Olivier
Messiaen (December 10, 1908
– April 27, 1992) was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, widely regarded
as one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex
(he was interested in rhythms from ancient Greek and from Hindu sources); harmonically
and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted
from his early compositions and improvisations. Many of his compositions depict
what he termed "the marvellous aspects of the faith", and drew on his deeply held
Roman Catholicism. He travelled
widely and wrote works inspired by diverse influences such as Japanese music,
the landscape of Bryce Canyon in Utah and the life of St. Francis of Assisi. He
said he perceived colours when he heard certain musical chords, particularly those
built from his modes (a phenomenon known as synaesthesia); combinations of these
colours, he said, were important in his compositional process. For a short period
Messiaen experimented with the parametrisation associated with "total serialism",
in which field he is often cited as an innovator. His style absorbed many exotic
musical influences such as Indonesian gamelan (tuned percussion often features
prominently in his orchestral works). He was one of the first composers to use
an electronic keyboard—in this case, the ondes Martenot—in an orchestral work.
Read
more >>>
| |
