ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book includes post-tonal analytical methods, studies of borrowing techniques, intertextual references, and relationships between Messiaen's theology and the structuring of his music, among others. It aspires to assist the research of all scholars working on Messiaen, in order to facilitate its continued and fruitful development. The book examines primary sources, arranged by manuscript collections, articles and reviews, pedagogical works, lectures and librettos, prefaces, interviews, correspondence, and documentaries and filmed performances. It lays out how the information is arranged and disseminated and features a list of works by genre. The book comprises with each piece are listings of relevant articles and recordings and opens with an essay that relates Messiaen's musical output to surrealism. It evaluates the current state of research on the composer and closes by listing Messiaen bibliographies in order to contextualize this research guide on Olivier Messiaen.
