DOCSLIB.ORG

DX225792.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
DX225792.Pdf This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ Olivier Messiaen and the culture of modernity Sholl, Robert The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 09. Oct. 2021 Olivier Messiaen and the Culture of Modernity Robert Peter Sholl Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of King's College, University of London, for the degree of PhD. 2003 BL UNW. Robert Sholl Précis Olivier Messiaen and the Culture of Modernity This study interprets the French composer Olivier Messiaen as a religious modernist with a view to revealing a new critical perspective on the origin, style and poetics of his music and its importance in the twentieth century. Chapter 1 reveals how certain socio-political ideals and symbolist notions of catharsis and redemption (in the writings of Joséphin Péladan and Joris-Karl Huysmans) are refracted through Charles Tournemire's music and aesthetics, and incorporated by Messiaen into his earliest compositions to support his self-proclaimed role of the 'liberator' of humanity in his Technique de mon langage musical (TMLM). Plainchant and the 'acciaccatura principle' are shown in Chapter 2 to be at the basis of Messiaen's modes of limited transposition and his harmonic thinking. Mode is used as an umbrella term relating pitch, rhythm and colour to unveil interpretative possibilities not envisaged in TMLM. Time and eternity (in the writings of St Thomas Aquinas and Henri Bergson), and the Catholic ideals of predestination and fihiation (in the thought of Dom Columba Marmion), are investigated in Chapter 3 in relation to two major works of the 1930s. Chapter 4 elucidates Messiaen's subsumption of surrealist ideals of art and love in his music and aesthetics. In doing so the religious-modernist poetics in his songs of the 1930s and the complex music of the 1940s is explored. Messiaen's synthesis of colour and improvisation in his treatment of birdsong, one of the most strikingly original, religious and modern aspects of his music, is examined in Chapter 5. The final chapter exposes the ways in which Messiaen's music attempts to transfigure the negative aesthetics of modernity through a discussion of the concept of the 'Abyss', and his autobiographical opera St Fran çois d'Assise (1975-83). Robert Sholl 3 Contents Title 1 Précis 2 Table of Contents 3 Acknowledgements 4 Opening quotes 5 Introduction 6 Chapter 1 Catholicism and Catharsis 15 Chapter 2 Rites of Passage: Modes, Rhythms and 'The Charm 76 of Possibilities' Chapter 3 Of Time, Eternity and Love 153 Chapter 4 Love, Mad Love and the 'Point Sublime' 210 Chapter 5 Of Colour, Improvisation and Birdsong 260 Chapter 6 Olivier Messiaen and the Culture of Modernity 320 Bibliography 367 Robert Sholl Acknowledgements Many people have helped me in this study. First of all I would like to thank my three supervisors; Christopher Wintle who oversaw the first part of this project, John Deathridge who has lent a critical eye and ear throughout, and Daniel Chua whose wise counsel has benefited my work immeasurably. I would also like to thank Irene Auerbach, who has patiently and generously given her time to proof-read this work, and my examiners, Nigel Simeone and Arnold Whittall, for their invaluable advice and suggestions. Furthermore, I acknowledge with gratitude the support of the British Academy and the University of London Central Research Fund. There are many others who have aided me in this endeavour. When I was still at school I arrived home one day to find an envelope that had been sent from England marked 'Fragile: Do not bend'. Knowing that I was interested in Messiaen, Dennis Hunt had sent me a copy of Messiaen's Apparition de l'Eglise éternelle that had come via several other hands from Messiaen himself. This set me on a road of inquiry. Thanks also go to Jane O'Brien who first inspired me to enjoy and value musical research. In addition, many avid musical conversations with Felix Aprahamian and David Trendell have been an invaluable source of motivation throughout. Anna McCready has read various drafts of this study which has profited both from her critical wisdom and support. I would like to thank my parents, Peter and Ann, and my two sisters, Edwina and Diana, for their continual love and support. Finally, the year 2002 has seen the death of my oldest and dearest friend, Lindsay O'Neill, without whom nothing would have been begun. This work is dedicated to his memory. Robert S/wi! 5 'There are people in the world who can easily bear the wailing of factory sirens, the blaring of car horns, the stupid barking of dogs, but who are unable to hear birdsong without disquiet. Birds sing for themselves alone. But it happens that, in order to sing the loudest, certain birds search out the brotherhood of mankind.' (Pierre Reverdy) 'Where is the sculptor who could retrieve with the point of his chisel the naiveté of past centuries?' (Viollet-le-Duc) Robert Sholl Introduction 6 Introduction In a programme note for a concert given on 10 May 1943, Olivier Messiaen summed up his life thus far: Son of the poetess Cécile Sauvage (who wrote for his birth L 'âme en bourgeon) Olivier Messiaen was born on 10 December 1908 at Avignon (Vaucluse). He began to compose following his own