Artist
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen appears once in our Modernism list, placing as high as No. 4. Hand-curated, with a reason for every pick.
- Ranked entries
- 1
- Appears on
- Modernism
- Year
- 1941
- Highest placing
- No. 4 in Modernism
- Updated
- 2026-08-30
Appears on
Quatuor pour la fin du temps
1941
Ranked No. 4 in Modernism
Written and first performed in a prisoner-of-war camp, for the four instruments available. Birdsong, non-retrogradable rhythm, and an unembarrassed faith that the circumstances make impossible to patronise.