Abime des oiseaux messiaen pdf1/25/2024 ![]() ![]() In Messiaen’s case it manifested itself with him literally seeing colors associated with different “colors” in music. OLIVIER MESSIAEN (1908 – 1992) 'ABÎME DES OISEAUX' (ABYSS OF THE BIRDS) for solo clarinet from Quatuor pour Fin du Temps As musicians, we use the word “color” to express quality of sound: a quiet passage in a minor key might be “dark” a strong section may be “resolute” a trumpet fanfare, “bright.” The French composer Olivier Messiaen was known for his idiosynchratic use of musical color due in part to a physical condition called synaesthesia whereby some of the physical senses overlap. Here are my program notes from the concert. The great Todd Palmer played the third movement, “ Abîme des Oiseaux” (Abyss of the Birds) at NCMF in 2009. Then, on a stretch of road headed south to New London, the entire piece suddenly just clicked for me I had finally “got it.” It was worth the wait. The question in my mind, then, was not “what’s the big deal?” but rather “what am I missing?” One summer during an epic drive I was determined to figure it out and I listened over and over to the work. But I had so many friends who worshiped it. I used to doze off when I heard this piece. ![]()
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