instinct, from the age of seven. Then he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he obtained the first prizes for piano accompaniment, counterpoint and fugue, history of music, organ and improvisation, and finally the first prize for composition. For 10 years he taught at the Ecole Normale de Musique, and at the Schola [Cantorum]. In October 1931, he was appointed organist of La Trinité; he founded, in 1936 - with André Jolivet, [Jean Yves] Daniel-Lesur and Yves Baudrier - the group 'Jeune France'. Since April 1941, he has been professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatoire. Beyond his traditional studies, Olivier Messiaen has worked on plainchant and Hindu rhythms; he is passionate about quarter tones and birdsong. Above all, since he began composing, he has utilised a particular language without any attachment to a school. He has sought to determine [fixer] these principal traits in his recent work: Technique de mon langage musical (currently in press). The procedures of this language - melodic procedures (binary and ternary phrases, upbeats [anacrouses] and terminations [désinances]), harmonic procedures (modes of limited transposition), rhythmic procedures (added values, augmented rhythms and non-retrogradable rhythms) Robert Sholl Introduction - and the bizarre terminology used to describe them, have often been criticised - perhaps wrongly! Because the author did not know the workings of this language until recently, he exploited them unwittingly [sans le faire exprès] throughout these years. Olivier Messiaen is above all a Catholic musician. Religious or not, his works carry the mark of the Christian faith, and implicitly sing of the mystery of Christ. Nearly all are published [chez Durand, Leduc, and Lemoine (crossed out)]. They already form quite a large catalogue. We cite: Preludes for piano (1929) - les Offrandes oubliées for orchestra (1930) - Hymne au Saint Sacrement for orchestra (1932) - la Nativité du Seigneur for organ (1935) - Poèmes pour Mi for voice and piano (1936) - Fête des belles eaux for six Ondes Martenot (written for the Water and Light Festival at the 1937 Exposition) - Chants de Terre et de Ciel for voice and piano (1938) - Les corps glorieux for organ (1939) - Quatuor pour lefin du Temps for violin, clarinet, violincello and piano (written in captivity in 1940-4 1) and, finally, Visions de l'Amen for two pianos (written in 1943 especially for the Concerts de Ia Pléiade)) As a summary of Messiaen's belief in his own achievements - his pedagogical history, his affiliations, aspirations, technical armoury and his selected list of works - this manifesto is impressive for a 35-year-old composer. Yet this epistle highlights the Messiaen, Olivier, Undated ms. draft for the programme book for the premiere of Visions de I'Amen at the Concert de (a Pléiade on 10 May 1943, in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, BN Res. Vm. dos. 70(11), 5-6. Capitalisation in the titles of works is as in Messiaen's letter. All translations are my own unless otherwise stated. Robert Sholl Introduction vast lacunae in our knowledge of his early life that is only now beginning to be filled.2 We are left wondering about Messiaen's intellectual and artistic development from childhood, his early conservatoire years, and his teaching at the Schola Cantorum.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Orchestral Work, Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946–1948)
    AV1 AV3 AV4 AV2 • While there is a vast amount of research concerning Olivier Messiaen • Loriod meets Messiaen as a student in his harmony • After a successful premiere of Visions of the Amen, • Messiaen continues to write pieces with piano parts written and his compositions, there is a dearth of information about the pianist class at the Paris Conservatory on May 7, 1941. Loriod becomes the primary motivator for all of for Loriod and dedicates them to her including a major Yvonne Loriod, who played a primary role in inspiring the development • Messiaen becomes familiar with Loriod’s pianistic Messiaen’s new compositions for piano. orchestral work, Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946–1948). of Messiaen’s compositional approach to the piano. artistry by attending a concert in which she included • Shortly afterward, Messiaen writes the monumental • In the 1950s, Loriod helps Messiaen during a difficult period • Loriod was a French concert pianist, teacher, and composer. Messiaen’s Preludes (1929), a work she wanted to two-hour solo piano cycle: 20 Contemplations on the in his life. His first wife, violinist Claire Delbos, becomes • Born January 20, 1924 and died May 17, 2010 perform for the composer. Infant Jesus (1944) and dedicates the piece to mentally ill after surgery and is sent to a sanitorium and dies • Loriod would later become Olivier Messiaen’s second wife • Inspired by Loriod’s prodigious talent, Messiaen writes Loriod. in 1959. _____________________________________________________ Visions of the Amen (1943), a 40-minute work in seven • Like many of Messiaen’s earlier works, the • Adding to the difficulties of his personal family life, Messiaen movements for two pianos premiered by Loriod and compositional techniques include: encounters difficulties with his own compositional process himself.
