Abstract

Australian birds feature prominently in Olivier Messiaen’s birdsong transcriptions and compositions, especially in the final works, including his masterpiece Éclairs sur l’Au-delà …. This article catalogues the composer’s Australian birdsong phrases and, when possible, identifies their sources. In particular, it reviews the correspondence between Messiaen and ornithologist H. Sydney Curtis, which spans from 1981 to 1989. Of the dozen letters held in a private collection, ten were exchanged between Messiaen and Curtis, whilst two were exchanged between Curtis and Messiaen’s second wife, Yvonne Loriod. Traces of the ornithologist’s impact on the composer can be found in Messiaen’s compositions, cahiers, and Traité de Rythme, de Couleur, et d’Ornithologie, demonstrating Curtis’s influence to be more significant than previously recognized.

摘要

澳大利亚鸟类在 Olivier Messiaen 的鸟鸣转录和作品中占有重要地位，尤其是在最后的作品中，包括他的杰作Éclairs sur l'Au-delà ...。本文对作曲家的澳大利亚鸟鸣乐句进行分类，并在可能的情况下确定其来源。特别是，它回顾了梅西安与鸟类学家 H. Sydney Curtis 之间从 1981 年到 1989 年的通信。在私人收藏的十几封信件中，有十封是在梅西安和柯蒂斯之间交换的，而两封是在柯蒂斯和梅西安的第二封信之间交换的。妻子，伊冯娜·洛里奥德。鸟类学家对作曲家影响的痕迹可以在梅西安的作品、手册和Traité de Rythme, de Couleur, et d'Ornithologie中找到，表明柯蒂斯的影响比以前认识到的更重要。