Reshaping the origin
An alternative use of Messiaen’s cahiers of birdsong transcriptions performing Catalogue d’oiseaux
Keywords:
Cahiers, birdsong transcription, Catalogue d’oiseaux, artistic research, environmental awareness.
Abstract
This article synthesises the use of Messiaen's manuscript notebooks of birdsong transcriptions as creative material. It presents the thesis Migrating to the origin as a space for establishing a flexible relationship between the final score and its sketches by incorporating them into a new narrative of the Catalogue d’oiseaux. Messiaen’s birdsong sketches are analysed questioning them as transcriptions or compositions. A new perspective for the birdsong transcriptions sketchbooks brings a new relation between performer and score resulting in an unconventional interpretation, in the framework of an ecologically aware revision of the work.
References
Assis, P. 2013. Exploring multi-temporalities: An orchestration of Luigi Nono’s …..sofferte onde serene… Brussels: AEC.
Assis P. 2006. Luigi Nono’s Wende. Zwischen “Como una ola de fuerza y luz” und “…sofferte onde serene…” Hofheim: Wolke Verlag.
Barrington, L. 1773. Experiments and Observations on the Singing of Birds, in a Letter to Mathew Maty. Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), 63, 249-291. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/106159.
Bevis, J. 2019. A Complete History of Collecting and Imitating Birdsong. Retrieved from https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/a-complete-history-of-collecting-and-imitating-birdsong/
Borgdorff, H. 2016. The debate on Research in the Arts. The Netherlands: Amsterdam School of the Arts. Retrieved May, 2019 from https://es.scribd.com/document/202198978/El-Debate-Sobre-La-Investigacion-en-Las-Artes
Chadwick, R., and Hill, P. 2017. Olivier Messiaen’s Catalogue d’oiseaux: from conception to performance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cheney, S. P. 2012. Wood Notes Wild, Notations of Bird Music. London: HardPress Publishing.
Chiantore, L. 2021. inVersions’. Retrieved from https://chiantore.bandcamp.com/album/inversions
Deleuze, G., and Guattari, F. 1980, tr. 2004. Mil Mesetas (Vol. 2 of Capitalism and Schizophrenia). Valencia: Pre-Textos.
Fallon, R. 2007. The record of realism in Messiaen’s bird style. In Dingle, C., and Simeone, N. Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature. Farnham: Ashgate.
Freeman, R. 1995. Courtesy towards the thing of Nature: Interpretations of Messiaen’s Catalogue d’oiseaux. Cambridge: Tempo, 192. Retrieved April 2019 from https://www.jstor.org/stable/946000?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Halbreich, H. 2008. L’œuvre d’Olivier Messiaen. Paris: Fayard.
Hart, H. 2018. Music and Environment in Dystopian Narrative. Sounding the Disaster. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hawkins, J. 1776. General History of the Science and Practice of Music. London: T. Payne.
Healey, G. 2013. Messiaen’s musical techniques: the composer’s view and beyond. Farnham: Ashgate.
Hill, P. 2013. From Réveil des oiseaux to Catalogue d’oiseaux: Messiaen’s Cahiers de notations des chants d’oiseaux, 1952–59 (143-174). In Dingle, C., and Fallon, R. (eds). 2013. Messiaen Perspectives 1: Sources and influences. Farnham: Ashgate.
Kircher, A. 1650. Musurgia universalis. Rome: Francesco Corbelletti.
Leech-Wilkinson, D. 2016. Classical music as enforced Utopia. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. Retrieved in November 2018 from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1474022216647706
Mathews, F. S. 1921. Field book of wild birds and their music, a description of the character and music of birds, intended to assist in the identification of species common in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Retrieved in January 2021 from https://archive.org/details/fieldbookofwildb00math/mode/2up
Messiaen, O. 1953-1991. Travaux préparatoires: Cahiers de notation de chants d’oiseaux (Fonds Olivier Messiaen et Yvonne Loriod). Paris: Bibliothèque National de France.
Messiaen, O. 1960. Conférence de Bruxelles, prononcée à l’Exposition Internationale de Bruxelles en 1958. Paris: Alphonse Leduc.
Messiaen, O. 1964. Catalogue d’oiseaux, 7 vols. Paris: Alphonse Leduc.
Messiaen, O. 1994. Traité de rythme, de couleur et d’ornithologie: Tome V. Paris: Alphonse Leduc.
Muns, L. 2018. The Ancient Song of Reptiles (2). Retrieved in January 2020 from https://lodewijkmuns.nl/2018/08/01/kircher/
Salgado, J., Dalagna, G., Benetti, A. and Monteiro, F. 2018. Cahiers of Artistic Research 1: When is research Artistic Research? Aveiro: UA Ed.
Samuel, C., and Messiaen, O. 1994. Olivier Messiaen: Music and Color: Conversations with Claude Samuel. Portland: Amadeus Press.
