Le bœuf sur le toit (Milhaud)

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Le bœuf sur le toit op. 58 ( German: The ox on the roof ) is a fantasy for orchestra by Darius Milhaud . There is also a ballet version . The performance lasts approx. 15-20 minutes.

Emergence

During his stay in Brazil from 1916 to 1918, Milhaud came into contact with the local folklore and music world. Back at home in Paris in 1919 he wrote the piece using some Brazilian melodies and subtitled it Cinéma-Fantaisie (English: cinema fantasy). Instead of being used as film music as planned by Milhaud (e.g. as background music for a silent film comedy by Charlie Chaplin ), it was used at its Paris premiere on February 21, 1920 in the Comédie des Champs-Élysées as music for a ballet pantomime production by Jean Cocteau , now subtitled The Do-Nothing-Bar(German: The do-nothing bar ). The title Le bœuf sur le toit is taken from a folk song of the same name.

Ballet version

The plot of the ballet version takes place in a bar during the then newly introduced alcohol ban in the USA . There are different types of people there, including a boxer , a black dwarf , a noble lady, a red-haired woman in men's clothes , a bookmaker , a gentleman in evening wear and the bartender . They wear plus size masks and dance in a slow, pantomime style. When the policeman enters the bar, the bar immediately mutates into a milk bar . Nevertheless, he continues to investigate, but is soon beheaded by the bartender using a monstrous fan . After the red-haired woman has danced with her head and all the guests have left the bar, the bartender reanimates the policeman and lets him pay the bill for the evening.

music

The work is mainly of a cheerful and lively character. The musical form is largely free, but is reminiscent of a rondo and can be called a fantasy, sometimes even a potpourri . At the beginning, the topic appears in its original form. Various melodies follow, each of which is separated from one another by the theme. The various tempo changes and modulations in the work as well as the frequent transposition of the theme are also striking . The rhythms also change constantly. Last but not least, the polytonality becomes noticeable, which in some places allows up to four keys to occur simultaneously and thus leads to harmonic friction and distortion.

reception

The first performance met with a largely positive response, even if Milhaud advanced to become a music clown. Soon some bars were named after the work. The composer, on the other hand, disliked the implementation as a comedy and the spoofing of the piece, which he had actually only created as a collage of Brazilian melodies. In 1921 a version for violin and piano was published. There is also an arrangement for piano four hands.

literature

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