Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992) left us a considerable output marked in particular by his researches into rhythm, his modes of limited transposition, his chord colours, his Roman catholic faith, and the birdsong. From the 1940s and 1950s, the period of Le Merle noir, Messiaen was able to evolve and direct his work towards a relationship with nature and, through that, the spiritual.

Composed in 1951 as a competition piece for the Paris Conservatoire, Le Merle noir is one of Messiaen’s first pieces to make reference to birdsong, which would continue to inspire him throughout his career: “I have always thought that birds were the great masters and that they had found everything: modes, neumes, rhythmic acuity, tone-colour melodies and even collective improvisation” (Traité de rythme, de couleur et d’ornithologie, V, 1).