    [Show full text]
  • Signumclassics
    126booklet 13/5/08 11:28 Page 1 ALSO AVAILABLE ON signumclassics Ragtime & Blue Brahms and Schumann Haydn Piano Sonatas Elena Kats-Chernin - Piano John Lill - Piano John Lill - Piano SIGCD058 SIGCD075 SIGCD097 Elena Kats-Chernin is a composer who Much-loved pianist, John Lill, plays John Lill returns to take the listener on a defies categorisation: a virtuosic pianist touchstones of the 19th-century romantic journey through the many moods of Haydn, and improviser, her compositions flow piano tradition. Lill is at his sparkling in brilliant performances of some from her like a fountain. This CD is best in this wonderful repertoire. composer’s most intriguing works for drawn from the small works she often the keyboard. writes for her own enjoyment - a cornucopia of rags, blues and heart- melting melodies. Available through most record stores and at www.signumrecords.com For more information call +44 (0) 20 8997 4000 126booklet 13/5/08 11:28 Page 3 MESSIAEN: CHAMBER WORKS MESSIAEN: CHAMBER WORKS The general perception of Messiaen is of a always turned up at class with mountains of work 1. Fantaisie [8.59] composer who lived in some rarefied atmosphere (not guaranteed to ensure popularity!) and was of his own, floating far above the mundane, recognised as a young man likely to succeed. But Quatuor pour la fin du Temps material world. Given his preoccupation with any view of Messiaen as vague or indecisive in his 2. Liturgie de cristal [2.37] esoteric rhythms, sound-colours, theology and opinions needs to be set against the truth - for all birdsong, this is perhaps a reasonable judgment his pacific demeanour (and, in later years, 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Birdsong in the Music of Olivier Messiaen a Thesis Submitted To
    P Birdsongin the Music of Olivier Messiaen A thesissubmitted to MiddlesexUniversity in partial fulfilment of the requirementsfor the degreeof Doctor of Philosophy David Kraft School of Art, Design and Performing Arts Nfiddlesex University December2000 Abstract 7be intentionof this investigationis to formulatea chronologicalsurvey of Messiaen'streatment of birdsong,taking into accountthe speciesinvolved and the composer'sevolving methods of motivic manipulation,instrumentation, incorporation of intrinsic characteristicsand structure.The approachtaken in this studyis to surveyselected works in turn, developingappropriate tabular formswith regardto Messiaen'suse of 'style oiseau',identified bird vocalisationsand eventhe frequentappearances of musicthat includesfamiliar characteristicsof bird style, althoughnot so labelledin the score.Due to the repetitivenature of so manymotivic fragmentsin birdsong,it has becomenecessary to developnew terminology and incorporatederivations from other research findings.7be 'motivic classification'tables, for instance,present the essentialmotivic featuresin somevery complexbirdsong. The studybegins by establishingthe importanceof the uniquemusical procedures developed by Messiaen:these involve, for example,questions of form, melodyand rhythm.7he problemof is 'authenticity' - that is, the degreeof accuracywith which Messiaenchooses to treat birdsong- then examined.A chronologicalsurvey of Messiaen'suse of birdsongin selectedmajor works follows, demonstratingan evolutionfrom the ge-eralterm 'oiseau' to the preciseattribution
    [Show full text]
  • Hommage À Olivier Messiaen Dimanche 18 Mars 2018 – 16H
    Hommage à Olivier Messiaen Dimanche 18 mars 2018 – 16h GRANDE SALLE PIERRE BOULEZ – PHILHARMONIE WEEK-END LES OISEAUX Pour certains scientifiques et certains historiens, la musique pourrait être née du désir des hommes d’imiter la voix des oiseaux, ressentie comme un véritable langage musical, au-delà de la simple émission de sons. Force est de constater que, si l’on ne peut trancher cette question, ceux que Messiaen, reprenant une image déjà utilisée au xviie siècle par le moine Paul de Montaigu notamment, appelait « les premiers musiciens du monde » ont constitué une inspiration de choix pour les compositeurs, qui se sont volon- tiers adonnés à l’évocation ou à l’imitation. De cette fréquentation plus ou moins intime, c’est effectivement Messiaen qui donna le témoignage le plus riche : « La