Welcome to oliviermessiaen.net, a website dedicated to the French composer, organist and teacher Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992). This site provides a wealth of information about the composer, his life and works.
The material on this site is Open Access (OA): content is peer-reviewed, information is verified from multiple sources and from current research. Material on the site may be reproduced free of charge providing the author/copyright holder and site are acknowledged. For more information on the copyright and OA policy see here.
During the spring of 2008 the works list will be verified and program notes added, the section on musical language completed and many more photos, programs and Messiaenalia added. Much of the work will be done by students on concurrent Messiaen courses at Boston University (Professor Andrew Shenton) and Bowling Green State University (Professor Robert Fallon).
The editors are soliciting content for the site in several areas: first, information about Messiaen and his music; second, scholarly articles related to Messiaen's life and work which, following peer review, may be posted on the site; and third, archive material including programs, recordings, video, photographs, and recollections. Details about the content we are requesting and methods of submission can be found here. Content is added on a regular basis.
Andrew Shenton, editor
Performance calendar for events from now through the centenary of Messiaen's birth in December 2008.
Recent site additions:
Two new articles by Dr. Robert Sholl:
- Making the Invisible Visible: The Culture, Theology and Practice of Olivier Messiaen's Improvisations.
- Olivier Messiaen, the Avant-Garde, and the Messe de la Pentecôte.
Candidate for the most amazing Messiaen performance of the year: Artem Nyzhnyk.
Information on Messiaen's rhythmic language, synaesthesia and the ondes Martenot in the 'Musical Language' section.
Several updates to the list of Messiaen's students in the 'Scholarship' section.
Call for Papers: The Meadows School of the Arts and The Perkins School of Theology of Southern Methodist University announce an international symposium 'Olivier Messiaen: The Musician as Theologian' celebrating the 100th birthday of the composer. Southern Methodist University/Dallas, 25-26 September 2008. See 'News - conferences' section for more details.
Forthcoming:
An essay on the organists of Messiaen's church, Sainte Trinité in Paris by Reena Linke.
Information on Messiaen's use of modes and of color in the 'Musical Language' section.
Program notes for Messiaen's compositions.
Site updated: 6 May 2008.