Olivier Messiaen Improvisations
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- French composer/organist Olivier Messiaen (1909-1992) improvises at the organ of the Paris Church of the Sainte-Trinité (Holy Trinity), where he was organist for more than six decades (since 1931).
"Baptized at Trinity in 1957, I have all the Sundays of my childhood heard Olivier Messiaen improvising at Sunday mass. At the end of the Mass, everyone went out to the pastry (!), But my father forbade us to stand up as the Master had not finished playing. Olivier Messiaen's music has become like a "second language" tome. It's wonderful to see here him here improvise"
Lucky! I would never want to leave the church building.
what a great story!
One of the greatest musicians of our time, deep and ingenious and boundlessly inventive. . .how I envy you for getting to hear him play live every Sunday!
Your father raised you well.
(The above is the English translation of a comment made by Guillaume Deslandres in 2012, to be found lower down in this comments section.
("Baptisé à La Trinité en 1957, j'ai tous les dimanches de mon enfance entendu Olivier Messiaen improviser à la messe dominicale. A la fin de la messe, tout le monde sortait pour aller à la pâtisserie (!), mais mon père nous interdisait de nous lever tant que le Maître n'avait pas fini de jouer. La musique d'Olivier Messiaen est ainsi devenu comme une 'seconde langue maternelle' pour moi. C'est magnifique de le voir ici improviser." )
Baptisé à La Trinité en 1957, j'ai tous les dimanches de mon enfance entendu Olivier Messiaen improviser à la messe dominicale. A la fin de la messe, tout le monde sortait pour aller à la pâtisserie (!), mais mon père nous interdisait de nous lever tant que le Maître n'avait pas fini de jouer. La musique d'Olivier Messiaen est ainsi devenu comme une "seconde langue maternelle "pour moi. C'est magnifique de le voir ici improviser...
Quelle chance... je n'étais pas né quand il est mort...
Merci pour ce témoignage !
Imagine just casually walking into a church and there's Messiaen improvising away at his organ!!
One day, people will be writing about Latry, Ospital, Cauchefer-Choplin, Roth, Dubois...to name just a few. It's amazing that we have these recordings, but we should also appreciate the living legends while they're still around!
@@amenophis_factorem oh of course, I totally agree! I've seen relatively few classical masters, but many jazz legends while they were/are still alive (Sonny Rollins, Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter etc) and I'm very grateful for it!
What a genius. Sometimes it’s disturbing how some people are so passionately good at arts, it brings you to tears. Watching him is like watching Holdsworth in his old age playing his scales… Messiaen’s modes are extremely fascinating as well.
Disturbing..you mean enthralling? AH was a big fan.
@@mikeclose1763 it’s hard to really encapsulate what I mean. I just had no other word for the kind of intrigue I feel when seeing skill that immense.
Great!!! We cannot even imagine how good Bach was when improvising at organ, but luckily we have some samples like this one about Messiaen for future generations
.
The Ricercare a 3 from Bach's Musical Offering is supposed to be an almost exact copy of Bach's improvisation on the King's theme, and that Bach performed in front of the King himself.
Whenever I hear Messiaen's music, I remember this quote by Albert Einstein:
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”
Weightlessness in harmony and timelessness in rhythm. To Messiaen these were positive qualities. Spirit and eternity.
Did he state this? Where can I find the source?
@@Bati_ I’m just summing up what seems to me elements of his philosophy. He uses symmetry of intervals when building up harmony, more so than tonal tension. He uses symmetrical rhythmic structures, serial structures, and extremes of tempo to suspend the sense of forward-moving time.
@@baldrbraa Thank you for the clarification. I should read more about Messiaen!
Hmmm....the 20th century maestro, alone on his organ console.
Pure happiness, to play the organ in a dark, empty church, with nobody listening.
Just you..and the instrument.
Splendid composer.
Thanks for uploading.
I studied organ with Messiaen's friend Jean Langlais in Paris in 1984, and while I was there I heard Messiaen do similar improvisations a La Trinité church on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning -- very close to the time this video was made.
He improvised on this "Puer Natus est Nobis" Gregorian chant theme in the lessons and carols service at 11:00 PM on Christmas Eve that served as the prelude to Christmas Midnight Mass. That improvisation had definite similarities to the "Puer Natus" movement of his composition _Livre du Saint Sacrement_, which he was writing at that time.
I notice that in the second movement of this improvisation, he makes use of a particular chord progression (heard on the Voix Humaine) that also appears in "Les Mages" from La Nativité du Seigneur.
Lucky you. How wonderful.
Timothy Tikker you have been touched by the hands of God
That is seriously cool! French 20thC for me has got to be the most creative and special period - varied, but all linked together by (in my opinion) a 'Frenchness'- hard to define, but very special. Messiaen and Langlais !
