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Olivier Messiaen's interests in mathematics, color, and birdsong combined with his devout Christian faith created an individual musical style which has greatly influenced other composers of the 20th century.

Through performances and lectures, Brown Symposium XXII at Southwestern University, Ratios and Radiance, Feathers and Faith: The Music of Olivier Messiaen, will examine the works of the French composer who lived from 1908 until 1992.


The Brown Symposium is presented by Southwestern University on an annual basis. Open to the public without charge, the symposium is funded through an endowment established by The Brown Foundation, Inc., of Houston, Texas, for professorships at the University.

The symposia are designed to enhance the effectiveness of the work for which the endowed professorships were established. Each symposium presents topics in one of the broad areas of study represented by a chairholder.

Ratios and Radiance, Feathers and Faith: The Music of Olivier Messiaen, the 22nd symposium in the series, has been developed by F. Ellsworth Peterson, professor of music and holder of the Margarett Root Brown Chair.

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