theatre. They returned to France in 1946.^[1]

Please note: "Faire un boeuf" in French translate to "to do a jam session". During WW1 when assemblies were not allowed, therefore concert hall were closed, many musicians would meet in cafés or such. Some cafés were too small for ensembles and would practice on the roof of the establishment. When Madelaine Milhaud visited Mills College in the early eighties, Emmanuel of Radio à la Carte was able to have a conversation with her about her husband's playing before they moved to California for a while. She shared that when people asked where they could hear the new young musicians, they would be told that the "Boeuf est sur le toit", the jam sessions is taking place on the roof.

• Milhaud, Madeline (2002). Mon XXème Siècle (in French). Propos recueillis par Mildred Clary. Paris: Bleu Nuit. ISBN 978-2-913575-51-6.
• Nichols, Roger (1996). Conversations with Madeleine Milhaud. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-16055-6.

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