Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate Olivier Messiaen’s musical language as applied to his piano music. It also provides a picture of how he combined his unique compositional technique with his strong Catholic faith and presented them in his composition. The research materials have been gathered from published secondary sources and from direct performance of the music. General biographical articles about Messiaen’s life have been researched to emphasize significant events of his life that are directly reflected in his music. Also, the background of Vingt Regards Sur l’Enfant- Jésus (Twenty Gazes upon the Infant Jesus) has been studied to find out how the analyzed work is related to the entire cycle. A formal breakdown of the piece (modes of the limited transposition, themes of the Vingt Regards, rhythmic and harmonic structures etc.) has been made to understand how the musical language and rhythmic structure interact to generate tonal progression and formal structure, how the piece relate to the title, and how the  piece relate to the religious and mystical views of the entire cycle and his general musical output.

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