The trajectory of the intersection Olivier Messiaen-Almeida Prado: Momentos, La Fauvette des Jardins and Cartas Celestes

Tadeu Tafarello – [email protected]

An intersection is a nonreproducible connection of a multiplicity of lines consisting by the most varied immanences in the World. Giving credit that it also manifests in the musical field, the present study shows a concrete sample of the intersection in music by centering itself into the relationship between Almeida Prado and Olivier Messiaen, aiming to disclose some of the sonorous potencies absorbed by the Brazilian composer during the period in which he was Messiaen’s pupil, from 1969 to 1973, and put into practice while composing his piano solo piece Cartas Celestes I, from 1974. Therefore, a comparative analytical study has been done between the above mentioned piece, the piano solo pieces VI Momentos, 2nd book - 1969, also by Almeida Prado and La Fauvette des Jardins, 1971, by Olivier Messiaen. Amongst the obtained results, it has been noticed that in the compositional writing of the 1969 piece, Almeida Prado presented a textural exploration with which a parallel with Villa-Lobos cycle of pieces for piano Prole do Bebê nº 2 can be done. Furthermore, the Brazilian composer demonstrated a previous knowledge of some concepts of his future French teacher’s musical production, especially from the technique applied by Messiaen in Vingt Regards sur L’Enfant-Jesus, piano solo piece from 1944. In Cartas Celestes I, piece that is subsequent to Almeida Prado’s studies in France, there were found differences from the 2nd book of Momentos from 1969 and resemblances with the analyzed Messiaen’s piece, La Fauvette des Jardins, proving the hypothesis that there were significant changes in the musical writing of the Brazilian composer in the period. Moreover, it was possible to trace the intersections in the piece of Almeida Prado from 1974 with the production of Ligeti, of Gaussin and of Murail. Hence, it has been identified that the intersection Olivier Messiaen-Almeida Prado presents itself in a rhizomatic way, characterized by the multiple connections, by the decalcomania and by the rhizome’s non reproductability, all presented in Cartas Celestes I making it unique, irreplaceable and original in its historical context and within the Brazilian composer’s developing process