nature, les chants d’oiseaux ! Ce sont mes passions. Ce sont aussi mes refuges. […] C’est là que réside pour moi la musique », écrivait-il en préface à son Catalogue d’oiseaux, qui réunit presque trois heures de musique évoquant rousserolle effarvatte, cho- card des Alpes ou traquet rieur – la journée du dimanche, en compagnie de Pierre-Laurent Aimard, y sera consacrée. Celui qui se définissait autant comme ornithologue que comme compositeur remplit au cours de sa vie des centaines de carnets de chants d’oiseaux notés aussi précisément que possible, un ardent enthousiasme dont ses pièces musicales sont très nom- breuses à porter la trace. Mais les petites bêtes à plumes n’ont bien sûr pas attendu le xxe siècle pour investir le champ musical. La musique baroque regorge déjà de leurs trilles et de leurs envolées, chez Vivaldi (notamment dans le Concerto pour flûte « Le Chardonneret ») ou chez Couperin, qui avaient eux-mêmes été précédés par des compositeurs comme Jacob van Eyck.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Plainchant on French Organ Music After the Revolution
    Technological University Dublin ARROW@TU Dublin Doctoral Applied Arts 2013-8 The Influence of Plainchant on rF ench Organ Music after the Revolution David Connolly Technological University Dublin Follow this and additional works at: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/appadoc Part of the Musicology Commons Recommended Citation Connolly, D. (2013) The Influence of Plainchant on rF ench Organ Music after the Revolution. Doctoral Thesis. Dublin, Technological University Dublin. doi:10.21427/D76S34 This Theses, Ph.D is brought to you for free and open access by the Applied Arts at ARROW@TU Dublin. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral by an authorized administrator of ARROW@TU Dublin. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License The Influence of Plainchant on French Organ Music after the Revolution David Connolly, BA, MA, HDip.Ed Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music Dublin Institute of Technology Conservatory of Music and Drama Supervisor: Dr David Mooney Conservatory of Music and Drama August 2013 i I certify that this thesis which I now submit for examination for the award of Doctor of Philosophy in Music, is entirely my own work and has not been taken from the work of others, save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work. This thesis was prepared according to the regulations for postgraduate study by research of the Dublin Institute of Technology and has not been submitted in whole or in part for another award in any other third level institution.
    [Show full text]
  • Number 25 Update
    NUMBER 25 UPDATE CLICK HERE TO FIND THE LATEST NEWS W ΔΓ David Ghezelbash Archéologie EXHIBITION ANCIENT WORKS OF ART FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA At the Galerie David Ghezelbash 12 rue Jacob TO 75006 Paris France 04/26/2013 Mobile + 33 (0)6 88 23 39 11 [email protected] FROM www.davidghezelbash.com 06/01/2013 BID AT WWW.DROUOTLIVE.COM FREE SERVICE AND WITHOUT EXTRA FEES BID AT DROUOT ANYWHERE ! LA GAZETTE DROUOT INTERNATIONAL WWW.GAZETTE-INTERNATIONAL.CN PARIS - NICE ACROSS THE ORIENT Important fragment of the torso of a General of the Delta, gouverner of de Upper Egypt named Psamtik. Greywacke. Egypt, 30th dynasty, 4th century BC. H. 63 cm Remained in Private French collection since 1906. WEDNESDAY 5 JUNE 2013 DROUOT Experts: Archeology: Daniel LEBEURRIER - Islam: Alexis RENARD 1, rue de la Grange-Batelière - 75009 Paris - Tel. +33.(0)1.47.70.81.36 - Fax : +33.(0)1.42.47.05.84 - Site : www.boisgirard.com - E-mail : [email protected] Authorised auctioneers : Isabelle Boisgirard et Pierre-Dominique Antonini - N° agrément 2001-022 THE MAGAZINE CONTENTS CONTENTS ART MARKET - MAGAZINE 68 RESULTS Recent bids have included a large number of world records, not only for Old Masters (dominated by Jacobus Vrel), but also for contemporary artists like Adami – not to mention drawing, a distinctly French speciality! MEETING 124 In two decades, Bill Pallot, the most talked- about antique dealer in the media, has built up a collection that may be highly disparate at first glance, but is truly fascinating. We explore this cabinet of curiosities.
