DROUOT
Tuesday 12 Dec at : 14:00 (CET)

DARIUS ET MADELEINE MILHAUD, 10 boulevard de Clichy

Giquello - 01.47.42.78.01 - Email CVV

Salle 2 - Hôtel Drouot - 9, rue Drouot 75009 Paris, France
Exhibition of lots
samedi 09 décembre - 11:00/18:00, Salle 2 - Hôtel Drouot
lundi 11 décembre - 11:00/18:00, Salle 2 - Hôtel Drouot
mardi 12 décembre - 11:00/12:00, Salle 2 - Hôtel Drouot
Information Conditions of sale Experts
Live
Register
131 results
Gallery

Lot 6 - [ÉCOLE D'ARCUEIL] - Set of 5 documents. Autograph musical manuscript signed (s.l.) "23.3.82". 3 pp. in-8 oblong. On the first page autograph indication "80 notes en forme de valse pour l'anniversaire de Madeleine Darius Milhaud composé par son vieil ami fidèle Henri Sauguet" inside the bifeuillet we find indeed 80 notes, on 5 staves. Below these, "Pour souhaiter un heureux anniversaire à Madeleine" (To wish Madeleine a happy birthday). - Autograph manuscript Ouverture (s.l.n.d.) 1 p. in-folio oblong (35 x 27.2 cm) a few tears at upper margin. 24 measures in pencil, on 11 staves. At the end of the opening, pencil indication "Enchainez avec la scène" ("Go on with the scene"). Indication at the bottom of the page for the engraver "prière de graver la reprise [...]" - Signed musical manuscript, Mélodie dedicated to Darius Milhaud, Paris, July 16, 23. 2 ½ pp. in-folio (27 x 35.2 cm). On title page indication of author, title, dedicatee and date. Inside the bifeuillet, 34 bars on 15 staves, two lines of singing. At the end of the score, signature of Henri Sauguet, dated 11/7/22. - Signed autograph manuscript entitled Le plumet du colonel, Paris, January - April 1924. 101 pp. in-folio (27, 5 x 35 cm). A cardboard folder bearing the composer's name, title and engraving indication protects the score. It consists of a title leaf with the above indications and the news "Opéra bouffe en 1 acte", a first dedication "1924 à ma mère et à mon père", a second dedication to Madeleine and Darius Milhaud dated 14. 4. 29. The score of this first opéra bouffe is rich in pencil and ink corrections, indications for playing and singing ; - BRIL France-Yvonne, Henri Sauguet, Seghers, Paris, 1967, 191 pp. in-12 (13,7 x 16 cm). Slightly worn, with a long letter to Darius and Madeleine Milhaud "[...] affectionate gratitude for a wonderful friendship of more than forty years! [...] ".

Estim. 600 - 700 EUR

Lot 12 - STRAVINSKY Igor (1882-1971) - 13 documents, (the scores are arranged by date of dedication). Letter signed "Your I. Strav" with autograph annotations, place and date, addressed to Darius Milhaud, Hollywood, April 16, 44. 1 p. Enclosed 9 reproductions of drawings by Jean-Cocteau, envelope retained. Interesting letter mentioning the Canadian composer Charles Jones, a mutual acquaintance of the two composers. He also sends him "photostats of Cocteau's drawings" (which are well-presented throughout), mentions his work that he may or may not honor, i.e. a reading and a "classical ballet" for Billy Rose, and adds in his own handwriting concerning his reading, which he thinks he will have to postpone: "It all depends on my trip to New York in September, which I hope will be decided in a week's time [...]". He concludes his letter with the situation in France: "We no longer leave the radio, alas, but that will not hasten the enemy's defeat [...]". [...]". - Théodore Strawinsky, Le Message d'Igor Strawinsky, Libraire F. Rouge S.A., Lausanne, 1948, in-12 on Hollande van Gelder, our copy no. 616. Beautiful mailing addressed to Madeleine and Darius "this 'message' from Theodore and affectionate thoughts from his father I. Stravinsky 1949" - Beautiful set of 11 dedicated, dated and signed scores. Some envelopes have been preserved, bearing the address or autograph indications: TANGO, piano solo. Dedicated score, dated (1941), signed, published by Mercury Music Corporation (24 x 33 cm). Retained envelope. Attached to the Tango score, a score entitled The Star-Spangled Banner, signed by Darius Milhaud. - RENARD, MARCHE, photocopies of these scores, dedicated, dated (Hollywood, 1942) and signed (21 x 28 cm). These scores are protected in a makeshift binding made from two pieces of cardboard and Craft paper. - DANCES CONCERTANTES for Chamber Orchestra, dedicated score, dated (1943), signed on the title page. Published by Associated Music Publishers, INC. (23 x 33 cm). - SONATA for two piano, photocopy of this score, dedicated to Darius Milhaud (above the printed signature) (23.6 x 30 cm). Retained envelope (May 1944 postmark), autograph address. - DANCES CONCERTANTES for Chamber Orchestra, dedicated score, dated (Sept 1943), signed, published by Associated Music Publishers, INC. (23 x 33 cm). SCHERZO A LA RUSSE, photocopy of this score (28 x 37 cm). Retained envelope with autograph notation "Scherzo a la Russe orch. Score (copy) and Circus Polka orch; score. For Darius Milhaud white Love I. Strawinsky oct 44". - FOUR NORWEGIAN MOODS for orchestra, Dedicated score, dated (Hollywood, August 1946), signed, published by Associated Music Publishers, INC. (15, 2 x 23 cm). - PERSÉPHONE melodrama in 3 parts by André Gide, score dedicated to "Madame (Milhaud)", dated (June 1947), and signed (runs caused by the presence of water). It is also dedicated in blue ink by Everell (?) "For Milhaud M his 1942 Birthday". This score is preserved in a blue cloth binding, gilt author and title. Very interesting working score, richly annotated by two very different hands (black ink and blue pen), the one in black ink could be by Igor Stravinsky. Some of the corrections resemble paperolles (pieces of typed text stuck together with adhesive tape). - OEDIPUS REX, Dedicated score, dated (May 1949), signed, published by Boosey & Hawkes (17.7 x 25.5 cm). - APOLLON MUSAGETE orchestral score, doubly dedicated, dated (Sept. 4, 50 and 58), signed, published by Boosey & Hawkes (26.6 x 33 cm). - RENARD, Sheet music dedicated, dated (Oct 50), signed, published by J. & W. Cherster, LTD London (13.5 x 18.4 cm).