I never understood this in previous years,,, and that was with over 15 years of playing Messiaen's piano works under my belt. Then I recently had a dream. I dreamt that I was hired by an imaginary church in Paris, and to reach the organ, you had to climb story after story of stairs, and there on the top was the organ bench. The sense of height was terrifying. Then in the dream I was hired by a local Methodist WV church, but still the organ seemed so high and so lofty. Oh, you dropped an atomic bomb? Still, you dont know the power of having a large church's organ at your fingertips. Height and the sense of height were major themes. And now after this dream I feel this in the music. A sense of aliveness, a sense of height. The feeling you get just when your car starts to veer of the road, or right when your swivel back chair starts to lean backward. A sense of aliveness. Amazing music from one of the worlds greatest musicians. I hope to have another dream just like that tonight...
Did you?
@@hexagonalawareness3584 No, But ive had like 3 offers to play at various local churches! While im busy at the moment, I hope to land one soon!
@@jimtownsend8010 Well, I'll continue to have the good dreams for you; I have crazy dreams. When you play at the church, remember to not screw up.
For many years my mother was Minister of Music at St. Paul’s Methodist in Parkersburg, WV; we moved out of that city in 1962. In 1970 I met Olivier Messiaen in Boston, so there’s an awful lot in this comment that resonates with me.
One of the best music videos on UA-cam!
And all based on pre-existing plainchant melodies, and consequently the texts, feast days and theology that goes with them. The implications of this are significant.
Messiaen's music - especially his organ work - brings me to tears every time.
Olivier was pure Christian, pure genius, pure Musician & pure great Composer!
Requestat in pacem, dear Olivier. I really love you organ music... You show us all the Power of Greatest God Father & His Son & Holy Spirit! And this... uncredible
Thank you!
Greatest...
It was in my church I heard this marvelous musiic all along those years to his depart to paradise. Blessings to his wanderful soul . What a grâce Lord.
9:31 Those flourishing passages just send shivers down my spine..
The genius of Messiaen is inestimable..
Ah yes, the chromatic scale. Genius.
To be fair, it is very effectively used.
Incredible and so filled with power and feeling. It is music that speaks directly to the soul.
+Eric Koenig How do you know that? How does one know how a soul functions?
+1401JSC I did not say I knew. What may be truth to me may not be to you. Taste is 100% subjective. Have a good day!
+1401JSC Because it changes it.
I think therefore I am, body and soul
Eric Koenig I agree. God runs through all of Messiaen's music. I love all his music
This man and his work mean so much to me...omg ❤
So beautiful place music singing wonderful thank you so much ❤👍❤❤❤❤🌹🌹
Gregorian chant forms the base of his inspiration in improvisation.
Yes. His knowledge of music history and composition was encyclopedic!
A Real Treasure ! Great Messiaen gifting us us with his wonderful music recorded superbly. Many thanks for the this wonder! @mWahlgren coment here is superb and a precious contribuition for your wonderful post ! ❤❤❤
I am going to see the great Jean-Yves Thibaudet accompany the Seattle Symphony playing Messiaen's great Turangalila Symphony tonight! I'm pretty thrilled: not only is Thibaudet a terrific musician (I strongly suggest that you check out his interpretation of Debussy's Images for piano), but he is considered an especially fine interpreter of the works of Messiaen, as well. T. has recorded the Symphony under the tutelage of the great Yvonne Moriot, Messiaen's wife.
Lucky you!
I just can't get enough of this video. It's rare to find a good video of my favorite Organ composer.
This guy is really good. I always picture modern composers not being so good at Playing actual instruments like the greats did, but this guy is really improving some intricate stuff. Fascinating how his brain processes music. Its like he knows exactly where he wants his dissonances and where to put them, like writing chromaticism in real time which seems impossible to me without rehearsal.
He has been playing with these themes and sounds for years. Believe me when I tell you, there were thousands of hours of rehearsal and tweaking!
“This guy is good“ - you sound like someone who had never heard of Messiaen till now.
This is unbelievable. Its like I'm in a different world. How have I never seen this video before.
Breathtaking to watch and listen to this. Definitely one of the most valuable music posting on UA-cam.
Grand dieu, du Messiaen tout craché. Magnifique ! Je ne sais pas combien il y a d'heures d'improvisations enregistrées, mais il serait bon de les publier largement
That has GOT to be the most perfect musical instrument of them all: the BIG church organ. In one body it carries all the power and "umfang" of the full orchestra, the rock band and the full choir. And with some almost electronic tonalities to complete it.
Totally agree! The organ is the ultimate!
Amen to that!
Sincerity foremost, as he says in his commentories. No empty display here. Extraordinary thematic concision especially in the middle movement.
This is beyond awesome. I was only recently turned on to Messiaen. Better late than never.
