Gareth Healey-Messiaen's Musical Techniques_ the Composer's View and Beyond-Ashgate Pub Co (2013)

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

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Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Gareth Healey Independent Scholar

© Gareth Healey 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Gareth Healey has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work. Published by Ashgate Publishing Limited Ashgate Publishing Company Wey Court East 110 Cherry Street Union Road Suite 3–1 Farnham Burlington, VT 05401–3818 Surrey, GU9 7PT USA England www.ashgate.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Healey, Gareth. Messiaen’s musical techniques : the composer’s view and beyond. 1. Messiaen, Olivier, 1908–1992 – Criticism and interpretation. 2. Music theory. I. Title 780.9’2–dc23 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Healey, Gareth. Messiaen’s musical techniques : the composer’s view and beyond / by Gareth Healey. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978–1–4094–4825–9 (hardcover : alk. paper) – ISBN 978–1–4094–4826–6 (ebook) 1. Messiaen, Olivier, 1908–1992 – Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. ML410.M595H43 2013 780.92–dc23

ISBN 9781409448259 (hbk) ISBN 9781409448266 (ebk – PDF) ISBN 9781409473091 (ebk – ePUB) V

Contents List of Figures   List of Music Examples   List of Tables   Companion Website   Note on the Translations  

vii ix xiii xv xvii

1

Introduction  

1

2

The Theoretical and Analytical Writings of Messiaen  

5

3

Theoretical and Written Sources  

13

4

Extra-Musical Influences  

27

5

The Influence of Debussy and Stravinsky  

45

6

Rhythmic Evolution  

67

7

Harmonic Evolution  

83

8

Harmony: An Alternative Perspective  

97

9

Form  

111

10

Implementation of Analytical Methodology  

133

11 Conclusion  

163

Appendix 1: Technical Inventory  

167

Appendix 2: Selected Work List  

183

Bibliography   Index  

185 199

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List of Figures 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6

5.7

5.8

Percentage of Messiaen’s Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie dedicated to Debussy, Stravinsky and other composers   Structural analyses by Messiaen, Howat and Trezise   Structural analyses of ‘Dialogue du vent et de la mer’ by Messiaen, Howat and Trezise   Mallarmé’s poem with the divisions of Wenk and score references of Messiaen   Two versions of the analysis of Figs 142–148 in the ‘Sacrificial Dance’   Personnages rythmiques in the first A section of the ‘Glorification of the Chosen One’ © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd)   Personnages rythmiques in the B section of the ‘Glorification of the Chosen One’ © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd)   Personnages rythmiques in the ‘Dance of the Earth’ © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd)  

45 49 50 55 62

63

65 66

8.1

9-5 and selected subsets  

107

A.1

Directions of open and closed fans  

177

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List of Music Examples 3.1 3.2 3.3

Expressive and tonic accents in Mozart Masculine group in Wagner Feminine group in Mozart (Haffner K.385, Andante, bars 64–65)

4.1

Eight bars of La fauvette des jardins at 4/1–8 (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) Song of the golden oriole at 21/22 in La fauvette des jardins (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) Various chords in La fauvette des jardins at 12/4–6 (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) First appearance of the ‘lake music’ in La fauvette des jardins at 4/10–11 (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

4.2 4.3 4.4

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6

6.1 6.2

Mode 41 in the opening bars of ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’ Bars 8 and 9 of ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’ Last four bars of ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’ Mouvement du début section of ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’ Personnages rythmiques in the ‘Augurs of Spring’. © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd) Personnages A, B and C. © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd)

