Composed in Paris in 1933, this work was dedicated to Raymond Deiss, owner of the publishing house Deiss. It is well known that the great success of Milhaud's "Scaramouche" (1937) saved the Deiss publishing house, which had fallen into financial difficulties a few years later. Subsequently, Deiss reciprocated Milhaud's kindness by introducing him to partner publishers in the United States and granting him reprint rights for existing works after Milhaud moved to the US to escape the war. Deiss, who remained in France, engaged in resistance activities to oppose the intensifying Nazi invasion but was captured and met an untimely death, being beheaded in a concentration camp in Cologne in 1943. After the war, Deiss Publishing was absorbed by Salabert, entering a period of prosperity as one of France's largest publishers, particularly strong in chanson.

The assessment that this work is an homage to Mendelssohn has become established. Its tonality is approachable, and its bright, modest lyricism is appealing. A good balance of registers is present, and a performance that fully utilizes its beautiful sonorities is desired. It is also noteworthy that the composer himself premiered this work (broadcast premiere on March 5, 1935, on Radio Luxembourg). Milhaud, who described himself as "not a piano virtuoso," incorporated techniques to enhance performance effect while keeping the difficulty manageable in works he performed himself, including concertos with orchestra. Therefore, when selecting Milhaud's piano pieces, whether he performed them himself can serve as a criterion. This work, playable at an intermediate level (Czerny 30 to early 40), will be an excellent repertoire choice for both learners and performers.

Movements

This work should be performed as a complete set of four movements, without excerpts.

• Movement 1: Modéré (Moderately), 2/4 time, D-flat major.
• Movement 2: Vif (Fast), 6/8 time, G major.
• Movement 3: Modéré (Moderately), 4/4 time, F major.
• Movement 4: Modéré (Moderately), 4/4 time, G major.