Il est bergers dans les chants, voient apparaître une troupe d‘ange qui chantent „gloria in excelsis deo, gloire au Dieu dans les hauteurs.
Olivier Messiaen-the Chuck Norris of the organ! He absolutely blows me away and is my all-time favourite composer.
An unusual comparison, I must say.
"Dieu Parmi Nous" is my favorite Messiaen piece.
BLOWN away by the organ??
Aren't we all.
I consider Tournemire and Messiaen to be the TWO GREATEST COMPOSERS who ever lived!!!!
😂🤣😂🤣please excuse my dirty mind but I can see some funny double meaning 😂🤣🤣
...Messiaen is truth in music
In`the summer of 1992 I had st up a meeting with M. Messiaen. Before my trip he passed on. That day my boss gave me the the day off (with pay) because she knew how much that meeting with him meant to me.
May God bless your boss!
Perfect songs to read the subjective forms of the clouds and to follow with a tender eye the grooves of the stems of the trees; appreciate the complex writing of the nested branches, taste the colors of the decomposition of light into water droplets in a garden, and strongly feel the wet soil of ancestral forest to perceive the traces of animals from deep past
Messiaen è uno dei più grandi musicisti della storia della musica
Clearly, his belief was his muse. Its what inspired his music.
This is why I am alive, thank you!
I never understood Messiaen until I heard and played the organ at La Trinité. The sonorities and true Adagio were enhanced by that acoustic. I can just imagine him at night trying out the sounds he had written, experimenting with what sounded good and what did not. My teacher, Mildred Andrews, insisted I memorize some of the larger works which I did as a good student, but I never imagined the sounds Messiaen heard. I have a much better appreciation of his music now than I ever did as a student.
What a absolutely sensational video. Thrilling!
A genuine genius at work! This is astonishing!
His music brings us to places beyond our poor imagination.
Yes
Messaien's words translated:
'Then to the shepherds in the fields appeared a hoard of angels singing "Glory to God in the highest!"
...
The Wise Men saw the Star of Christ in the Orient and journeyed toward Nazareth.
...
And the Wise Men offered gifts to Mary and the baby Jesus: Gold for a king, incense for a god and myrrh for a mortal man.'
Thank you! I speak French, but not so much I know that!
Matthew Breen
@@williamlewis4318 no problem. I won't for a moment pretend to be fluent, I had to rewind the video a couple of times until I caught every word!
6:30
HORDE
not Hoard😂
Beautiful
Merveilleux chrétien , habité par l'Esprit Saint ...les tres nombreuses images de tuyaux en dehors d'être esthétiques ne nous disent peu ...alors que son visage ses mains ses pieds ...parlent et nous enseignent ....et quand il parle ce qu'il dit est ressenti .
I love to listen to Messiaen's music- It's innovative and NOT DERIVATIVE!
It would be a real blessing if those who know French might be willing to translate Messiaen's comments for those of us who don't. Thanks.
yes!
0:19 : The shepherds in the fields watch a group of angels appear singing: “Gloria in Excelcis Deo”. 7:29 : and the wise men had seen the star announcing Christ in the Orient, and had set out towards Nazareth. 15:27 : and the wise men presented gifts to Mary and the infant Jesu: gold for the king, incense for God, and myrrh for the mortal man.
Olivier Messiaen en chair et en os, avec sa voix... Je n'aurais pas rêvé mieux :')
I sang in a choir at a Mass which Messiaen attended in the late 1980s in Melbourne, Australia. I don't believe he was quite as impressed as I am with this!
I'm a rookie listener/fan of classical music (avant-garde and chamber music specifically), yet happy that I'm learning to appreciate such emotional moments and awes upon listening. That's why in my humble opinion, one should appreciate the genius of the likes of Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Gentle Giant...etc. whose anti-generic music leads a rock n' roll connoisseur into this land of charm and horizon width.
Thanks for such a great upload.
+Zeppelin911 Great music can be found in all genres.
Frank Zappa had more difficult time with Messiaen but at the end he appreciated it and he even said he was one of his favorite composers. King Crimson, I think through Stravinsky and Bartok had a little bit of Messiaen, namely the mode 1 and 2, and I think also through the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Jon Krueger *most (imo)
If you're going to mention Progressive Rock in the context of Messaien, then by all means listen to Henry Cow.
Messiaen's wonderful!
Poetry beyond words, paintings in tone colours, breath of life.
His thoughtful use of the timbres or tonal pallette of the instrment is impressive!! He definitely knows the instrument!! Beyond that he is a philosopher as one may hear. Just masterful!!
He composed remarkable piano and orchestra works, too.
Un pur génie Monsieur Olivier Messiaen !Fantastique improvisation !
I can definitely see many many things which became Livre du Sant-Sacrement in this improvisation.