22 22 23

30 32 33 34 51 52 53 53 60 61

Râgavardhana, Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça at 14/4 in Visions de l’Amen (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) 68 Canon in ‘Dans le noir’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)70

x

6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7

7.1 7.2 7.3

7.4 7.5 7.6

8.1 8.2 8.3

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Canon rhythm in Harawi (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)70 First two melodic interversions at 19/11 in Cantéyodjayâ (© 1953 Universal Edition (London) Ltd, London/UE 12127. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved) 74 Interversion in a ‘triple line’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)  75 Two Hindu rhythms used in the metamorphosis in Sept haïkaï 76 First metamorphosis in Sept haïkaï (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) 76 Inferior contracted resonance at 90/2 in ‘Katchikatchi les étoiles’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) First chord of contracted resonance at 11/4 in Cantéyodjayâ (© 1953 Universal Edition (London) Ltd, London/UE 12127. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved) Chordal basis for a chord of a dominant appoggiatura at 50/9–11 in ‘Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) Fan in final two bars of Cantéyodjayâ (© 1953 Universal Edition (London) Ltd, London/UE 12127. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved)  Cantéyodjayâ 17/11–12 (© 1953 Universal Edition (London) Ltd, London/UE 12127. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved) Turning chord 8 at 12/6–7 in Cantéyodjayâ (© 1953 Universal Edition (London) Ltd, London/UE 12127. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved) 

86 87

88 89 90 92

Chord C labelled as 8-20 and 8-18 by Forte (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) 98 12–1 set at 3/15 in ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) 103 Cantéyodjayâ main theme (© 1953 Universal Edition (London) Ltd, London/UE 12127. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved)103

List of Music Examples

8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7

Serialism at 19/6–10 in Cantéyodjayâ (© 1953 Universal Edition (London) Ltd, London/UE 12127. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved) 12-note rows at 10/1 in ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) 9-5 set in ‘La ville qui dormait, toi’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England) 8–18 and 8–Z29 (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

10.1 Theme located at Cantéyodjayâ 3/6–7, derived from the Turangalîla-symphonie 265/1–3 (© 1953 Universal Edition (London) Ltd, London/UE 12127. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved) A.1 Example of chromatic durations A.2 Summary of the development by elimination A.3 The ‘resurrection’ of the cell A.4 Three personnages rythmiques A.5 Second appearance of the personnages rythmiques A.6 Chord of a dominant appoggiatura (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

xi

105 105 106 108

143 168 171 172 172 172 177

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List of Tables 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8

Comparative table of sources for Messiaen’s Article 1   Comparative table of sources for the second article   The connection between Messiaen and Le Guennant   Comparative table of sources for the modes   Comparative table of sources for arsis and thesis   Comparison between Messiaen and Gajard   Comparative table of sources for chironomy   The location of Messiaen’s examples of Greek prose in Koster  

14 17 18 18 19 19 20 25

4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5

Significant birdsong passages analysed in Volume 5i   Harmonic basis of birdsong in La fauvette des jardins, pp. 35–41   Bergson references in the Traité   Comparison of ‘real’ time and structured time   Literary works mentioned in the Traité  

28 35 39 39 43

5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4

Tabulation of Messiaen’s analysis of La mer   Motivic/thematic labels in ‘De l’aube à midi sur la mer’   Motivic/thematic labels in ‘Jeux de vagues’   Motivic/thematic labels in ‘Dialogue du vent et de la mer’  

46 48 49 50

6.1 6.2

67

6.5

Rhythmic pedal in the opening bars of Visions de l’Amen   ‘Interpenetrated’ chromatic durations at 266/2 in the Turangalîlasymphonie   Personnages rythmiques at 56/4 in Harawi   Personnages rythmiques at 99/1 on the percussion in ‘Turangalîla 1’   Small-scale techniques in a range of works  

7.1

Values of Personnages A, B and C  

93

8.1 8.2

Relationship between Messiaen’s chords and sets of 6–9 notes   Favoured harmonic sets of eight notes or more found in Messiaen   

100

9.1 9.2

Tabulation of the structure of selected Messiaen works   Tabulation of ten hypothetical models derived from the Traité, including the analyses of Reverdy  

112

6.3 6.4

73 77 78 80

102

119

xiv

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

9.3

Technical procedures as formal determinants in selected movements by Berg and Messiaen  

