Messiaen / Peter Hill and Nigel Simeone.

Author/creator Hill, Peter, 1948-
Other author Simeone, Nigel, 1956- author.
Format Book
Publication InfoNew Haven, Conn. ; London : Yale University Press, ©2005.
Descriptionxii, 435 pages : illustrations, portraits, music ; 25 cm
Subjects
Messiaen, Olivier, 1908-1992.
Composers--France. --Biography.

Contents Childhood and the conservatoire: 1908-1929 -- The Trinité and marriage: 1930-1934 -- La Jeune France: 1935-1939 -- Messiaen's war: 1940-1944 -- 'La cas Messiaen' and the Tristan trilogy: 1945-1948 -- Experiment and renewal: 1949-1952 -- Birdsong into music: 1952-1959 -- Public controversy, private happiness: 1959-1963 -- An establishment figure? 1964-1969 -- Splendours of nature: 1970-1974 -- 'Messiaen, faites-moi un opéra': 1975-1978 -- 'Brother Messiaen at the opéra: 1979-1983 -- Inspiration regained: 1984-1987 -- Illuminations of the beyond: 1988-1992.
Abstract More than a decade after his death our knowledge of Messiaen is largely conditioned by what he said about himself--in lectures and interviews, in his work as a teacher, and in the monumental seven-volume treatise that encompassed the whole of his composing world. But Messiaen's public documents conceal as much as they reveal, seldom explaining why a work was written, or what complexities went into its making. Almost nothing has been known about Messiaen's working practices. Indeed, the composer became fanatically secretive about any work in progress, and was similarly reticent about his private life. This is the first book to explore the world that Messiaen was at pains to keep hidden. It has been made possible by the unprecedented access to Messiaen's private archive granted to the authors by the composer's widow, Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen. The archive includes musical sketches, correspondence, lecture notes, diaries, as well as hundreds of photographs, many of which are published here for the first time. Using this remarkable material, Hill and Simeone trace the origins of many of Messiaen's greatest works, and place them in the context of his life, from his years at the Paris Conservatoire, his passionate first marriage to Claire Delbos, through to the immense achievements of his final decades.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN0300109075 (hbk.)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Music Stacks ML410.M595 H55 2005 ✔ Available Place Hold
Music Music Stacks ML410.M595 H55 2005 ✔ Available Place Hold