Photo: Rob Croes / Anefo / CC0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Messiaen is, for me, one of the genuinely irreplaceable figures of twentieth-century music. A composer and organist who was also a serious ornithologist, he transcribed birdsong into his scores and seemed to hear the world differently from everyone else. The Quartet for the End of Time, written in a prisoner-of-war camp, still astonishes me for its clarity born of extremity. The honors pile up, from the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour to the Erasmus Prize, but they almost miss the point. What I admire is the unity of his vision: faith, nature, and sound braided into a single, unmistakable language.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Olivier Messiaen
- Name (Japanese)
- オリヴィエ・メシアン
- Reading
- おりゔぃえ・めしあん
- Born
- December 10, 1908 – April 27, 1992
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Monkey
- Origin
- Avignon, Vaucluse, France
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- composer / organist / ornithologist / music educator / musicologist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1986 Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1990 Commander of the Order of the Crown
- 1979 Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
- 1971 Erasmus Prize
- 1977 Léonie Sonning Music Prize
- 1975 Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal
- 1984 Berliner Kunstpreis
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Saint François d'Assise | — | |
| Notable work | Éclairs sur l'au-delà... | — | |
| Notable work | Thème et variations | — | |
| Notable work | Quatuor pour la fin du temps | — | |
| Notable work | Trois Petites Liturgies de la Présence Divine | — | |
| Notable work | Quatre Études de rythme | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Olivier Messiaen born?
December 10, 1908 – April 27, 1992.
Where is Olivier Messiaen from?
Olivier Messiaen is from Avignon, Vaucluse, France.
What does Olivier Messiaen do?
Olivier Messiaen works as composer, organist, ornithologist, music educator, musicologist.
What is Olivier Messiaen known for?
Notable works include Saint François d'Assise, Éclairs sur l'au-delà..., Thème et variations.
Composer — see all → · Organist — see all → · More people from France →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.