Título: Olivier Messiaen
Seção: Youth and studies
Background: Olivier Eugene Charles Prosper Messiaen (French: [olivje mesja]; December 10, 1908 - April 27, 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically and melodically he employs a system he called modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from the systems of material generated by his early compositions and improvisations. He wrote music for chamber ensembles and orchestra, vocal music, as well as for solo organ and piano, and also experimented with the use of novel electronic instruments developed in Europe during his lifetime. He travelled widely and wrote works inspired by diverse influences ranging from Japanese music, the landscape of Bryce Canyon in Utah and the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

Conteúdo: Olivier-Eugene-Prosper-Charles Messiaen was born December 10, 1908 in Avignon, France, into a literary family. He was the elder of two sons of Cecile Sauvage, a poet, and Pierre Messiaen, a teacher of English who translated the plays of William Shakespeare into French. Messiaen's mother published a sequence of poems, L'ame en bourgeon ("The Budding Soul"), the last chapter of Tandis que la terre tourne ("As the Earth Turns"), which address her unborn son. Messiaen later said this sequence of poems influenced him deeply and he cited it as prophetic of his future artistic career.  At the outbreak of World War I, Pierre Messiaen enlisted and Cecile took their two boys to live with her brother in Grenoble. There Messiaen became fascinated with drama, reciting Shakespeare to his brother with the help of a home-made toy theatre with translucent backdrops made from old cellophane wrappers. At this time he also adopted the Roman Catholic faith. Later, Messiaen felt most at home in the Alps of the Dauphine, where he had a house built south of Grenoble where he composed most of his music.  He took piano lessons having already taught himself to play. His interest included the recent music of French composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, and he asked for opera vocal scores for Christmas presents. He also saved to buy scores and one such was Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt whose "beautiful Norwegian melodic lines with the taste of folk song...gave me a love of melody." Around this time he b

user: Where did Massiaen grow up?

assistant: Olivier-Eugene-Prosper-Charles Messiaen was born December 10, 1908 in Avignon, France, into a literary family.

user: Who were his parents?

assistant: He was the elder of two sons of Cecile Sauvage, a poet, and Pierre Messiaen, a teacher of English who translated the plays of William Shakespeare into French.

user: How many siblings did he have?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: Where did he attend school?

assistant: At the Conservatoire, Messiaen made excellent academic progress. In 1924, aged 15, he was awarded second prize in harmony,

user: What did he study?

assistant: After showing improvisational skills on the piano Messiaen studied organ with Marcel Dupre.

user: Who else did he study with?

assistant: After a year studying composition with Charles-Marie Widor, in autumn 1927 he entered the class of the newly appointed Paul Dukas.

user: Did he have any significant acheivements during his youth?

assistant: aged 15, he was awarded second prize in harmony, having been taught in that subject by professor Jean Gallon.