Description
Book SynopsisIn this comprehensive study of Olivier Messiaen's magnum opus, Saint François 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.
Trade ReviewThis 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 François d'Assise."
-- Melissa Cummins - Sam Houston State University * MLA NOTES *
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Notes on the Text
Introduction: Setting the Stage for Messiaen's Compositional Summa
1. Theology as Light in Saint François d'Assise
2. A Theological Opera and Its Musical Themes
3. Form as an Expression of the Beyond
4. Chords and Colors: The Harmonic Vocabulary of Saint François d'Assise
5. Analyzing the Musical Language of Saint François d'Assise
6. Light, Freedom, and the Beauty of Creation: Birdsong in Saint François d'Assise
7. Tonal-Dramatic Associations in Saint Francis's Spiritual Journey
8. Saint Francis's Path toward the Numinous: A Tonal-Color Narrative
Epilogue: Saint François d'Assise as Religious Drama in a Contemporary World
Appendix 1 Glossary
Appendix 2 Dramatic Synopsis
Notes
Bibliography
Index
