Petites esquisses d'oiseaux

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Petites esquisses d'oiseaux, is a piano work by Olivier Messiaen composed in 1985, dedicated to his wife Yvonne Loriod. It has six parts, three of which are devoted to robins.^[1]

Analysis

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In the preface, Messiaen writes:

These are six very short pieces. They are both very similar and very different. Very similar by the harmonic style where complex sounds with changing colors evolve. The blues, reds, oranges, violets, "transposed reversal chords" dominate. The "chords with contracted resonance" and the "chords of the chromatic total" add their more violent or subtle colours. However, each bird has its own aesthetic, the melodic and rhythmic movements differ from one piece to another. The three pieces devoted to familiar robin contain pearly arpeggios, descending, almost glissandos, followed by slow notes, and more refined drawings. The true thrush sings some sunny, a little victorious verses. The common blackbird stands out through its incantatory repetitions. Finally, the eurasian skylark, which ends, has a sizzling volubility, revolving around an acute dominant, punctuated from time to time by two slow and strong notes, all corresponding to the phases of the bird's flight.

Premiere

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The piece was premiered at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris on 26 January 1987 by Yvonne Loriod. The duration is about 14 minutes.

Titles of the pieces

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The six movements are titled:^[2]

Le Rouge-gorge (The Robin, Erithacus rubecula)
Le Merle noir (The Common Blackbird, Turdus merula)
Le Rouge-gorge (The Robin)
La Grive musicienne (The Song Thrush, Turdus philomelos)
Le Rouge-gorge (The Robin)
L'Alouette des champs (The Eurasian Skylark, Alauda arvensis)

Recordings

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Recordings include:

Yvonne Loriod, piano (+ Préludes, Quatre Études de rythme) Erato Records 2292-45505-2/V ECD 71589, 1987-88
Paul Kim, piano (+ Catalogue d'oiseaux, La Fauvette des jardins) Centaur Records CRC 2567/68/69, 2001
Fredrik Ullén, piano Disque BIS-CD-1803, 2012
Marie Vermeulin, piano Disque paraty 612118, 2013

References

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^ "Messiaen: Catalogue d'oiseaux / Petites esquisses d'oiseaux". Naxos. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
^ Carpenter, Alexander. "Olivier Messiaen / Petites esquisses d'oiseaux (6), for piano, I/54". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 July 2018.

External links

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Petites esquisses d'oiseaux (Bibliothèque Nationale de France)
Messiaen - Petites esquisses d'oiseaux (Piano Street.com)
Petites esquisses d'oiseaux
Messiaen - Petites Esquisses d'Oiseaux
Olivier Messiaen - Petites esquisses d'oiseaux (1985) (YouTube)

v t e Olivier Messiaen
List of compositions
Opera	Saint François d'Assise (1975–83)
Orchestral	L'Ascension (1932–33) Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine (1943–44) Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946–48) Oiseaux exotiques (1955–56) Chronochromie (1959–60) Sept haïkaï (1962) Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum (1964) La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ (1965–69) Des Canyons aux étoiles... (1971–74) Éclairs sur l'au-delà... (1988–92) Concert à quatre (1990–91)
Chamber	Thème et variations (1932) Fête des belles eaux (1937) Quatuor pour la fin du temps (1940–41) Le Merle noir (1952) Feuillets inédits (2001)
Solo organ	Le Banquet Céleste (1928) Offrande au Saint Sacrement (ca. 1928) Prélude (ca. 1929) Diptyque (1930) Apparition de l'église éternelle (1932) La Nativité du Seigneur (1935) Les Corps glorieux (1939) Messe de la Pentecôte (1949–50) Livre d'orgue (1951–52) Verset pour la fête de la Dédicace (1960) Monodie (1963) Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité (1969) Le Livre du Saint-Sacrement (1984)
Piano	Préludes (1928–29) Visions de l'Amen (1943) Vingt Regards sur l'enfant-Jésus (1944) Cantéyodjayâ (1949) Quatre Études de rythme (1949–50) Réveil des Oiseaux (1953) Catalogue d'oiseaux (1956–58) La Fauvette des jardins (1970) Petites esquisses d'oiseaux (1985)
Vocal	O sacrum convivium! (1937)
Song cycles	Poèmes pour Mi (1936–37) Chants de Terre et de Ciel (1938) Harawi (1944)
Family	Cécile Sauvage (mother) Claire Delbos (first wife) Yvonne Loriod (second wife)
Related	Olivier Messiaen Competition Biomusic Mode of limited transposition La jeune France Ondes Martenot
Category Commons

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