Olivier Messiaen
![Messiaen in 1986](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Lezing_Franse_compoist_Olivier_Messianen_in_Koninklijk_Conservatorium_in_Den_Haag_27_november_1986.jpg)
Messiaen entered the Paris Conservatoire at age 11 and studied with Paul Dukas, Maurice Emmanuel, Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré, among others. He was appointed organist at the Église de la Sainte-Trinité, Paris, in 1931, a post he held for 61 years, until his death. He taught at the Schola Cantorum de Paris during the 1930s. After the fall of France in 1940, Messiaen was interned for nine months in the German prisoner of war camp Stalag VIII-A, where he composed his (''Quartet for the End of Time'') for the four instruments available in the prison—piano, violin, cello and clarinet. The piece was first performed by Messiaen and fellow prisoners for an audience of inmates and prison guards. Soon after his release in 1941, Messiaen was appointed professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatoire. In 1966, he was appointed professor of composition there, and he held both positions until retiring in 1978. His many distinguished pupils included Iannis Xenakis, George Benjamin, Alexander Goehr, Pierre Boulez, Jacques Hétu, Tristan Murail, Karlheinz Stockhausen, György Kurtág, and Yvonne Loriod, who became his second wife.
Messiaen perceived colours when he heard certain musical chords (a phenomenon known as chromesthesia); according to him, combinations of these colours were important in his compositional process. He travelled widely and wrote works inspired by diverse influences, including Japanese music, the landscape of Bryce Canyon in Utah, and the life of St. Francis of Assisi. His style absorbed many global musical influences, such as Indonesian gamelan (tuned percussion often features prominently in his orchestral works). He found birdsong fascinating, notating bird songs worldwide and incorporating birdsong transcriptions into his music.
Messiaen's music is rhythmically complex. Harmonically and melodically, he employed a system he called ''modes of limited transposition'', which he abstracted from the systems of material his early compositions and improvisations generated. He wrote music for chamber ensembles and orchestra, voice, solo organ, and piano, and experimented with the use of novel electronic instruments developed in Europe during his lifetime. For a short period he experimented with the parametrisation associated with "total serialism", in which field he is often cited as an innovator. His innovative use of colour, his conception of the relationship between time and music, and his use of birdsong are among the features that make Messiaen's music distinctive. Provided by Wikipedia
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1by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992Other Authors: “...Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992...”
Published 2017
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3by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 2019
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6by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 1951
Musical Score Book -
7by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 2002
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8by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992Other Authors: “...Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992...”
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9by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 1987
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10by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 2016
Conference Proceeding Audio -
11by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 2023
Musical Score Book -
12by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992Other Authors: “...Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992...”
Published 1999
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13by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 1994
Musical Score Book -
14by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 2015
Conference Proceeding Audio -
15by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992Other Authors: “...Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992...”
Published 2015
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16by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992Other Authors: “...Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992...”
Published 2002
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17by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 1998
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18by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992Other Authors: “...Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992...”
Published 2008
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20by Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992, Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992
Published 1948
Musical Score Book