Saint François d'Assise

Saint Francois D'Assise  is an opera in 3 acts by Olivier Messiaen . This volume is part of the edition that includes the books with the full Orchestra scores, as well as the explanations, analysis and comments of each tableau. It is focused on the Act 1, Tableau 2. Les laudes which tells of the moment when Saint Francis his requests to God to meet a leper and to be able to love him.

This tableau depicts Saint Francis and the Mineurs Brotherssinging the morning service until the bells ring, leaving Saint Francis alone to pray. It includes Saint Francis prayers, some parts of Cantique des creatures on Brother Wind, Sister Water, Brother Fire and Mother Earth and the Sanctus. Based on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, this opera is set in Italy and is composed as per below:

Act I: 1. La croix 2. Les laudes 3. Le baiser au lépreux Act II 4. L’ange voyageur 5. L’ange musicien 6. Le prêche aux oiseaux Act II 7. Les stigmates 8. La mort et la nouvelle vie

This opera was first played at the Paris Opera in 1983. Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was a French organist and composer passionate about Ornithology and one of the most important composers of his century. Inspired by Japanese music, he had a very special way of composing and his work can be identified by its complexity, its diatonic aspect, its harmony with limited transposition, its colour and its additive rhythms. He composed many works related to ornithology and birdsong, including the 'Bird Catalogue' in 7 volumes and the 'Treatise on Rhythm, Colour and Ornithology' in 7 volumes.