Olivier Messiaen and the Music of Time

by Paul Griffiths

Olivier Messiaen was one of the outstanding creative artists of his time. The strength of his appeal, to listeners as well as to composers, is a measure of the individuality of his music, which draws on a vast range of rhythms of twentieth-century Europe and thirteenth-century India, ripe romantic harmony and brittle birdsong, the sounds of Indonesian percussion and modern electronic instruments. What binds all these together is, on one level, his unswerving devotion to praising God in his art, and on another, his independent view of how music is made. Messiaen's music offers a range of ways of experiencing time suspended in music of unparalleled changelessness, time racing in music of wild exuberance, time repeating itself in vast cycles of reiteration. In Olivier Messiaen and the Music of Time, leading writer and musicologist, Paul Griffiths, explores the problems of religious art, and includes searching analyses and discussions of all the major works, suggesting how they function as works of art and not only as theological symbols. This comprehensive and stimulating book covers the whole of Messiaen's output up to and including his opera, Saint Francoise d'Assise.

Genres: Music

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Paul Anthony Griffiths, OBE, is a British music critic, novelist and librettist. He is particularly noted for his writings on modern classical music and for having written the libretti for two 20th century operas, Tan Dun's Marco Polo and Elliott Carter's What Next? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gr...]

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Griffiths examines Messaien's music (up through 1983's St. Francis of Assisi) in chronological order and with a focus on how the music relates to time and aspects of development and directionality. Griffiths delves into the means through which Messiaen subverts and abandons both of these central principles of Western classical music. I found this book fascinating and useful for illuminating several aspects of Messiaen's music. He has long been one of my favorite composers, and I really enjoyed being able to take a closer look at his work, especially for pieces that I was not previously familiar with. I also appreciated that Griffiths takes Messiaen's religious motivations and inspiration seriously. My only minor criticism is that I could have used a few more pointers or guides through several of the examples where extremely dense harmonies are in play.

[Dominic H · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a ‘Faber Finds’ reprint of what is probably the best single volume guide to Messiaen’s music, certainly in English. It’s weighted towards those who principally want to study the music but there is enough biographical detail for context and interest. I would have liked a bit more. For example, what was Messiaen’s day to day existence like, framed as it was by the structure of being an eminent organist who was astonishingly faithful to his duties at Sainte-Trinité for 30 years? But that is a relative cavil. The book was written while Messiaen was still alive and includes 'Saint François d'Assise'. I came to it again on a high after a wonderful performance of the Turangalîla Symphony by the Berlin Philharmonic last weekend and it has been a very satisfying reread.
Again just a warning on the eBook. The many musical examples are very poorly reproduced in the Kindle version, so go for print if you can.

[Christopher Churcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and comprehensive musical biography.

Sometimes Griffiths fails to lucidly explain formal features, but such is the tendency of ineffable art of this order. He is fast becoming my favourite classical music writer.