Skip to main content

Olivier Messiaen and Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen letters to Madeleine Forte

 Collection
Identifier: MS 0576
Finding aid note: Stored onsite at the Woodson Research Center.

Scope and Contents

The letters of Oliver Messiaen and Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen to Madeleine Forte date from 1978-2001 and give detailed commentary on Olivier Messiaen's life and works as well as the interpretation of his works for piano. The letters are in French and have accompanying translations. Also included are photographs of Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen and her apartment and the compact disc "Madeleine Forte plays piano music of Olivier Messiaen with commentary by Allen Forte."

Dates

  • 1978-2001

Creator

Access Restrictions

This material is open for research. Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish from this material must be facilitated through the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Biographical Sketch

Olivier Messiaen (December 10, 1908 – April 27, 1992) was a composer, organist, and teacher born in Avignon, France. He studied at the Paris Conservatory where he later taught and was the organist of La Sainte Trinite church in Paris. Messiaen is known for rhythmically complex music influenced by his Catholic faith and love of nature and ornithology.

Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen (January 20, 1924 – May 17, 2010), born in Houilles, France, was a pianist, teacher, composer, and known as the most important interpreter of Olivier Messaien's piano works. She was a student of Olivier Messaien at the Paris Conservatory and later became a professor at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris and in the 1940s she began premiering Olivier Messaien's compositions for the piano. Yvonne and Olivier married in 1961 following the death of his first wife.

Madeleine Forte is a French concert pianist with degrees from the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris, The Juilliard School, and New York University where her dissertation was focused on the music of Olivier Messiaen.

Extent

0.5 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

French

Additional Description

Overview

The letters of Oliver Messiaen and Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen to Madeleine Forte date from 1978-2001 and give detailed commentary on Olivier Messiaen's life and works as well as the interpretation of his works for piano.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated 2011.

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the letters from Olivier Messiaen and Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen to Madeleine Forte, 1978-2001
Status
Completed
Date
2011
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

Broaden your search:
Texas Archival Resources Online - statewide search of archival finding aids
ArchiveGrid - international search of archival finding aids
Scholarship.rice.edu - Rice University digital content

Harmful Content Statement
© 2023 Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892