On a trip to the United States in 1922, Darius Milhaud heard "authentic" jazz on the streets of Harlem, which left a great impact on his musical outlook. Using jazz elements, the following year he finished composing La Création du monde, which was cast as a ballet in six continuous parts. The work was commissioned by the Ballets suédois, a ballet company which was contemporary to Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. The company was very influential in the early 1920s, staging five seasons in Paris and touring continually. The ballet reflects both the ideal of the aesthetic of Les six to combine popular forms of art and a centuries-old French penchant for exotica. Milhaud was very susceptible to all kinds of influences, but it was a different type of exotica that drew him. He was in the Paris of Le jazz hot, singer Josephine Baker, Pablo Picasso's paintings, and the sculptures inspired by African masks. During the early '20s, African fashion was sweeping Paris, and this ballet may have been Ballets suédois' attempt to follow the trend. When Milhaud first heard an American jazz band in London, he was reportedly so captivated that he took off to New York City to spend time in clubs and bars, visit Harlem and mingle with jazz musicians. After returning to France, Milhaud began to write in what he called a jazz idiom. He chose to color his music with bluesy turns of harmony and melody, swinging climaxes, and stomping rhythms. Jazz influences appear in many of his compositions, but this ballet was the first opportunity to express his new passion; even the instrumental grouping draws on his memories of New York City. "In some of the shows," Milhaud noted, "the singers were accompanied by flute, clarinet, trumpets, trombone, a complicated percussion section played by just one man, piano and string quartet."
Reception
At the time, La Création du monde was more a succès de scandale than a true success. The ballet costumes designed by Fernand Léger worked well visually, but were difficult to dance in; the costumes were heavy and too inflexible to allow the dancers to move freely. The costumes and sets from the original performance of La Création du monde still survive in museums and galleries, while the music has taken its place in the concert repertoire. The choreography is revived occasionally out of curiosity.
Instrumentation
The score is written for a small orchestra of eighteen instrumentalists: 2 flutes,, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, alto saxophone, french horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, piano, 3 timpani + 2 small timpani, 1 percussionist, 2 violins, violoncello, double bass. The alto saxophone part appears in the score where a viola part would generally be. Milhaud also made a version for piano and string quartet.
