Musicology Annotation << Back Piano in the Messiaen’s chamber music Svetlana M. Lopushanskaia This article is devoted to the role of the piano in O. Messiaen’s instrumental chamber works. Points about treatment of the piano, its functions and interaction with other instruments are considered. Special attention is paid to the realization of color representations by means of the piano. The author concludes that the piano in Messiaen’s chamber works is essential instrument in matters of possibilities of color representation. In the early opuses interaction between the piano and other instruments is based on a dialogue with the intonation and timbre imitation, that will revive in the later «Le merle noir». Starting with the «Quatuor pour la fi n du temps», the piano is opposed to his partners and characterized personality of texture, lack of shared themes. The piano of Messiaen’s mature period is the colorful depictive instrument intended to express different states, and therefore his treatment varies from absolutely non-percussion instrument to the intentionally percussion one. Keywords: O. Messiaen, piano, chamber works, treatment, Thè me et variations, Fantasie for violin and piano, «Quatuor pour la fi n du temps», «Le merle noir», Pièce pour piano et quatuor à cordes. Contacts: E-mail: s.lopushanskaya@yandex.ru Pp. 31-39.