The role of textural design in the music of Olivier Messiaen: a study of Couleurs de la cité céleste

• Main Author: Wallendorf, Paulette Sue
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: North Texas State University 1981
• Subjects: musical composition; tone color; Olivier Messiaen; timbre
• Online Access: https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc798306/

This study first traces the evolution of a new musical design, one which emphasizes textual elements in the structural foundation. It follows with an account of the life and musical style of Olivier Messian, a contemporary composer who has emphasized timbre as a structural parameter in his music - most notably in several works of the sixties. An analysis of his Couleurs de la Cité Céleste (1963) is offered in the final chapter, indicating in particular the important role that timbre, as well as other textual elements, plays on forming the large-scale design.