Research topic: Olivier Messiaen

Olivier Messiaen , 1908-92, French composer and organist, b. Avignon. Messiaen was a pupil of Paul Dukas at the Paris Conservatory. He became organist of La Trinité, Paris, in 1931 and taught at the Schola Cantorum and the École Normale de Musique (1936-39). In 1942 he was appointed professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatory, where he taught such 20th-century figures as Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen . Messiaen's music is remarkably original and personal, rich in color and texture. It draws from many schools and styles, including electronic and serial music ,... Read more