Messiaen's contemplations of covenant and incarnation : musical symbols of faith in the two great piano cycles of the 1940s / by Siglind Bruhn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bruhn, Siglind.

Series:

Dimension & diversity ; no. 7.

Dimension & diversity ; no. 7

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992. Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus.

Messiaen, Olivier.

Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992. Visions de l'amen.

Music--Religious aspects.

Music.

Symbolism in music.

Physical Description:

296 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Hillsdale, NY : Pendragon Press, [2007]

Summary:

The celebrated composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) characterized himself as a rhythmician, ornithologist, and theologian.All interpreters concur that his life and work are grounded in a profound faith. This book examines the translation of his faith into his musical language. It centers on a hermeutic analysis of two spiritually motiviated instrumental compositions, Visions de l'amen for two pianos (1943) and Vingt Regards sur l?enfant-Jésus/i>for piano solo (1944). Part I introduces the main aspects of the composer's religious environment (the catholic literary revival, his father Pierre and his mentor Charles Tournemire) as well as the components of his idiosyncratic musico-symbolic vocabulary. Parts II and III examine the twenty-seven movements comprised in the Visions and the Regards, whose thematic material, structure, and musical as well as spiritual function within the whole cycle are interpreted in light of the literary source and imagery that inspired Messiaen. This book is part of Siglind Bruhn's Messiaen Trilogy.

Contents:

Messiaen's religious resources

The sevenfold amen in the relationship between God and his creatures

Contemplations of the child at Bethlehem : a multi-demensional symphony.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-288) and index.

ISBN:

9781576471296

1576471292

OCLC:

173299159