126

10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8

Harmonic breakdown of Quatuor pour la fin du temps    Thematic, harmonic and rhythmic allusions in Cantéyodjayâ   Serialism in Cantéyodjayâ at 19/6–10   Harmonic features of Réveil des oiseaux   12- and 11-note rows at 8/13 and 9/17 in ‘Le chocard des Alpes’   Harmonic summary of Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum   Chordal analysis of 9/5–9/9 of Et exspecto   Chordal analysis of 11/1–12/5 of Et exspecto  

135 139 146 151 152 154 155 156

A.1 A.2 A.3 A.4

Complete transpositions of Modes 2, 3, 4 and 6 (see Tr7/110)   First chord of contracted resonance (see Tr7/150)   Second chord of contracted resonance (see Tr7/162)   Chord of transposed inversion on the same bass note (see Tr7/136)   Turning chords (see Tr7/166)  

173 174 176

A.5

178 180

Companion Website The method of analysing Messiaen’s harmonies outlined in this book has been implemented in software available for download at www.garethhealey.com/ messiaen. Versions for Windows and Mac are available, and the software offers the following features: • Harmonies present in Messiaen scores can be input and will be identified if they belong to one of the following: – – –

first and second chords of contracted resonance chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note turning chords.

• The identification will include the name of the harmonic technique, transposition and letter to specify a chord within a series (for example, turning chord 1A). • If an exact match is not found, a search will determine whether the notes inputted could be interpreted as a Messiaen harmony plus added notes (for example, second chord of contracted resonance 1B plus C# and F). Details of this approach to analysis are given in Chapters 8 and 10, and instructions for using the software are included on the website.

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Note on the Translations A number of passages from writings by Messiaen and the theorists who influenced him are cited in the text. They are given in the original French along with my own English translation, and full references are included with each quotation.

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Chapter 1

Introduction The musical language of Olivier Messiaen is a highly complex mixture of unique ideas and borrowings from a range of sources. He developed a technical path from which he never wavered and created a language of both remarkable consistency and gradual evolution. Its presence is evident in the entirety of his output, ranging from early compositions heavily influenced by his teachers and preferred composers to ground-breaking works whose technical conception helped pave the way for new musical directions. The starting point for Messiaen analysis is a thorough acquaintance with his many writings. His treatises, books and programme notes are one of the greatest legacies left by any composer, and they help the reader not only to understand his music and methods, but also to penetrate into his thought-processes and methodology. It is certainly possible to appreciate (and even perform) the music of such an idiosyncratic composer without a clear insight into the heart of its construction, but an understanding of the technical mechanisms involved greatly enriches the experience. Having said that, one of the main issues facing the student of Messiaen’s music is precisely this unavoidable dependency on his writings (primarily The Technique of My Musical Language and the vast Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie). For all their revelations, they offer only a relatively limited number of analyses and explanations by which to assimilate the whole of Messiaen’s style. Moreover, many works are referred to only in passing or not at all, so a successful comprehension of them demands an independent analytical approach based on the fundamentals of the composer’s style. With this aim in mind, Messiaen’s musical language will be explored in the present study in three distinct stages: a survey of his written output and a consideration of the impact of other theorists and composers; an investigation into the development of the techniques discussed in these writings; and finally an alternative analytical methodology applied to works not discussed in detail by Messiaen. A vital step towards autonomous analysis is developing knowledge gleaned from Messiaen’s treatises into an instinct for what he might do at any given point in a work. On countless occasions rhythms or harmonies are encountered which don’t ‘fit’; for example, a chord may bear no obvious relation to any defined element of his musical language. At such moments alternative strategies must be employed in order to make sense of the chord, and an answer can only confidently be arrived at after a prolonged study of the composer’s way of working, including his surprisingly wide-ranging and eclectic source material. As will be highlighted in the chapter on Messiaen’s theoretical and written sources, sections of his Traité are based almost entirely on existing rhythmic treatises, monographs on plainchant