Shenton, A. 2008. Olivier Messiaen’s System of Signs: Notes Towards Understanding His Music. Farnham: Ashgate.
Szőke, P. and Filip M. 1977. The Study of Intonation Structure of Bird Vocalizations: an Inadequate Application of Sound Spectrography. Budapest: Opuscula Zoologica.
Szöke, P. 1987. The Unknown Music of Birds. Budapest: Hungaroton.
Assis P. 2006. Luigi Nono’s Wende. Zwischen “Como una ola de fuerza y luz” und “…sofferte onde serene…” Hofheim: Wolke Verlag.
Barrington, L. 1773. Experiments and Observations on the Singing of Birds, in a Letter to Mathew Maty. Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), 63, 249-291. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/106159.
Bevis, J. 2019. A Complete History of Collecting and Imitating Birdsong. Retrieved from https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/a-complete-history-of-collecting-and-imitating-birdsong/
Borgdorff, H. 2016. The debate on Research in the Arts. The Netherlands: Amsterdam School of the Arts. Retrieved May, 2019 from https://es.scribd.com/document/202198978/El-Debate-Sobre-La-Investigacion-en-Las-Artes
Chadwick, R., and Hill, P. 2017. Olivier Messiaen’s Catalogue d’oiseaux: from conception to performance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Cheney, S. P. 2012. Wood Notes Wild, Notations of Bird Music. London: HardPress Publishing.
Chiantore, L. 2021. inVersions’. Retrieved from https://chiantore.bandcamp.com/album/inversions
Deleuze, G., and Guattari, F. 1980, tr. 2004. Mil Mesetas (Vol. 2 of Capitalism and Schizophrenia). Valencia: Pre-Textos.
Fallon, R. 2007. The record of realism in Messiaen’s bird style. In Dingle, C., and Simeone, N. Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature. Farnham: Ashgate.
Freeman, R. 1995. Courtesy towards the thing of Nature: Interpretations of Messiaen’s Catalogue d’oiseaux. Cambridge: Tempo, 192. Retrieved April 2019 from https://www.jstor.org/stable/946000?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Halbreich, H. 2008. L’œuvre d’Olivier Messiaen. Paris: Fayard.
Hart, H. 2018. Music and Environment in Dystopian Narrative. Sounding the Disaster. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hawkins, J. 1776. General History of the Science and Practice of Music. London: T. Payne.
Healey, G. 2013. Messiaen’s musical techniques: the composer’s view and beyond. Farnham: Ashgate.
Hill, P. 2013. From Réveil des oiseaux to Catalogue d’oiseaux: Messiaen’s Cahiers de notations des chants d’oiseaux, 1952–59 (143-174). In Dingle, C., and Fallon, R. (eds). 2013. Messiaen Perspectives 1: Sources and influences. Farnham: Ashgate.
Kircher, A. 1650. Musurgia universalis. Rome: Francesco Corbelletti.
Leech-Wilkinson, D. 2016. Classical music as enforced Utopia. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education. Retrieved in November 2018 from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1474022216647706
Mathews, F. S. 1921. Field book of wild birds and their music, a description of the character and music of birds, intended to assist in the identification of species common in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Retrieved in January 2021 from https://archive.org/details/fieldbookofwildb00math/mode/2up
Messiaen, O. 1953-1991. Travaux préparatoires: Cahiers de notation de chants d’oiseaux (Fonds Olivier Messiaen et Yvonne Loriod). Paris: Bibliothèque National de France.
Messiaen, O. 1960. Conférence de Bruxelles, prononcée à l’Exposition Internationale de Bruxelles en 1958. Paris: Alphonse Leduc.
Messiaen, O. 1964. Catalogue d’oiseaux, 7 vols. Paris: Alphonse Leduc.
Messiaen, O. 1994. Traité de rythme, de couleur et d’ornithologie: Tome V. Paris: Alphonse Leduc.
Muns, L. 2018. The Ancient Song of Reptiles (2). Retrieved in January 2020 from https://lodewijkmuns.nl/2018/08/01/kircher/
Salgado, J., Dalagna, G., Benetti, A. and Monteiro, F. 2018. Cahiers of Artistic Research 1: When is research Artistic Research? Aveiro: UA Ed.
Samuel, C., and Messiaen, O. 1994. Olivier Messiaen: Music and Color: Conversations with Claude Samuel. Portland: Amadeus Press.
Shenton, A. 2008. Olivier Messiaen’s System of Signs: Notes Towards Understanding His Music. Farnham: Ashgate.
Szőke, P. and Filip M. 1977. The Study of Intonation Structure of Bird Vocalizations: an Inadequate Application of Sound Spectrography. Budapest: Opuscula Zoologica.
Szöke, P. 1987. The Unknown Music of Birds. Budapest: Hungaroton.
Published
2022-07-21
Section
Articles
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