Germaine Tailleferre
The sole woman in the avant-garde Les Six, she composed with a sparkling wit that defied the masculine conventions of 20th-century French music.
1892–1983 (age 91)·French composer·Birthday: April 19·The Lost Generation
Biography
Germaine Tailleferre’s life was a quiet rebellion set to music. Born outside Paris, she fought her father’s disapproval to study at the Conservatoire, where she met the young composers who would become her collaborators. As the only female member of Les Six, she was never merely a token; her work, from the playful 'Jeux de plein air' for two pianos to her later concertos, possessed a distinctive clarity and melodic charm that stood apart from the group’s more polemical styles. Her career spanned seven decades, surviving personal turmoil and shifting musical tastes, as she continuously produced operas, ballets, and chamber works. Tailleferre’s legacy is that of a composer who navigated a male-dominated field not with confrontation, but with an unwavering, prolific grace, proving that modernism could have a light, distinctly French touch.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Germaine was born in 1892, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Germaine Was Born
The biggest hits of 1892
Germaine's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1892Born
President: Benjamin Harrison
1897Started school
President: William McKinley
1905Became a teenager
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could drive
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Could vote
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1913Turned 21
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Turned 30
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1932Turned 40
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1942Turned 50
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1952Turned 60
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1962Turned 70
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1972Turned 80
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1983Died at 91
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
Key Achievements
- She was the only female composer included in the influential Parisian collective known as Les Six.
- Composed the ballet 'Le Marchand d'oiseaux' in 1923, which became one of her most successful and frequently performed works.
- Received the Grand Prix de la Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques in 1974 for her lifetime contribution to music.
- Her prolific output includes over 130 works, spanning opera, ballet, film scores, and instrumental music.
Did You Know?
She legally changed her surname from Taillefesse to Tailleferre in her early twenties, a move interpreted as a break from her father's control.
She composed her first piano pieces at the age of five.
At 89, she wrote a clarinet sonata, demonstrating her creative energy lasted until the very end of her life.
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