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

2

and general histories of music from a variety of authors (details are given in Chapter 3). These ideas acted both as components of his expanding language and as starting points for further research leading to new innovations. Stimuli from outside the musical domain also had a striking impact: principally his love of birds, literature and philosophy (Chapter 4 considers their significance). The influence of Messiaen’s musical precursors on his own work manifested itself at an early age and remained part of his creative process throughout his career. A constant source of inspiration was Debussy, whose presence is clearly felt in the early compositions up to the 1930s, and the construction of Messiaen’s musical language never entirely outgrew this formative inspiration. The rhythmic complexities of Stravinsky were another great impetus; they fascinated the younger composer, who in the second volume of the Traité sought to codify the irregular pulsations of The Rite of Spring. Myriad other composers from many periods also had an impact to some degree, and Chapter 5 seeks to investigate Messiaen’s relationship with his predecessors and contemporaries. The evolution of the techniques outlined in Chapters 6 and 7 is a subject rarely discussed by Messiaen. His Traité (from which these chapters will draw) has plentiful references to individual concepts and their employment in a specific section or movement, but cross-referencing between techniques is sporadic and when this does occur there is little or no comment on context. A fundamental aim of the present study is to consider the progressive expansion of Messiaen’s ideas and the way in which they interact with one another. Freedom from the constraint of frequent reference to The Technique of My Musical Language, the Traité or other writings would potentially transform the analyst’s relationship with Messiaen’s whole output: detailed technical study of any chosen work would at last become a feasible proposition.1 An alternative viewpoint of the composer’s harmonic concepts considered within the framework of the 12-note set is the subject of Chapter 8, in which elements of pitch-class set analysis will be applied in order to make sense of the totality of Messiaen’s harmony, as opposed to regarding it purely in his own idiosyncratic terms. Messiaen’s techniques are inextricably linked with his approach to broader structural organisation. However, commentary on form in a wide range of works is not a prominent feature of Messiaen’s treatises, and Chapter 9 seeks to evaluate this aspect of the composer’s output and propose a systematisation of his structures.2   Messiaen’s association of colours with certain of his harmonic techniques is an element of his language that precludes independent exploration. Due to the highly personal nature of this synaesthetic connection and despite the obvious importance given to colours in Messiaen’s writings, it would be impossible to draw any meaningful conclusions from an investigation into this link. 2   Chapter 9 is a revised version of my article ‘Form: Messiaen’s “Downfall”?’, twentieth-century music, September 2007: pp. 163–87, and section 10.2 has previously appeared as: ‘Messiaen’s Cantéyodjayâ: a “missing” link’, The Musical Times, Spring 2007: pp. 59–72. 1

Introduction

3

The natural conclusion to such research is the autonomous application of new methods to works not analysed in depth by Messiaen, with the goal of studying the intricacies of the music without reliance on the composer’s uniquely authoritative commentaries. Building on Chapters 8 and 9, this process is undertaken in Chapter 10, which examines works selected from different periods in Messiaen’s career with the objective of demonstrating the viability of independent detailed analysis. Despite the vastness of the Traité, a succinct complete guide to the full range of Messiaen’s techniques is absent, and therefore a precise account of each technical component is presented as Appendix 1. Explanations found in The Technique of My Musical Language are cross-referenced and integrated into a complete inventory of Messiaen’s ideas that serves as a reference point for the detailed musical investigations outlined above.

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Chapter 2

The Theoretical and Analytical Writings of Messiaen Messiaen produced a range of writings on the subject of his own works and those of composers he admired, and penned his thoughts on an array of musical and non-musical topics. Although he was far from the first, or last, composer to leave a record of personal insights into his own music, the scale and detail of his writings are extraordinary. His written output, dominated by the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie, can be divided roughly into three categories: • treatises • analyses of other composers’ works • presentations and conferences. The present chapter will consider these writings in chronological order. 2.1: The Technique of My Musical Language (1944) The Technique of My Musical Language was Messiaen’s first attempt to codify and expound his burgeoning compositional toolbox. The most immediate problem for the modern analyst regarding this document is the limitations of its usefulness when examining Messiaen’s music in its entirety. At the time of its publication in the 1940s, only a relatively small number of the works in which the composer was speaking confidently with his own voice (having shaken off the overriding influence of certain of his musical forebears) had been written. However, despite its limitations the importance of The Technique of My Musical Language should not be underestimated. It may be argued that of the numerous elements expounded in its 19 chapters only a small number (such as Hindu rhythms, non-retrogradable rhythms and the modes of limited transposition) became significant, widely used components of Messiaen’s fully fledged mature musical language. Other ideas explicated in The Technique of My Musical Language were later developed into more substantial techniques. For example, the premise behind the ‘interversion of notes’ discussed in Chapter 10 of the treatise became a regular compositional tool in the rhythmic domain later in Messiaen’s career. Such an application of ideas to more than one field, intended to produce an aspect of homogeneity, is hinted at in observations made in the first

