iSound

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), the great mystic of the organ, is remembered for his dissonances, bird-call patterns, and Hindu configurations which are entwined with images of the composer’s devout Catholicism. Born into a literary family, Messiaen studied at the Paris Conservatoire from age 11 with Dukas and Dupré. A professor later at the Schola Cantorum and then the Conservatoire, Messiaen from 1931 until his death was organist at Sainte-Trinité, Paris. The 1935 cycle, La Nativité du Seigneur (“The Nativity of our Lord”) remains one of Messiaen’s most accessible works, especially for those not familiar with his oeuvre. The last of the nine meditations is the brilliant organ showpiece, Dieu parmi nous (“God Among Us”), which was inspired by the scriptural texts: “Words of faith of the Blessed Virgin and of the Holy Church: He that created me made my tabernacle to rest....The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us....My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in ...