Organist Paul Jacobs made musical history at age 23 by performing J. S. Bach's complete organ music in an eighteen-hour marathon on the 250th anniversary of Bach's death.
Composition History
Messiaen's Livre du Saint-Sacrement, his last and longest organ work, was officially commissioned by Ray Ferguson for the 1986 American Guild of Organists convention.
Composer Biography
Olivier Messiaen, one of the 20th century's most original composers, was a child prodigy who read Shakespeare and studied Mozart and Wagner operas by age eight.
Compositional Technique
Messiaen's Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte Trinité introduced the 'communicable language', a system where specific notes are assigned to alphabet letters, allowing him to spell words in music.
Performer Biography
Paul Jacobs has performed Olivier Messiaen's complete organ works in nine-hour marathons in eight American cities.
Compositional Technique
Messiaen's music draws on 'modes of limited transposition', symmetrical and irrational rhythms, birdsong, and a deep commitment to Roman Catholicism, all found in Livre du Saint-Sacrement.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Messiaen was a deeply religious man whose strong Roman Catholic convictions and interest in mysticism set him apart from many contemporaries and explain his deep interest in the organ.
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