Work Overview

• Publication Year: 1947
• First Publisher: Mercury Music Corporation
• Instrumentation: Piano solo
• Total Performance Time: Approximately 6.5 minutes (1-2 minutes per piece)

Completed at Mills on July 18, 1946. At this time, Milhaud's chronic illness was unstable, preventing his immediate return to France after the war, so he continued to stay in the United States. This work was commissioned by the Juilliard School and consists of five short pieces chronologically depicting the period from dawn to dusk. Paul Collaer positions this work as introspective music, following Les Muses ménagères (Op. 245). The premiere took place in October 1946 at Carnegie Hall in New York, performed by Andor Foldes (1913-1992). A recording by Foldes was also released in 1952 (coupled with Schubert's Moments Musicaux and Prokofiev's Tales of an Old Grandmother). It includes challenges such as polytonality and counterpoint, making it suitable for advanced learners.

The aim is to perform this work without excerpts, creating a sense of continuous flow.

• 1. L’Aube (Dawn). 4/4 time. Quarter note = 88.
• 2. La Matinée (Morning). 6/8 time. Dotted quarter note = 116.
• 3. Midi (Noon). 3/4 time. Quarter note = 80.
• 4. L’Apres midi (Afternoon). 4/4 time. Quarter note = 112.
• 5. Le Crépuscule (Twilight). 3/4 time. Quarter note = 76.