COMPOSER

Olivier Messiaen

1908 - 1992

Photo of Olivier Messiaen

Icon of person Olivier Messiaen

Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (UK: , US: ; French: [ɔlivje øʒɛn pʁɔspɛʁ ʃaʁl mɛsjɑ̃]; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th century, he was also an outstanding teacher of composition and musical analysis. Messiaen entered the Conservatoire de Paris at age 11 and studied with Paul Dukas, Maurice Emmanuel, Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré, among others. He was appointed organist at the Église de la Sainte-Trinité, Paris, in 1931, a post he held for 61 years, until his death. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Olivier Messiaen is the 90th most popular composer (up from 91st in 2019), the 348th most popular biography from France (up from 354th in 2019) and the 15th most popular French Composer.

Olivier Messiaen is most famous for his compositions for organ and orchestra, including the Turangalîla-Symphonie.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Olivier Messiaen by language

Loading...

Among COMPOSERS

Among composers, Olivier Messiaen ranks 90 out of 1,451. Before him are Johann Pachelbel, Heinrich Schütz, Luigi Cherubini, Luigi Boccherini, John Williams, and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. After him are Carl Czerny, Nino Rota, John Cage, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Pierre Boulez, and Jacopo Peri.

Most Popular Composers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1908, Olivier Messiaen ranks 15. Before him are Herbert von Karajan, Lev Landau, Otto Skorzeny, Amon Göth, Edward Teller, and Willard Van Orman Quine. After him are Hannes Alfvén, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Don Bradman, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Simon Wiesenthal, and Bette Davis. Among people deceased in 1992, Olivier Messiaen ranks 10. Before him are Alexander Dubček, Willy Brandt, Friedrich Hayek, Astor Piazzolla, Menachem Begin, and Mikhail Tal. After him are John Cage, Francis Bacon, Barbara McClintock, Giovanni Falcone, Li Xiannian, and Daniel Bovet.

Others Born in 1908

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1992

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In France

Among people born in France, Olivier Messiaen ranks 348 out of 6,770. Before him are Ludwig I of Bavaria (1786), Adolphe Thiers (1797), Désirée Clary (1777), Constantine II (316), Chrétien de Troyes (1135), and Sophie Germain (1776). After him are Éliphas Lévi (1810), Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor (1275), J. M. G. Le Clézio (1940), William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825), Elisabeth of Valois (1545), and Georges de La Tour (1593).

Others born in France

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among COMPOSERS In France

Among composers born in France, Olivier Messiaen ranks 15. Before him are Erik Satie (1866), Gabriel Fauré (1845), François Couperin (1668), Jules Massenet (1842), Josquin des Prez (1450), and Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1645). After him are Pierre Boulez (1925), Francis Poulenc (1899), Arthur Honegger (1892), Léo Delibes (1836), Adolphe Adam (1803), and Edgard Varèse (1883).

French born Composers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous