Did you know Michel Legrand scored over 200 films and TV shows? He was not just a composer. Michel Legrand was also an arranger conductor jazz pianist and singer.
Michel Legrand was born in Paris. His birth name was Michel Jean Legrand. This happened on February 24 1932. Legrand’s father Raymond Legrand was a conductor and composer. His mother Marcelle Der-Mikaëlian was the sister of conductor Jacques Hélian. His maternal grandfather was Armenian. Music flowed in his veins.
Legrand studied at the Conservatoire de Paris starting at age 11. He worked with Nadia Boulanger. He graduated with top honors as a composer and pianist. At 22 his album I Love Paris became a hit. He worked with jazz stars like Miles Davis and Stan Getz. His sister Christiane Legrand sang with The Swingle Singers. His niece Victoria Legrand is in the band Beach House.
Michel Legrand composed for Jacques Demy’s films. These included The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort. The song You Must Believe in Spring is a jazz standard. Legrand also appeared in Agnès Varda’s Cléo from 5 to 7. He wrote music for Joseph Losey’s Eva. He also worked on The Thomas Crown Affair. This film features The Windmills of Your Mind. Other films include Ice Station Zebra Summer of ’42 and Yentl.
Michel Legrand won three Oscars. He also won five Grammys. He was nominated for an Emmy. His first Oscar was for The Windmills of Your Mind in 1969. He won another for Summer of ’42 in 1972. His third Oscar was for Yentl in 1984.
In 1997 Michel Legrand composed the score for the musical Le Passe-muraille. It premiered on Broadway in 2002 as Amour. He was nominated for a Tony Award in 2003. He recorded Legrand Affair with Melissa Errico.
Michel Legrand died of sepsis. He passed away on January 26 2019. He was 86 years old. He was at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He had been hospitalized for a pulmonary infection. His funeral was at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Paris. Michel Legrand is interred at the Père Lachaise Cemetery.
Michel Legrand’s legacy lives on. His music continues to inspire. He was a true Parisian musical genius.