''La Nativité du Seigneur, neuf méditations pour orgue'' (''The Birth of the Lord, nine meditations for organ'') is an important work for organ, written by the French composer
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...
in 1935 in
Grenoble
Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
.
It is a testament to Messiaen's Roman Catholic faith, being divided into nine "meditations" inspired by the birth of Jesus. In volume one, Messiaen outlines his inspirations, both theological, instrumental and compositional. As the composer notes in his preface, he sought "the emotion and sincerity first".
The work was written by the composer at the age of 26 years during the summer of 1935 while he was in residence at Grenoble near the
French Alps
The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...
.
Messiaen wrote that in addition to theology, the movements were inspired by the mountains, as well as the
stained glass
Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
windows in medieval cathedrals.
The work's premiere on 27 February 1936 on the organ of
La Trinité, Paris, where Messiaen was titular organist; had the work split among three players:
Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur
Daniel Jean-Yves Lesur (19 November 1908 – 2 July 2002) was a French organist and composer. He was the son of the composer Alice Lesur.
Biography
Born in Paris, he entered the Conservatoire de Paris at age 11, studying solfège with Emile Sch ...
(1–3),
Jean Langlais (4–6), and
Jean-Jacques Grunenwald
Jean-Jacques Charles Grunenwald, also known by his pseudonym Jean Dalve (2 February 1911 – 19 December 1982), was a French organist, composer, architect, and pedagogue.
Life and work
Grunenwald was born in 1911 in Cran-Gevrier (now part of A ...
(7–9).
Messiaen would followup with another organ cycle,
Les corps glorieux, in 1939.
Structure
The work is in nine movements, each depicting an image or concept from the birth of Jesus.
#La vierge et l'enfant (The Virgin and Child), approximately 6'30"
#Les bergers (The Shepherds), approximately 7'
#Desseins éternels (Eternal purposes), approximately 6'
#Le verbe (The Word), approximately 14'
#Les enfants de Dieu (The Children of God). approximately 4'
#Les anges (The Angels), approximately 3'
#Jésus accepte la souffrance (Jesus accepts suffering), approximately 4'30"
#Les mages (The Magi), approximately 6'30"
#Dieu parmi nous (God Among Us), approximately 9'
In publication (by
Éditions Alphonse Leduc
The Éditions Alphonse Leduc company is a prominent French Music publisher (popular music), music publishing house specializing in classical music. It was created in Paris in 1841. Since January 2014, Leduc is part of the Wise Music Group (for ...
), the work was originally divided over four books; Book I consists of the first three movements, Book II of 4 and 5, Book III of 6, 7, and 8, and IV for 9 alone. A combined volume of the complete work was published in 2023.
The work is one of the earliest to feature elements that were to become key to
Messiaen's later compositions, such as the extensive use of the composer's own
modes of limited transposition
Modes of limited transposition are musical modes or scales that fulfill specific criteria relating to their symmetry and the repetition of their interval groups. These scales may be transposed to all twelve notes of the chromatic scale, but at lea ...
, as well as influence from
birdsong
Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs (often simply ''birdsong'') are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs (relatively complex vocalization ...
, and the meters and rhythms of
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
and traditional Indian music.
In 1967,
Richard Franko Goldman
Richard Franko Goldman (December 7, 1910 – January 19, 1980)
was a conductor, educator, author, music critic, and composer.
Born Richard Henry Maibrunn Goldman (Maibrunn being his mother's family name), he adopted the same middle name as his ...
wrote, "One is, indeed, tempted to say that the work is a masterpiece, and one of the great organ works of all time. It is certainly monumental and impressive, original and memorable, with or without the theoretical and mystical explanation the composer himself gives out."
[Goldman, Richard Franko, "Review: ]Simon Preston
Simon John Preston (4 August 1938 – 13 May 2022) was an English organist, conductor and composer who was admired as one of the most important English church musicians of his generation.[The Musical Quarterly
''The Musical Quarterly'' is the oldest academic journal on music in America. Originally established in 1915 by Oscar Sonneck, the journal was edited by Sonneck until his death in 1928. Sonneck was succeeded by a number of editors, including C ...]
'', Vol. 53, No. 2 (April 1967), pp. 290-293.
References
External links
*
La Nativité du Seigneur' (with synchronised score), played by
Olivier Latry
Olivier Jean-Claude Latry (; born 22 February 1962) is a French organist, improviser, teacher and composer who has served as one of the four titular organists of Notre-Dame de Paris since 1985 and is a professor of organ in the Conservatoire de ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nativite du Segneur
1935 compositions
Organ compositions by Olivier Messiaen
Christian music