Catalogue d'oiseaux
Catalogue d'oiseaux ("Catalogue of birds") is a work for piano solo by Olivier Messiaen consisting of thirteen pieces, written between October 1956 and September 1958. It is devoted to birds and dedicated to his second wife Yvonne Loriod.
Premiere[]
The work was premiered by Yvonne Loriod on 15 April 1959 in Paris, Salle Gaveau, for the concerts of the "Domaine musical" organized by Pierre Boulez.
Aim of the work[]
For these pieces, Messiaen did not want to be limited to the evocation of the bird of which each of it bears the title.
Each piece is written in honor of a French province. It bears the title of the bird-type of the chosen region. It is not alone: its habitat neighbors surround it and also sing (...) - its landscape, the hours of day and night that change this landscape, are also present, with their colors, their temperatures, the magic of their perfumes
Title of the pieces[]
- 1 - The Alpine chough (Chocard des Alpes)
![Pyrrhocorax-graculus-0016-a.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Pyrrhocorax-graculus-0016-a.jpg/150px-Pyrrhocorax-graculus-0016-a.jpg)
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- 2 - The Eurasian golden oriole (Loriot d'Europe)
![Oriole 2.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/Oriole_2.jpg/150px-Oriole_2.jpg)
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- 3 - The Blue rock thrush (Merle bleu)
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- 4 - The Western black-eared wheatear (Traquet stapazin)
![Black-eared Wheatear - Cres - Croatia 0003 (1) (18786212513).jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Black-eared_Wheatear_-_Cres_-_Croatia_0003_%281%29_%2818786212513%29.jpg/220px-Black-eared_Wheatear_-_Cres_-_Croatia_0003_%281%29_%2818786212513%29.jpg)
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- 5 - The Tawny owl (Chouette hulotte)
![Tawny wiki.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Tawny_wiki.jpg/150px-Tawny_wiki.jpg)
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- 6 - The Woodlark (Alouette lulu)
![Lullula arborea3.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Lullula_arborea3.jpg/150px-Lullula_arborea3.jpg)
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- 7 - The Eurasian reed warbler (Rousserolle effarvatte)
![Acrocephalus scirpaceus (cropped).jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Acrocephalus_scirpaceus_%28cropped%29.jpg/150px-Acrocephalus_scirpaceus_%28cropped%29.jpg)
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- 8 - The Greater short-toed lark (Alouette calandrelle)
![Greater Short-Toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla) I IMG 4695.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Mirafra_I_IMG_4695.jpg/150px-Mirafra_I_IMG_4695.jpg)
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- 9 - The Cetti's warbler (Bouscarle de Cetti)
![37-090505-cettis-warbler-at-Kalloni-east-river.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/37-090505-cettis-warbler-at-Kalloni-east-river.jpg/150px-37-090505-cettis-warbler-at-Kalloni-east-river.jpg)
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- 10 - The Common rock thrush (Merle de roche)
![Monticola saxatilis NAUMANN.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/Monticola_saxatilis_NAUMANN.jpg/150px-Monticola_saxatilis_NAUMANN.jpg)
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- 11 - The Common buzzard (Buse variable)
![Buteo buteo 5 (Marek Szczepanek).jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Buteo_buteo_5_%28Marek_Szczepanek%29.jpg/150px-Buteo_buteo_5_%28Marek_Szczepanek%29.jpg)
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- 12 - The Black wheatear (Traquet rieur)
![Black Wheatear - Merzouga Marocco 07 3429 (19400616192).jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Black_Wheatear_-_Merzouga_Marocco_07_3429_%2819400616192%29.jpg/220px-Black_Wheatear_-_Merzouga_Marocco_07_3429_%2819400616192%29.jpg)
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- 13 - The Eurasian curlew (Courlis cendré)
![Numenius arquata.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Numenius_arquata.jpg/150px-Numenius_arquata.jpg)
Recordings[]
- Yvonne Loriod: Erato Records 2292-45505-2/VI; ECD 71590 (1970-1973)
- Peter Hill: Regis B000Q7RKW8 (1986)
- Anatol Ugorski: Deutsche Grammophon 4743452 (1994)
- Hakon Austbo: Naxos Records 8.553532.34 (1997), Also includes Petites esquisses d'oiseaux (composed in 1985).
- Paul Kim: Centaur Records CRC 2567/68/69 (2001), Also includes La Fauvette des jardins and Petites esquisses d'oiseaux
- Roger Muraro: Accord 4657682 (2002)
- Pierre-Laurent Aimard: Pentatone PTC 5186670 (2018)
- Carl-Axel Dominique BIS BIS-CD-594/596 Also includes "La Favuette des jardins" and "Petites esquisses d'oiseaux".
See also[]
List of compositions by Olivier Messiaen
References[]
- ^ Booklet of the above referenced CD
External links[]
- Catalogue d'oiseaux in Les Inrockuptibles
- Three tracks on Gallica
- Catalogue d'oiseaux on Naxos
- Messiaen Catalogue d'oiseaux on Gramophone
- Olivier Messiaen, Catalogue d'oiseaux (in 7 books), for piano, I/42 (1956-1958) (Håkon Austbø, piano) on YouTube
- First Book
- Second Book
- Third Book
- Fourth Book
- Fifth Book
- Sixth Book
- Seventh Book
- Compositions for solo piano
- 1958 compositions
- Compositions by Olivier Messiaen
- Music about birds