Event Title
Olivier Messiaen’s L'Ascension for Organ and Improvisation in the Style of Messiaen
Performer / Ensemble
Sa Ra Park (Organ)
Date of Publication
3-26-2021
Document Type
Event
Abstract / Program Notes
French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) left numerous works. Especially his works for solo organ belong to the standard repertoire for organists. Among them, L'Ascension (“The Ascension”) is a well-known work for organ solo. Originally, Messiaen composed this work for orchestra in 1932-1933, consisting of four movements. In 1933-1934, Messiaen created a version for organ solo. He adapted the first, second, and fourth movements from the orchestra version and newly composed the third movement. This lecture recital will focus on how Messiaen arranged the second movement Alleluias sereins d’une âme qui désire le ciel for organ. It is worthy to compare both versions, whereby my lecture focusses especially on the aspect of sound. Furthermore, musical elements, such as motifs, melodies, and rhythms used in the second movement will be examined to characterize Messiaen’s style. On the basis of my lecture, I will perform an improvisation in the style of the second movement, whereby my improvisation includes the church hymn Praise to the Lord, the Almighty. The recital-portion of this lecture-recital will end with the third movement, Transports de joie, that has a majestic character. Since my lecture-recital is related to not only organ music, but also improvisation and music analysis, it would be of interest to performers, musicologists, music theorists, church musicians, and Christians in general.
Biography
Sa Ra Park is a music theory graduate student at Texas State University. Before coming to the US, she studied musicology at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). In July 2019, she submitted her doctoral dissertation “Das Liedrepertoire der evangelischen Kirche in Korea – Interkulturelle Beziehungen zwischen dem deutschen und dem koreanischen Kirchenlied” [The Song Repertoire of the Evangelical Church in Korea: Intercultural Relations Between the German and the Korean Church Hymnal]. In June 2020, she defended her doctoral dissertation in musicology at the university in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). Parallel to studies in musicology, she studied church music in Mainz and earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. In addition, she studied piano in South Korea. In Germany, Korea, and United States, she has given numerous piano and organ concerts and has performed her own composition works. Her research interests include Asian music, especially Korean traditional music, music by contemporary musicians, and intercultural relationships surrounding church hymns. srpark146@gmail.com
Keywords
motifs, melodies, and rhythms
Olivier Messiaen’s L'Ascension for Organ and Improvisation in the Style of Messiaen
French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) left numerous works. Especially his works for solo organ belong to the standard repertoire for organists. Among them, L'Ascension (“The Ascension”) is a well-known work for organ solo. Originally, Messiaen composed this work for orchestra in 1932-1933, consisting of four movements. In 1933-1934, Messiaen created a version for organ solo. He adapted the first, second, and fourth movements from the orchestra version and newly composed the third movement. This lecture recital will focus on how Messiaen arranged the second movement Alleluias sereins d’une âme qui désire le ciel for organ. It is worthy to compare both versions, whereby my lecture focusses especially on the aspect of sound. Furthermore, musical elements, such as motifs, melodies, and rhythms used in the second movement will be examined to characterize Messiaen’s style. On the basis of my lecture, I will perform an improvisation in the style of the second movement, whereby my improvisation includes the church hymn Praise to the Lord, the Almighty. The recital-portion of this lecture-recital will end with the third movement, Transports de joie, that has a majestic character. Since my lecture-recital is related to not only organ music, but also improvisation and music analysis, it would be of interest to performers, musicologists, music theorists, church musicians, and Christians in general.