Uploaded July 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Number 8 in the Catalog d'oiseaux, one of the shorter entries,. Impressive sonorities M. Messiaen draws from the piano.
A rough translation of the text:
VIII. L’alouette calandrelle
(calandrella brachydactyla)
Provence, month of July: the short-toed lark, two in the afternoon, Les Baux, Les Alpilles, barren rocks, broom brush and cypress, monotonous percussion of the cicadas, a kestrel’s sharp alarm. Route d’Entressen: 2 larks in counterpoint. 4PM La Crau, Désert de cailloux, bright light, hotter than hell. Alone, the brief song of the short-toed lark. Around 6PM, a sky lark ascends and sings. Amphimacre quail, memories of the short-toed lark.
alouette calandrelle - short-toed lark
faucon crécerelle - kestrel
caille - quail
cochevis huppé - crested lark
alouette des champs - sky lark
created by myself on an electric keyboard, edited and mastered in Digital Performer 5.13 using Ivory sound banks.
Number 8 in the Catalog d'oiseaux, one of the shorter entries,. Impressive sonorities M. Messiaen draws from the piano.
A rough translation of the text:
VIII. L’alouette calandrelle
(calandrella brachydactyla)
Provence, month of July: the short-toed lark, two in the afternoon, Les Baux, Les Alpilles, barren rocks, broom brush and cypress, monotonous percussion of the cicadas, a kestrel’s sharp alarm. Route d’Entressen: 2 larks in counterpoint. 4PM La Crau, Désert de cailloux, bright light, hotter than hell. Alone, the brief song of the short-toed lark. Around 6PM, a sky lark ascends and sings. Amphimacre quail, memories of the short-toed lark.
alouette calandrelle - short-toed lark
faucon crécerelle - kestrel
caille - quail
cochevis huppé - crested lark
alouette des champs - sky lark
created by myself on an electric keyboard, edited and mastered in Digital Performer 5.13 using Ivory sound banks.