    [Show full text]
  • Isenheim Altarpiece Restoration Finally Back on Track After Public Outcry
    AiA Art News-service Isenheim Altarpiece restoration finally back on track after public outcry More than 30 conservators will treat paintings and sculptures, seven years after French culture ministry halted reckless cleaning of two panels VINCENT NOCE 7th November 2018 10:45 GMT The painted panels will be restored at Colmar’s Unterlinden Museum Photo: Ruedi Walti; © Musée Unterlinden Seven years after halting an unorthodox restoration of the Isenheim Altarpiece, French conservators have resumed work on the celebrated northern Renaissance polyptych in the hope of getting it right this time. It took only six days in 2011 for two restorers with a cloth to strip the varnish off a painted panel depicting the Temptation of Saint Anthony and to revarnish it. They then started to repeat the process on half of Saint Anthony Visiting Saint Paul. Launched before a major expansion of the Unterlinden Museum in the Alsatian region of Colmar, where the altarpiece is housed, the work was not preceded by a scientific examination. When the online magazine La Tribune de l’Art and the newspaper Libération expressed alarm at the speed of the intervention, the ensuing indignation prompted France’s culture ministry to step in and halt the pair. A study that began in 2013 concluded that no real damage had been done to the 1512-16 painting, regarded as the masterpiece of the German artist Mathis Gothart-Nithart, called Matthias Grünewald by art historians. It was a close call, nonetheless. The varnish had been left almost untouched in the darker parts but wiped off in the clearer sections.
    [Show full text]
  • Art in the Stages of Suffering and Death Joanna Aramini College of the Holy Cross, [email protected]
    College of the Holy Cross CrossWorks Visual Arts Department Student Scholarship Visual Arts Department 12-15-2018 Art in the Stages of Suffering and Death Joanna Aramini College of the Holy Cross, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://crossworks.holycross.edu/ visual_arts_student_scholarship Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, Art Therapy Commons, and the Pain Management Commons Recommended Citation Aramini, Joanna, "Art in the Stages of Suffering and Death" (2018). Visual Arts Department Student Scholarship. 1. https://crossworks.holycross.edu/visual_arts_student_scholarship/1 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Visual Arts Department at CrossWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visual Arts Department Student Scholarship by an authorized administrator of CrossWorks. Art in the Stages of Suffering and Death Joanna Aramini December 15, 2018 Abstract: There has always been a strong link between art and the study of science and medicine, ​ and one of the most iconic images of suffering and death in history to date is Christ suffering on the cross. In this thesis, I examine if and how art can make it possible to transcend human pain and overcome suffering, especially in our modern society where pain is seen as something we cannot deal with, and where we look to medicine and prescriptions to diminish it. I argue that art in the states of suffering and death, closely examining Michelangelo’s La Pieta and Grunewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece, can provide a model as a response to pain. For all their differences in composition and artistic style, Michelangelo and Grunewald’s works of art encourage their viewers to focus on pain as a distinctly human experience, in which hope and peace can be found.
    [Show full text]
  • C. F. ANDREWS MINISTER of RECONCILIATION by the Same Author
    C. F. ANDREWS MINISTER OF RECONCILIATION By the Same Author THE CASE FOR INDIA THE CROSS MOVES EAST G. K. GOKHALE THE WARFARE OF RECONCILIATION AN INDIAN PEASANT MYSTIC VILLAGE SONGS OF WESTERN INDIA DIGGING WITH THE UNEMPLOYED THE WAY OP ST. FRANCIS DIGGING FOR A NEW ENGLAND HOW CHRIST MET AGGRESSION PRAYER AND THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION INDIAN DAWN ETC. Plwto b}· A. U" tn~. Birmi1:gJr,1rn CHARLES FREER A::-.-DREWS I 7I-I Q40 C.. F. ANDREWS MINISTER OF RECONCILIATION By JOHN S. HOYLAND ALLENSON & CO., LTD. 5 WARDROBE PLACE, CARTER LANE, E.C.4 IWII AD l'IJIIftll .. GliAl IIITA.. IY I'VIIDU. AD 110., Lt'D., fAVL'IOI (IOIIIUIIT) AID loOIDOI FOREWORD THIS little book does not purport to be a 'Life' of C. F. Andrews. It is doubtful indeed, whether an adequate account of his career will ever be possible, because his activities on behalf of suffering humanity were so extraordinarily varied, and the details of them have been forgotten even by himself. All that has been intended in the writing of these pages has been the paying of an offering of friendship, to one who has caused many of us to believe, by the quality of his friendship, in the reality of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, as a personal force which may transform humanity into the mirror of Christ. Acknowledgments are due to Messrs. Macmillan & Co., Ltd., for the quotations made from Tagore's Gitanjali. J. S. H. Work Camp Clearing House, Woodbrooke Settlement, Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham. March 12th, 1940. v CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER FOREWORD • V· I.