Merci au Maître de la musique ...merci la France pour donner de tels talents au monde
Exelente material, gracias por compartir.
awesome to see OM ripping up on the organ at Holy Trinity. killer dude on an amazing instrument. got chills at 17:03. this and recordings of Jung speaking get me amped that i can go straight to the source when i want my fill of european visionary maniacs from the 20th ce
Absolutely remarkable and inspiring to watch and to listen to.
La grande école Française d'improvisation!
Este vídeo es una de las cosas por las que merece la pena tener internet.
Messiaen's own "Modes of Limited Transposition" are prominently featured in the Finale of this work. A genius with his own personal language.
Messiaen was for years at L'eglise Trinite. It fascinates me that during those years so many major organists were full time at some church with a fine organ: St. Clotilde, St. Eustache, St. Sulpice, La Madeleine, Notre Dame (of course), St. Augustin, okay, where else? Help me. Ahh, St. Etienne du Mont. What a great time to be in Paris for organ lovers.
Fuck me. That is awesome.
@@BodilessVoice Not a response I was expecting.
@@BodilessVoice There might be a better way to say that.
@@charlesleyes870 Without a doubt
Olivier Messiaen was a great organ composer. I see power, in his pieces. I like La Résurrection du Christ, and Transports de joie d'une âme devant la gloire du Christ qui est la sienne.
His "Quartet for the End of Time" is required listening.
This amazing!
How utterly superb! A true genius.
I've hear nuch of your L'orgue Mystique and I am grateful for your efforts.
I'm not Christian, but Messiaen always makes me wish I was.
i have the same feeling...
Thank you for sharing history.
¡Maravilloso! Muchas gracias.
Too see Messiaen speaking and improvising!!! I consider him along with Charles Tournemire to be the two GREATEST composers who ever lived!!!’
And Vierne!!!
Messiaen is a thaumaturgist of sound. His "music" intensionally transcend the earthly gravity of words. Silence now speaks. CVD
Really I adore, I add : All great ideas inspired, music, films, philosophy, inventions, revelations all come from the collective unconscious. Very often artists use the inspiration from outside, deductive logic, the extrapolation of evidence and reasoning known to unveil the sumptuous and magnificent righteousness of a sound architecture such as this one. It is a truth that is spontaneously revealed to us or that with time we have to verify by ourselves in order to know if such and such a composer can change our minds and our existences.......... Thanks for reading me !
Correct
Yea, and Amén.
@@MegaCirse That is the heart of it! Yet how few interface let alone connect with the collective unconscious to become conduits for its transcendental expression! Here’s a tough question - why do any at all become such conduits and how?
Forgive my stumbling tongue - it’s hard to speak precisely about such things and avoid sounding like some new age mystic 😆👍
Heck, even God told me He likes to listen to Messiaen!
...such incredible colour and light.
I am definitely not ready for this !
Revisited with pleasure.
What a find. Many thanks!
It's still quite a lot and growing fast. What's really sad is that Messiaen's friend and mentor Tournemire is so neglected. I've uploaded ALL of L'Orgue Mystique and, four months on, it's still barely got 10,000 views across the whole thing...
He knew like no other organist to use constantly his instrument at full power.
makes me improvise more than ever..after death he still inspires us!!
His tone language is suposed to be unique. Every chord, every phrase we was playing infects our imagination.
It's refreshing to see a true improvisation without a battalion of registrants to help out!!
MAGNIFICENT
je vous envie pour cette magnifique experience.
Superbe!
I thought this tape was for a single improvisation, but now see there is a second one following which I like even more than the first.
great!! Thanks.
Some don't get Messiaen, and I can understand them. But it's a shame as the are missing some of the most jaw-dropping powerful and then the most tender music ever dreamed. All suffused with the light of The Spirit.
Brilliant.
Maravilhoso, libertador, inspirador, colorido, vivo.
The part at 10'00'' reminds me on some kind of alarm signal. :-D Interesting, to see Olivier Messiaen improvising!
What a beautiful organ music of Olivier Messiaen!
It's nice to be able to see and hear composers of this magnitude performing their own works.
Waouh... Merci.
He seems to be man of great humility too.
Olivier Messiaen c'est mon Professeur
That's incredible...
Wow he is your teacher? That is incredible! C'est super!
Du Paradis je suppose car il est mort en 1992... ;-)
Yes, I have studied under Him in 1977 - 1979.
OK... He WAS your teacher... Congratulations! He was a top Master :-)
Hermoso!!!!!!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
je suis tres content d'avoir trouve cet enregistrement (tres rare) voir messiaen a l'impro c'est quelle chose ...(merci symbol kid >)
Hypnotizing
como me hubiera gustado escucharlo en vivo, es impresionante, sin duda uno de los más grandes genios de la música del siglo XX!!!
Que tu as eu de la chance! Le Maître etait la pure voix de la musique pour orgue, transfiguree en un corps humain...
GRACIAS