Messiaen, Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles (1908-1992)

French composer, organist, and teacher. His music is mystical in character, vividly coloured, and incorporates transcriptions of birdsong. Among his works are the Quartet for the End of Time (1941), the large-scale Turangalîla Symphony (1949), and solo organ and piano pieces. As a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire from 1942, he influenced three generations of composers.

His theories of melody, harmony, and rhythm, drawing on medieval and oriental music, have inspired contemporary composers such as Boulez and Stockhausen.

He was born in Avignon, and spent most of his life in Paris, where he was appointed organist at La Trinité church 1931. He was a devout Christian.