1944年法國作曲家梅湘(Olivier Messiaen,1908-1992)在他出版《我的音樂語言技巧》(Technique de mon langage musical)中，明揭他對於音樂的「時間」層次：節奏的關懷，戰爭期間完成於集中營的作品《為時間終結的四重奏》(Quatour pour la Fin du Temps,1940-60) 即呈現了他在書中所闡述的節奏理論。節奏之外，梅湘作品的合聲色彩與管弦樂音色更是他音樂的主要特色，梅湘中期作品《時間的色彩》(Cheononchromie,1959-60)即呈現出他作品中處理「時間」與「色彩」的匠心獨運。做為音樂教師，梅湘於巴黎高等音樂院長年開授的「音樂分析與美學」課程作育了當代許多傑出的音樂家。在這些學生中尤以格里塞(Gerard Grisey,1946-1998)和穆海爾(Tristan Murail,1947生)等人所開創的「頻譜樂派」(Musique spectrale)最能繼承梅湘在時間與「色彩」的關懷並加以發揮，對後代作曲家產生深遠影響。

In Technique of My Musical Language, Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) clearly presents his personal interest in “time” and “rhythm.” They are perfectly embodied in his Quatour pour la Fin du Te^^ps (1940-41) written in a prisoner-of-war camp of German armies during the Second World War. In addition to rhythm, the particularity of Messiaen5s music consists of his treatment of harmonic color and orchestral timbre. Messiaen’s Chronochromie (1959-60) epitomizes his unique perception on these two elements, “time” and “color.” As a teacher, Messiaen inspired a number of musicians in his famous class of “Musical Analysis and Aesthetic” at the Conservatoire of Paris. In the 1970’s, two of his pupils, Gerard Grisey (1946-1998) and Tristan Murail (1947-) established and developed the “Spectral School,” which continues to advocate the master’s interests in time and color and inspire many young composers.
This paper focuses on Messiaen’s discourse on “sound and color” published in the last volume of his Traite de Rythme, de Couleur, et d’ornithologie. By analyzing works such as Trois petites Liturgies de la Presence Di^vine (1943-44), I discuss the methods Messiaen used to treat the harmony and color in his works. Secondly, we will analyze the representative works of “Spectral School,” such as Treize Couleurs du Soleil Couchant (1978) by Tristan Murail, to determine the relationship between “spectral music” and the ideas of Messiaen, especially in the domain of color. The paper concludes by showing the influence of Messiaen upon Murail as well as their differences in their treatments of harmony and the ideas of sound.