In this comprehensive study of Olivier Messiaen's magnum opus, Saint Francois d'Assise, Vincent Perez Benitez examines the opera from both theological and musical-analytical perspectives to ask how Messiaen expresses his Catholic theology through his work. Benitez combines a close reading of the opera score with accounts from Messiaen's associates, studies of Messiaen's birdsong notebooks and other primary documents, and an examination of the religious, musical, poetic, and visual arts literature with which the composer was familiar to explore how the opera's harmonic language and sound-color relationships motivate its musical meaning and expression. Through his analysis of these diverse sources and comparisons of Saint Francois d'Assise with other works such as Berg's Wozzeck and Wagner's Parsifal, Benitez places Messiaen's compositional practice within larger musical perspectives and historical contexts.

About the Author

Vincent Perez Benitez is Professor of Music Theory at Penn State University. He is author of Olivier Messiaen: A Research and Information Guide.

Reviews

This well-researched book is wonderfully written with great clarity and organization, and provides a remarkable and original perspective on the work of the great French composer.

-- Christopher E. Mehrens * Music Reference Services Quarterly *

This volume fulfills Benitez's 'hope that it will serve as an intellectual springboard into the mind of one of the most creative musicians of the twentieth century and Messiaen's self-described 'synthesis of all that he had done up to that point in his career as a composer', the opera Saint Francois d'Assise."

-- Melissa Cummins - Sam Houston State University * MLA NOTES *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253042880
Author Vincent Perez Benitez
Format Paperback
Page Count 328
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press