Estim. 800 - 1 000 EUR

Lot 26 - CARÊME Maurice - The voice of silence. With a portrait of his mother by the author. Bruxelles, chez l'auteur, 1951. In-8 paperback. First edition. One of 750 copies on fine vellum. Address: to Madame and Maître Darius Milhaud, with the hope that they will like this little suite from "Mère", which they have done me the immense honor of making famous. With the most cordial remembrance of Maurice Carême. May 1951. Enclosed is an autograph card signed by Maurice Carême, addressed to Madame and Monsieur Darius Milhaud: I am sending you today, with some emotion, a little suite from Mère that you have made famous. I fervently hope you will enjoy La Voix du Silence, in which I have endeavored to bring back to life the woman you immortalized. It would be infinitely gratifying to learn that you do not find this collection inferior to the first. I have chosen this carte-vue to remind you of a city where you are admired and where you have been celebrated so many times. Yours sincerely Maurice Carême. Nine other volumes are included, all sent to Darius and Madeleine Milhaud: La lanterne magique. S.l., 1947, from the author. - La passagère invisible. Brussels, A l'enseigne de la sirène, 1950. - La bille de verre. Illustrated by Elisabeth Ivanovsky. Bruxelles, La renaissance du livre, 1951. - Le voleur d'étincelles. Cover & lettering by Rodolphe Strebelle. Bruxelles, chez l'auteur, 1956. - La cage aux grillons. Paris, éditions Bourrelier, 1959. - Entre deux mondes. - L'envers du miroir. Drawings by Marcel Delmotte. Paris, Fernand Nathan, 1973. - Florilège Poétique de Maurice Carême. Poems selected by Pierre Menanteau. Brussels, published by the author, 1969. - Nouveau Florilège Poétique de Maurice Carême. Blainville-sur-Mer, L'amitié par le livre, 1976.

Estim. 150 - 200 EUR

Lot 32 - CLAUDEL Paul.Darius MILHAUD et Audrey PARR - Man and his desire. Plastic poem. Rio, 1917. In-4, composed of 7 cardboard panels joined and accordion-folded, in a silk folder. First edition of this singular work, handmade in 50 copies, with collages by Audrey Parr and text copied by Claudel himself. Claudel's autograph poem, cut and pasted on five panels, represents approximately 4 pages in-4. A set of cut-out dancers stands out against a blue background. On the reverse, Darius Milhaud's music, written in large black paper notes, occupies two-thirds of the page. The upper part is made up of a frieze of blue paper, against which the musicians stand out in black paper, their instruments in gold paper. L'homme et son désir was born in Brazil, where Claudel, appointed "Minister of France", had hired Darius Milhaud as his secretary. Darius Milhaud recounted the genesis of the ballet in terms that shed light on the very form of this unexpected edition: "Few works have given us so much fun to build... While I was writing my score, Claudel was imagining the smallest details of his choreography at the home of our friend Mrs Audrey Parr, who, on Claudel's instructions, designed our set. She had a charming home in Petropolis, where we used to come for weekends to rest from the heat of the tropical summer. There she had built a tiny theater that stood on a table... We used colored paper to cut out fifteen-centimeter characters, and that's how we set up our ballet. The exact number of copies produced is not mentioned anywhere; bibliographers list 53. This one bears the calligraphic number 3, in the name of Hélène Hoppenot. Darius Milhaud signed and dated his score "Milhaud Rio 1918", in a glued frame he added. The copy is presented in the silk folder with parrot heads that accompanied the 3 maquettes making up the original manuscript. Very slight dampening to the edges of the cover panels. Attached is a precious set of documents for L'Homme et son désir: 4 pen-and-ink sketches 13 x 20.5 cm, 3 pen-and-pencil drawings, 21.5 x 27.5 cm, 14 x 32 cm, 25 x 34 cm, two large collages by Audrey Parr of glazed paper laminated to cardboard, describing the staging 25 x 33.55 cm, and a pastel depicting the set 11 x 15.5 cm, laminated to a sheet of black canson, titled in white L'Homme et son Désir. Hélène HOPPENOT (1894-1990), diarist and photographer, was the wife of diplomat Henri Hoppenot, author of a correspondence with Alexis Léger. She took up photography with Paul Claudel. In 1917, she accompanied her husband to Rio de Janeiro, where they were welcomed by Paul Claudel and his secretary Darius Milhaud. The three remained close friends. She often sketched them in her diary, which she kept from 1918 to 1974. L'Homme et son désir was Claudel's first musical collaboration, and several others followed, including Arthur Honegger's Jeanne au bûcher. It was also one of Milhaud's first ballets, and one of the first attempts to spatialize music, the set being designed so that the orchestra was dispersed and sounds came from all sides. It premiered on June 6, 1921, choreographed by Jean Börlin and performed by Les Ballets suédois under the orchestral direction of Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht.

