Messiaen the theologian

For Oliver Messiaen, music was a way of expressing his faith. He considered it his good fortune to have been born a Catholic and declared that 'the illumination of the theological truths of the Catholic faith is the first aspect of my work, the noblest and no doubt the most useful'. Messiaen is one of the most widely performed and recorded composers of the twentieth-century and his popularity is increasing, but the theological component of his music has so far been neglected and continues to provide a serious impediment for some of his audience. Messiaen the Theologian makes a significant contribution by providing cultural and historical context to Messiaen's theology. An array of international Messiaen scholars cover a wide variety of topics including Messiaen's personal spirituality, the context of Catholicism in France in the twentieth century, and comparisons of Messiaen with other artists such as Dante and Maritain. Interdisciplinary methodologies including exegesis, theological studies and semiotics are used to contribute to the understanding of several major works including Eclairs sur l'au-dela ... Sept Haikai and Saint Francois d'Assise. By approaching Messiaen from such important and original perspectives, this book will be of interest not only to musicologists, but also to theologians and other readers with an interest in the connections between religion/spirituality and the arts

Introducing Messiaen the theologian, Andrew Shenton; Part 1 Messiaen the Theologian: Religious literature in Messiaen's personal library, Yves Balmer; Messiaen as preacher and evangelist in the context of European modernism, Peter Bannister; Messiaen's 'saintly naivete' Sander van Maas.; Part 2 Messiaen's Relationship with Theologians: Olivier Messiaen and Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger: Two views of the liturgical reform according to the 2nd Vatican Council, Karin Heller; Messiaen's relationship to Jacques Maritain's musical circle and neo-Thomism, Douglas Shadle; Messiaen and Aquinas, Vincent P. Benitez.; Part 3 Messiaen, Poets and Theological Themes: Dante as guide to Messiaen's Gothic spirituality, Robert Fallon; Five quartets: the search for the still point of the turning world in the war works of T.S. Eliot and Olivier Messiaen, Andrew Shenton; The charm of impossibilities: mystic surrealism as contemplative voluptuousness, Stephen Schloesser.; Part 4 Theology in Messiaen's Music: 'Une oeuvre simple, solonnelle ... ' -- Messiaen's commission from Andre Malraux, Nigel Simeone; Olivier Messiaen and the avant-garde poetics of the Mess de la Pentecote, Robert Sholl; Messiaen as ex…