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Chapter 24 - Messiaen as Orchestrator

from Part III - Composers, Performers, and Critics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 November 2023

By
Christopher Dingle
Edited by
Robert Sholl
Robert Sholl
Affiliation:
Royal Academy of Music and University of West London
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Summary

Messiaen’s use of orchestral colour is integral to the projection of his distinctive sound world. This chapter charts his development as an orchestrator, starting with his inheritance from the French tradition, not least his composition teacher Paul Dukas, as well as figures such as Stravinsky and Bartók. It outlines how Messiaen removed key traces of the nineteenth-century orchestral sound world from his palette and introduced new instruments and new approaches to the orchestra, including distinctive new combinations of ensembles. It discusses the exceptional challenge posed by Des canyons aux étoiles…, and considers the exceptional refinement of the music of his later years.

Keywords

orchestrationcolourtechniqueFrench traditions
Type
Chapter
Information
Messiaen in Context , pp. 221 - 230
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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