Work Overview

• Publication Year: 1942
• First Publisher: Mercury Music Corporation
• Instrumentation: Piano solo
• Total Performance Time: Approximately 11 minutes (each movement approximately 2-3 minutes)

Milhaud, who emigrated to the United States in July 1940 to escape the Nazi invasion, obtained a teaching position at Mills College in Oakland, California. The solid academic tradition of Mills College suited Milhaud's temperament, and he devoted himself energetically to nurturing the next generation. Thanks to Milhaud's efforts, Mills College quickly became a prestigious institution, attracting talented young people from across the United States, including Dave Brubeck, Burt Bacharach, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and William Bolcom, to study under him. In this work, the third movement is titled after Alameda, a port town near Mills, and dedicated to Copland, while the fourth movement is titled "Sobre la Loma" (On the Hill), referring to the verdant location of his home, and dedicated to Ms. Reinhardt, the college president who gave it this Spanish name. These details illustrate Milhaud's integration into his new environment. It was also fortunate for Milhaud that the climate of the American West Coast resembled that of his native South of France.

The first and second movements evoke the gentle pastoral charm of Le Roi René (Op. 205), while the third and fourth movements employ Latin rhythms, possessing a positive popular appeal that would satisfy those who first encountered Milhaud through Scaramouche (Op. 165b). An orchestral version of the complete work (Op. 227b) exists, which received its broadcast premiere on CBS in New York in October 1943. There are also versions for woodwind quintet and for clarinet and piano, titled Two Sketches (Op. 227c), which reverse the order of the first and second movements and present them as independent pieces. In Two Sketches, "Eglogue" is retitled "Pastoral," and some notations refer to it as Op. 227b instead of Op. 227c. Because it was written in parallel with these various instrumental arrangements, the piano version presents challenges such as a high number of voices and large leaps. However, it is a highly approachable collection that more than compensates for these difficulties.

• Movement 1: Eglogue (Eclogue). Animé, mais sans hâte (Lively, but without haste). 6/8 time, A major. Completed on May 20, 1941, in Oakland, California. Dedicated to Monique and Jean Leduc.
• Movement 2: Madrigal. The tempo marking is missing in the piano version, but it is appropriate to apply the "Moderato" marking found in the woodwind quintet version. 4/4 time, F major. Completed on August 10, 1941, in Oakland, California.
• Movement 3: Alameda. Mouvement de Habanera (In the style of a Habanera). 2/4 time, G minor. Completed on October 2, 1941, at Mills. Dedicated to Aaron Copland.
• Movement 4: Sobre la Loma (On the Hill). Mouvement de Rumba (In the style of a Rumba). 8/8 time, G major. Completed on September 15, 1941, at Mills. Dedicated to Aurelia Reinhardt.