Abstract

This study analyzes Messiaen's Catalogue d'Oiseaux for solo piano in order to formulate a performance guide. The unusual subject matter of birdsong within these pieces translates to innovative compositional techniques, demanding significant reorientation of the performer's approach to this music. ;After the general introduction of the first chapter, Chapter II presents an overview of Messiaen's life and music. The sections are divided into: a brief biography, representative works, music for solo piano, and birdsong compositions. The last two aspects are observed more extensively, insofar as these were found to represent essential components relating directly to the core of the present study. ;Chapter III examines all thirteen pieces in the Catalogue through both narrative and time-line graph methods; the latter is a concept developed by Jan LaRue in his Guidelines for Style Analysis . The data generated from these condensed forms of analysis lead to the selection of pieces for in-depth study. The resulting selections are: "Le Loriot" , "Le Merle bleu" , "La Chouette Hulotte" , "La Rousserolle Effarvatte" , "La Bouscarle" , and "La Traquet rieur" . ;Chapter IV explains the two complementary methods employed in the detailed analyses: Style Analysis investigates the music's conceptual, structural, and stylistic levels--the latter including the elements of sonority, melody, rhythm, and harmony; the Phenomenological Method is based on Husserlian concepts, as developed by Thomas Clifton in his Music as Heard: A Study in Applied Phenomenology . Within Clifton's framework, the notions of musical temporality, spatiality, and play element are outlined. Also, specific considerations behind the formulation of the performance guides are enumerated. ;Chapters V through X present respective detailed analyses of the six selected pieces. The data generated from the analyses produced significant impact in the formulation of the performance guides. In addition, the researcher's own on-the-piano study of the pieces, as well as his public performances, contributed to the overall technical considerations of the performance guides. The last chapter presents the conclusion to the study as well as several recommendations for further related research.