First Advisor
Hall, James
Document Type
Dissertation
Date Created
12-2020
Abstract
Aguirre-Berman, Alexandra L, Finding Messiaen’s Blackbird: an investigative analysis of birdsong and other techniques used in Le merle noir. Published Doctor of Arts dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2020. This document explores Olivier Messiaen’s use of serialism, Greek rhythms, Hindu deçi-tâlas, ‘style oiseau’ and other ornithological information as they relate to his composition for flute and piano, Le merle noir. As a result of this exploration, an investigative analysis of several compositional elements is provided, including ancient Greek rhythms, Hindu deçi-tâlas, serialism, and birdsong in order to process their connection with Messiaen’s blackbird. Messiaen’s blackbird is identified as the Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula), and recorded birdcalls from the Eurasian blackbird have been converted into spectrograms. These graphs facilitated a comparison of the vocalizations produced by the birds with Messiaen’s written music. This investigative analysis provides a new perspective in the interpretation of Le merle noir.
Extent
131 pages
Local Identifiers
AguirreBerman_unco_0161D_10886.pdf
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by the author.
Recommended Citation
Aguirre-Berman, Alexandra L., "Finding Messiaen’s Blackbird: An Investigative Analysis of Birdsong and Other Techniques Used in Le Merle Noir" (2020). Dissertations. 731.
https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/731