    [Show full text]
  • The Word Made Visible in the Painted Image
    The Word made Visible in the Painted Image The Word made Visible in the Painted Image: Perspective, Proportion, Witness and Threshold in Italian Renaissance Painting By Stephen Miller The Word made Visible in the Painted Image: Perspective, Proportion, Witness and Threshold in Italian Renaissance Painting By Stephen Miller This book first published 2016 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2016 by Stephen Miller All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-4438-8542-8 ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-8542-3 For Paula, Lucy and Eddie CONTENTS List of Illustrations ..................................................................................... ix Acknowledgements .................................................................................... xi Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Chapter One ................................................................................................. 3 Setting the Scene The Rise of Humanism and the Italian Renaissance Changing Style and Attitudes of Patronage in a Devotional Context The Emergence of the Altarpiece in
    [Show full text]
  • A Musical and Theological Discussion of Olivier Messiaen’S Vingt Regards Sur L’Enfant-Jésus
    The Theme of God: A Musical and Theological Discussion of Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus By © 2017 Heekyung Choi Submitted to the graduate degree program in Music and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Michael Kirkendoll ________________________________ Dr. Richard Reber ________________________________ Dr. Scott Murphy ________________________________ Dr. Scott McBride Smith ________________________________ Dr. Jane Barnette Date Defended: 1 May 2017 The Dissertation Committee for Heekyung Choi certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: The Theme of God: A Musical and Theological Discussion of Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Michael Kirkendoll Date approved: 1 May 2017 ii Abstract The purpose of this research is to help both performers and liturgical musicians to better understand Messiaen’s musical style and theological inspiration. Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) is one of the most important composers of French keyboard music in the twentieth century. He composed numerous works in nearly every musical genre, many inspired by his Catholic faith. Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus (Twenty Contemplations on the Infant Jesus) is a two-hour masterpiece for solo piano written in 1944, and is one of the most significant of his works. The piece is constructed by using three main themes: the Thème de Dieu (Theme of God), Thème de l’étoile et de la Croix (Theme of the Star and of the Cross), and Thème d’accords (Theme of Chords). The “Theme of God” is based on an F-sharp major chord with chromatic passing tones in the inner voice.
    [Show full text]
  • Studies in Late Medieval Wall Paintings, Manuscript Illuminations, and Texts, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-47476-2 BIBLIOGRAPHY
    CODA PARTICIPATING IN SYMBOLS OF DEATH Like Nicholas Love’s Mirror, The Somonyng of Everyman is adapted from a Continental text, in this case from the Dutch Elckerlijc. As reading matter designed to appeal to the merchant and artisan classes in an urban setting, Everyman invokes neither pastoral nor monastic contemplation but rather invites participation through an imaginative confrontation with Death and subsequent pilgrimage leading to entry into the grave. The study of Everyman in terms of participation in the symbols of death and dying can serve as an appropriate capstone to the present volume, hence originally intended to be a final chapter. The essay can be accessed at https://works.bepress.com/clifford_davidson/265. © The Author(s) 2017 111 C. Davidson, Studies in Late Medieval Wall Paintings, Manuscript Illuminations, and Texts, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-47476-2 BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexander, Jennifer. “Coventry Holy Trinity Wall Painting.” EDAM Newsletter 11 no. 2 (1989): 37. Alkerton, Richard. [Easter Week sermon, 1406.] British Library, Add. MS. 37677. Allen, Hope Emily, ed. English Writings of Richard Rolle. 1931; reprint, Oxford: Clarendon (1963). ——— and Sanford Brown Meech, eds. The Book of Margery Kempe. EETS, o.s. 212. London: Oxford University Press (1940). Anderson, M. D. The Imagery of British Churches. London: John Murray (1955). Arbismann, Rudolph. “The Concept of ‘Christus Medicus’ in St. Augustine.” Traditio 10 (1954): 1–28. Ashley, Kathleen, and Pamela Sheingorn. Interpreting Cultural Symbols: Sainte Anne in Late Medieval Society. Athens: University of Georgia Press (1990). Aston, Margaret. England’s Iconoclasts I: Laws Against Images. Oxford: Clarendon Press (1988). Augustine of Hippo, St.
    [Show full text]