When Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) completed the vast opera Saint Fran s d Assise in 1983, he was mentally and physically exhausted, and believed that this monumental work would be his final compositional statement. In fact, he completed seven further works, and these form the focus of the present study. Christopher Dingle suggests that, following the crisis provoked by the opera, Messiaen's music underwent a discernible change in style. He examines these seven works to identify characteristics of the composer's music, in particular an often overlooked aspect of his technique: harmony. Part I of the book begins with a brief historical survey before discussing Saint Fran s d Assise as the work which defines everything that follows. Part II examines the series of miniatures that came after the opera and their links with lairs sur l Au-Del ., his final masterpiece. lairs forms the subject of Part III of the book. Each movement is analysed in turn, before the work is considered as a whole and its hidden structure and motivic cohesion is revealed. Finally, Part IV considers the incomplete Concert and key stylistic features of the works of Messiaen s final years.
- ISBN13 9781351558433
- Publish Date 5 July 2017 (first published 3 January 2013)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Imprint Routledge
- Format eBook
- Pages 392
- Language English