Editing Iannis Xenakis (section)

=== 1947–59: architecture and music ===
[[File:Expo58 building Philips.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Philips Pavilion]], designed by Xenakis, during the 1958 Brussels World's Fair ([[Expo 58]])]]

Although he was an illegal immigrant in Paris, Xenakis was able to get a job at [[Le Corbusier]]'s architectural studio. He worked as an engineering assistant at first, but quickly rose to performing more important tasks, and eventually to collaborating with Le Corbusier on major projects. These included a kindergarten on the roof of an apartment block in [[Nantes]] ([[Rezé]]), the [[Unité d'Habitation of Nantes-Rezé]], parts of government buildings in [[Chandigarh]], India, the "undulatory glass surfaces" of [[Sainte Marie de La Tourette]], a [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] [[priory]] in a valley near [[Lyon]], and the [[Philips Pavilion]] at [[Expo 58]]—the latter project was completed by Xenakis alone from a basic sketch by Le Corbusier.<ref name="grove">[[#Hoffmann|Hoffmann]]</ref>{{page needed|date=October 2020}} The experience Xenakis gained played a major role in his music: important early compositions such as ''[[Metastaseis (Xenakis)|Metastaseis]]'' (1953–54) were based directly on architectural concepts. At the same time, he dropped the "G" from his professional name to get the name he is most commonly known by, "Iannis".

At the same time, while working for Le Corbusier, Xenakis was studying harmony and counterpoint, and composing. He worked long and hard, frequently far into the night,<ref>[[#Matossian|Matossian]], 37.</ref> and sought guidance from a number of teachers, most of whom, however, ultimately rejected him. Such was the case with [[Nadia Boulanger]], who was the first person Xenakis approached about lessons. He then tried studying with [[Arthur Honegger]], whose reaction to Xenakis's music was unenthusiastic. As Xenakis recounted in a 1987 interview, Honegger dismissed a piece which included [[Consecutive fifths|parallel fifths and octaves]] as "not music". Xenakis, who was by that time well acquainted with music of [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]], [[Béla Bartók]], and [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]], all of whom used such devices and much more experimental ones, was furious and left to study with [[Darius Milhaud]], but these lessons also proved fruitless.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Xenakis, Iannis |author2=Brown, Roberta |author3=Rahn, John |year= 1987|title=Xenakis on Xenakis|journal=Perspectives of New Music|volume= 25|issue=1–2 |pages=16–63 (20)|url=http://rd.slavepianos.org/ut/rttcc-text/Xenakis1987a.pdf|jstor=833091}}</ref> Annette Dieudonné, a close friend of Boulanger's, then recommended that Xenakis try studying with [[Olivier Messiaen]].<ref>[[Iannis Xenakis#Harley|Harley]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=hHXqbJGEM4EC&pg=PA4 4].</ref> Xenakis approached Messiaen for advice on whether he once again start studying harmony and counterpoint. Messiaen later recalled:
<blockquote>I understood straight away that he was not someone like the others.&nbsp;[...] He is of superior intelligence.&nbsp;[...] I did something horrible which I should do with no other student, for I think one should study harmony and counterpoint. But this was a man so much out of the ordinary that I said... No, you are almost thirty, you have the good fortune of being Greek, of being an architect and having studied special mathematics. Take advantage of these things. Do them in your music.<ref>[[#Matossian|Matossian]], 48.</ref></blockquote>

[[Francisco Estévez]] has described this work as "mathematical formulas translated . . . into beautiful, exciting, and above all, convincing music."<ref>Thatcher, Nathan. 2016. ''Paco''. New York: Mormon Artists Group. {{ISBN|978-1-5238-5909-2}}. p. 116.</ref>

Xenakis regularly attended Messiaen's classes from 1951 until 1953. Messiaen and his students studied music from a wide range of genres and styles, with particular attention to rhythm.<ref>For a study of Messiaen's teaching methods, see Boivin 1995, {{Page needed|date=April 2016}}.</ref> Xenakis's compositions from 1949 until 1952 were mostly inspired by Greek folk melodies, as well as Bartók, [[Maurice Ravel|Ravel]], and others; after studying with Messiaen, he discovered [[serialism]] and gained a deep understanding of contemporary music (Messiaen's other pupils at the time included [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]] and [[Jean Barraqué]], among others). Messiaen's [[Musical mode|modal]] serialism was an influence on Xenakis's first large-scale work, ''Anastenaria'' (1953–54): a triptych for choir and orchestra based on an ancient [[Dionysus|Dionysian]] ritual. The third part of the triptych, ''Metastaseis'', is generally regarded as the composer's first mature piece; it was detached from the triptych to mark the beginning of the "official" Xenakis oeuvre.<ref name="grove" /> He was considered to be part of the [[Darmstadt School]], but later broke with the group of composers, who he believed focused too heavily on serialism and controlling all aspects of composition. In an article titled “The Crisis of Serial Music” he specifically accused Boulez and Stockhausen of steering music into a dead end.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Slabihoudek |first=Jiri |date=22 September 2022 |title=With a Sound Forged in War, Iannis Xenakis Embraced Chaos |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/arts/music/iannis-xenakis-centennial.html |access-date=24 September 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On 3 December 1953, Xenakis married the journalist and writer [[Françoise Xenakis|Françoise Gargouïl]], whom he met in 1950.<ref>[[Françoise Xenakis|Xenakis, Françoise]], and Andreas Waldburg-Wolfegg. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20150611000402/http://iceorg.org/xenakis/mme-xenakis-in-conversation Mme Xenakis in Conversation]", translated by Sarah Green and Maro Elliott. International Contemporary Ensemble website (archive from 11 June 2015, accessed 29 April 2016).</ref> Their daughter Mâkhi, who later became a painter and sculptor, was born in 1956 in Paris. In late 1954, with Messiaen's support, Xenakis was accepted into the [[Musique concrète#Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrète|Groupe de Recherches de Musique Concrète]];<ref>[[Iannis Xenakis#Harley|Harley]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=hHXqbJGEM4EC&pg=PA12 12].</ref> an organization established by [[Pierre Schaeffer]] and [[Pierre Henry]], dedicated to studying and producing electronic music of the [[musique concrète]] variety. Shortly after that Xenakis met conductor [[Hermann Scherchen]], who was immediately impressed by the score of ''Metastaseis'' and offered his support. Although Scherchen did not premiere that particular work, he did give performances of later pieces by Xenakis, and the relationship between the conductor and the composer was of vital importance for the latter.<ref>[[#Matossian|Matossian]], 77–79.</ref>

By the late 1950s Xenakis slowly started gaining recognition in artistic circles. In 1957, he received his first composition award, from the [[European Cultural Foundation]], and in 1958 the first official commission came through, from Service de Recherche of [[Radio France]].<ref>[[Iannis Xenakis#Harley|Harley]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=hHXqbJGEM4EC&pg=PA23 23].</ref>{{Verify source|date=April 2016}}<!--Radio France was not established until 1975. Does Harley actually say this, or does he instead refer to the (O)RTF?--> In the same year, he produced a musique concrète piece, ''[[Concret PH]]'', for the Philips Pavilion. In 1960, Xenakis was well known enough to receive a commission from [[UNESCO]] for a soundtrack for a documentary film by Enrico Fulchignoni.<ref>[[Iannis Xenakis#Harley|Harley]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=hHXqbJGEM4EC&pg=PA19 19].</ref>