O, sacrum convivium

O, SACRUM CONVIVIUM! is a short motet on a Latin text praising Holy Communion, written at the request of Abbot Bruhn as part of the liturgy. It was completed in the early months of 1937 and immediately published by the publisher Durand. Messiaen was a devout Catholic throughout his life and composed many works with sacred themes, but never composed another sacred work intended for performance within the Catholic liturgy. The first performance was on 17 February 1938 in a concert by the Friends of the Organ Society at the Sainte-Trinité Church in Paris, where Messiaen and other composers performed their own compositions. This work of only 35 bars, with its characteristic tonal freedom and indeterminate size, is one of Messiaen's most frequently performed opuses.