Olivier Messiaen

Catalogue d'Oiseaux Vol. 5

The Bird Catalogue by Olivier Messiaen is a set of 7 books with 13 pieces for Piano composed between 1956 and 1958. Each volume refers to a special bird and to the region where the bird is typically from in France. The piece not only describes the bird, it also depicts its surroundings, such as other birds, the landscape of its area, the colours and the temperature.

Book 1 - Le Chocard des Alpes (Alpine Chough) - Le Loriot (Golden Oriole) IH Le MerleBleu (Blue Rock Thrush) Book 2 - Le Traquet Stapazin (Black-Eared Wheatear) Book 3 - La Chouette Hulotte (Tawny Owl) - L'Alouette Lulu (Wood Lark) Book 4 - La Rousserolle Effarvatte (Reed Warbler) Book 5 - L'AlouetteCalandrelle (Short-Toed Lark) - La Bouscarle (Cetti's Warbler) Book 6 - Le Merle de Roche (Rock Thrush) Book 7 - La Buse Variable (Buzzard) - Le Traquet Rieur (Black Wheatear) - Le Courlis Cendré (Curlew)

As mentioned above, this 5th volume focuses on the Short-toed Lark and the Cetti's Warbler. The first one, the Short-toed Lark represents the wilderness of Provence and the Cetti's Warbler, the Charente area. The interpretation of these pieces requires a strong level in Piano (upper advanced), due to some complex technique requirement.

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was a French organist and composer who was passionate about Ornithology and one of the most important composers of his century. Inspired by Japanese music, he had a very special way of composing and his work can be identified by its complexity, its diatonic aspect, its harmony with limited transposition, its colour and its additive rhythms. He composed many works related to ornithology and birdsong, including the 'Treatise on rhythm, colour and ornithology' in 7 volumes.