Messiaen Studies

A contributory volume on the work of the influential twentieth-century French composer, Olivier Messiaen.

Robert Sholl (Edited by)

9780521174534, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 3 March 2011

272 pages
24.4 x 17 x 1.4 cm, 0.44 kg

The French composer Olivier Messiaen is one of the major figures of twentieth-century music. This collection of scholarly essays offers new cultural, historical, biographical and analytical perspectives on Messiaen's musical oeuvre from 1941 to 1992. The volume includes: a fascinating snapshot of Messiaen's life in occupied France; a study of the Surrealist poetics of Messiaen's song cycle Harawi; a chapter on Messiaen's iconoclastic path to the avant-garde heritage that he bequeathed to his pupils; discussion on Messiaen's place in twentieth-century music; and detailed analysis of specific works, including his opera St François d'Assise. The chapters provide fresh insights on the origins, style and poetics of Messiaen's music, and therefore provide an inspiration and foundation for future scholarship. Reflecting and expanding upon the broad range of Messiaen's own interdisciplinary interests, the book will be of interest to students and scholars of music, art, literature and theology.

1. Messiaen in 1942: a working musician in occupied Paris Nigel Simeone
2. Love, mad love and the Point Sublime: the Surrealist poetics of Messiaen's Harawi Robert Sholl
3. Messiaen's journey towards asceticism Paul McNulty
4. Forms of love: Messiaen's aesthetics of Éblouissement Sander van Maas
5. Messiaen's mysterious birds Allen Forte
6. Messiaen's Catalogue d'Oiseaux: a musical dumbshow? Jeremy Thurlow
7. The impossible charm of Messiaen's Chronochromie Amy Bauer
8. Composer as performer, recording as text: towards a 'manner of realisation' for Messiaen's music Andrew Shenton
9. 'The art of the most intensive contrast': Olivier Messiaen's mosaic form up to its apotheosis in Saint François d'Assise Stefan Keym
10. Two paths to paradise: reform in Messiaen's Saint François d'Assise Robert Fallon
11. Messiaen and the twentieth century Arnold Whittall.

Subject Areas: Religion: general [HRA], Music [AV]