Little (Chamber) Symphony No. 1 “Le Printemps” Op. 43, as the first of a collection of six “Little Symphonies,” by
Darius Milhaud is a symphony by name, due to its length of just over 3 minutes. This piece should not be confused with Milhaud's Symphony No. 1. The piece was composed in Rio de Janeiro in the year 1917. It first premiered in Rio de Janeiro in 1918, and was published by Universal in 1922. The influence of Brazilian culture, jazz, and polytonality is very clearly seen in this series of symphonies. According to Milhaud himself, he was quite attracted to the unusual quality of small groups of instruments, which is why he embarked on his series of Petites Symphonies. Due to the fact that he was living in Brazil, acting as assistant to the diplomat/poet Paul Claudel, at the time he wrote this first symphony some of the Brazilian influence can be viewed in his work. This first symphony was written for piccolo, flute, clarinet, oboe, harp, 2 violins, viola, and cello. Overall, this piece has a very simple melody, contains polytonal elements, and possesses a pastoral, folkish feeling throughout. The melodies and pitches evoke a light, airy feeling, such as that of the spring, thus alluding to the symphony's subtitle.
