When Olivier Messiaen died in 1992, the prevailing image was of a man apart; a deeply religious man whose only sources of inspiration were God and Nature and a composer whose music progressed along an entirely individual path, artistically impervious to contemporaneous events and the whims both of his contemporaries and the critics. Whilst such a view contains a large element of truth, the past ten years has seen an explosion of interest in the composer, and the work of a diverse range of scholars has painted a much richer, more complex picture of Messiaen. This volume presents some of the fruits of this research for the first time, concentrating on three broad, interrelated areas: Messiaen's relationship with fellow artists; key developments in the composer's musical language and technique; and his influences, both sacred and secular. The volume assesses Messiaen's position as a creative artist of the twentieth century in the light of the latest research. In the process, it identifies some of the key myths, confusions and exaggerations surrounding the composer which often mask equally remarkable truths. In attempting to reveal some of those truths, the essays elucidate a little of the mystery surrounding Messiaen as a man, an artist, a believer and a musician.
Autorentext
Nigel Simeone
Inhalt
List of Music Examples vii
List of Figures and Tables xi
Notes on the Contributors xiii
Acknowledgements xvii
Editors' Note xix
Introduction xxi
1 Messiaen and cocteau 1
Stephen Broad
2 'l'harmonie de l'univers': Maurice toesca and the genesis of
Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus 13
Edward Forman
3 Messiaen and dutilleux 23
Caroline Potter
4 Les Noces and Trois petites Liturgies: an assessment of
Stravinsky's influence on Messiaen 39
Matthew Schellhorn
5 From Fête des belles eaux to Saint François d'Assise: the
evolution of the writing for Ondes Martenot in the music of
Olivier Messiaen 63
Jacques Tchamkerten
6 Messiaen recorded: the Quatre Études de rythme 79
Peter Hill
7 Messiaen's chords 91
Allen Forte
8 the record of realism in Messiaen's bird style 115
Robert Fallon
9 Musical analysis according to Messiaen: a critical view of a most
original approach 137
Jean Boivin
10 Messiaen - bibliophile 159
Gareth Healey
11 Observations on time in Olivier Messiaen's Traité 173
Andrew Shenton
12 L'Ame en bourgeon 191
Cécile Sauvage (translation and afterword by Philip Weller)
13 the life and works of Jean lurçat (1892-1966) 279
Olivier Messiaen
14 dancing Turangalîla: Messiaen and the ballet 289
Nigel Simeone
15 Frescoes and legends: the sources and background of Saint
François d'Assise 301
Christopher Dingle
16 the works of Olivier Messiaen and the catholic liturgy 323
Père Jean-Rodolphe Kars
Bibliography 335
Index