Estim. 8 000 - 10 000 EUR

Lot 92 - Fernand LÉGER (1881-1955) - The creation of the world Watercolor, gouache, on paper mounted on cardboard, signed and dedicated lower right to Darius fraternellement and annotated in black pencil création du monde maquette décor. 45.5 x 47.5 cm Freckles, slight traces of scratches, small pinhole. Exhibition : - Darius Milhaud, Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, May 28 to June 8, 1968, n°59 Darius Milhaud, Fernand Léger and the creation of the ballet La Création du Monde, premiered on October 25, 1923 at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. Argument by Blaise Cendrars, music by Darius Milhaud, sets and costumes by Fernand Léger, choreography by Jean Börlin. On his return from New York in 1923, Darius Milhaud, Blaise Cendrars and Fernand Léger commissioned a piece for Rolf de Maré's Ballets Suédois. Inspired by his Anthologie nègre (1921), Cendrars wrote a libretto on the creation of the world, with three primitive African divinities representing aspects of the world's creation: the animal and vegetable kingdoms, and the deities. Strolling through Paris, the three artists begin their ballet. Madeleine Milhaud, in Mon XXe siècle, recounts: "... they decided to compose La Création du Monde, and to do so, it's rather amusing to think that their work consisted of hanging out at the rather shady balls around Bastille. To avoid being noticed, they wore caps and scarves, and probably had to walk in a slightly swaying manner. Milhaud was scared to death, I must say! But he was very amused... And so La Création du Monde was born. I must admit that in my life I've never seen such sumptuous sets as those by Fernand Léger. In Ma Vie heureuse, Darius Milhaud explains that Léger "wanted to interpret primitive Negro art and paint divinities on the curtain and scenery that would express power and darkness". To make the trees and animals on the set terrifying, he first imagined them in balloon form, so that they could be inflated with gas during the performances. This soon proved impossible, as the noise of the gas machine was too loud and would have masked Milhaud's music. Abandoning this idea, he took his inspiration from the animal costumes worn by African dancers during religious ceremonies. To this sacred dance, prefiguring the revues nègres, Darius Milhaud proposed a music that was thoroughly modern, blending classical composition with his research into jazz. He composed his orchestra like those in Harlem, which he had observed in 1922, with seventeen solo musicians. Favoring wind instruments and relegating the piano and strings to a purely rhythmic role, he created an "absolutely different music" that was "rooted in the darkest elements of the Negro soul, the African vertigo". This ballet is one of the few cases, if not the only one, in which Léger draws inspiration from African art. "As a starting point, I take Negro statues from the high period. As documents, original dances. Under the aegis of three eight-meter-tall Negro gods, we witness the birth of men, plants and animals," asserts Fernand Léger. He drew his inspiration from the works of Marius de Zayas and Carl Einstein, and took as his guideline the simplicity, purity and imposing mass of African masks. To the ethnic colors of black, white and ochre, he adds blues and reds. The birds and sorcerers he depicts on stage are an extension of the set, contributing to the background of terror he aims to make ever more frightening. Just as Milhaud's set mingles with the characters, his music, divided into six parts, interlock and mirror each other. Three main themes recur throughout the ballet, complementing each other in an arc-shaped musical architecture, while a central fugue runs through them in counterpoint and polytonality, evoking a European model amidst jazz inspirations. The drama of The Creation of the World, from cruel disorder to appeasement, was at first widely criticized. The argument, like that of the Ballets Suédois, is more "intelligence and painting than dance", according to Fernand Divoire. Darius Milhaud's music is recognized for its admirable ability to "cover nothing with a more or less violent varnish", but for the critics, it remains rather simple. The day after the premiere on October 25, 1923, Milhaud wrote to Paul Collaer: "The press is despicable. I'm jubilant", responding to the indignation caused by a jazz piece in a concert hall. The lukewarm reception of his music later gave way to rave reviews from critics after 1923. Today, the score is considered to be one of Milhaud's most successful and best-known works, and a prime example of the fruitful encounter between jazz and music.

Estim. 40 000 - 60 000 EUR