(b Paris, Oct 13, 1900; d Evecquemont, July 23, 1973). French composer, pianist and conductor. He began his career as a pianist, receiving a premier prix at the Paris Conservatoire in 1916 and gaining recognition for his recital performances, of Debussy especially. He also conducted his own orchestra, which, in the Gaillard concerts he founded, performed both classical and contemporary French repertory. In 1921 he was commissioned to write music for the silent film El Dorado directed by Marcel l’Herbier. Debussian in idiom, this 100-minute score for symphony orchestra is considered a landmark in European film music. Between 1933 and 1959 Gaillard wrote scores for 40 films, including feature films by L’Herbier and Cavalcanti, and documentaries. The interaction of classical form and non-European musical influence is a recurring feature of Gaillard’s large output of concert works. La passion noire, a cantata for triple chorus and large orchestra (including ondes martenot) inspired by Bach’s Passions and African music, enjoyed a ...