Listen to the birds

Messiaen’s Greatest Teachers: Birds “Listen to the birds; they are great masters.” These words, spoken by Paul Dukas to the young Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), would shape the course of a young french composer’s life. Years later, Messiaen would famously describe birds as “the greatest musicians on our planet.” From that point on, birds became far more than a source of inspiration. They grew into one of the central forces behind his musical imagination. Their songs permeate h