ABSTRACT

This chapter examines some connections between Messiaen and the art sacre movement may provide some new insights for the understanding of Messiaen, his stylistic predilections, compositional trajectory and relationship with the aesthetic and theological debates of his time. The notion that new art, with its radical forms and increased abstraction, should be placed at the service of the Catholic faith was not an uncontroversial one because at its heart was the rejection of the popular religious art of the day, known, especially to its detractors, as l'art Saint-Sulpice. There is, in fact, a common element to all of these high-profile projects: Pere Marie-Alain Couturier, a Dominican priest and stained glass artist who believed passionately in turning the best of new art to the service of the Catholic Church. Incidentally, a footnote helpfully explains that sacred music is a generic term, with liturgical and non-liturgical music used elsewhere for more precise reference.