French composer and organist much influenced by his Catholic faith and sensitivity to other spiritualities.
His string quartet Quatuor pour las Fin du Temps was written while a prisoner in a Nazi prison camp. The sombre nature of this work was balanced by his Turangalîla Symphony which celebrates his appreciation of the vitality of life.
He was an accomplished ornithologist and his research into bird song inspired much of his work, especially his Catalogue des Oiseaux.