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

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chapter on ‘The Charm of Impossibilities’.1 Messiaen subsequently specifies the link between ‘rhythms with added values’ and ‘added notes’, but the rhythmic/ melodic connections occur on many occasions and perhaps reach their apogee in the personnages rythmiques, mélodiques and harmoniques (see section 7.13). Subjects which were to be considered in far greater detail in Messiaen’s later writings are broached in The Technique of My Musical Language. A prime example of the differing approaches and styles is the coverage of plainchant. In the 1940s Messiaen was content to bring the subject to the attention of his readers and reveal his interest in its melodic contours, but details such as names of individual neumes and how he adapted these melodies for his own purposes are entirely absent. Indeed, the topic is dealt with in a few fleeting lines. The contrast with his writings on plainchant in the later Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie (see section 2.7) is striking, as the latter contains exhaustive detail in a chapter dedicated to the topic. 2.2: Vingt leçons d’harmonie (1951) These twenty lessons, while designed primarily as a course in harmony, offer Messiaen’s view on characteristic features in a range of composers. They are pedagogically intriguing and offer occasional insight into formative influences of certain aspects of his language, such as the use of added sixths. 2.3: Conférence de Bruxelles (1958) A number of Messiaen’s thoughts on rhythm, art and birdsong presented in the Conférence de Bruxelles are more fully developed in the first and fifth volumes of the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie. Interesting insights are given into the relationship between Messiaen’s teaching and major treatise; however, as is the case with his other published lectures, the later Traité eclipses the information here in both scope and detail. 2.4: Lecture at Notre-Dame (1978) Messiaen’s 1977 lecture deals with liturgical and religious music, and he reflects on the way in which synaesthesia plays a role in his own music. The discussion of liturgical music fleshes out the thoughts on plainchant expressed in The Technique   Olivier Messiaen, The Technique of My Musical Language, trans. John Satterfield (Paris, 1956), p. 13. ‘Charms’ are characteristics of melodic or rhythmic procedures that intrigued Messiaen. An example is why certain modes may only be transposed a finite number of times before duplication of pitch-content is produced. 1

The Theoretical and Analytical Writings of Messiaen

7

of My Musical Language. Messiaen emphasises the importance of plainchant, specifics are referenced (for example neumes are named) and their apparent appearance in birdsong and the work of other composers discussed. However, most of this information (plus the brief commentary on religious music) is again also included in the later Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie. The revealing chapter on sound-colour is of great interest, given its coverage of Messiaen’s early experiences of synaesthesia and how it manifested itself for him both visually and musically. Such a personal account of the phenomena experienced greatly enhances understanding of the far more technical coverage of the topic in the Traité. 2.5: Les 22 concertos pour piano de Mozart (1987) Les 22 concertos pour piano de Mozart originally took the form of programme notes composed for Yvonne Loriod’s complete cycle of 1964. They were obviously influenced by Cuthbert Girdlestone’s W.A. Mozart et ses concertos pour piano,2 and were later incorporated into the fourth volume of the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie. The prime interest as far as the present study is concerned is the concept of accentuation with its masculine/feminine rhythms, as outlined by Messiaen in his glossary. This topic will be considered in section 3.2. 2.6: Conférence de Kyoto (1988) Messiaen covers topics explained more comprehensively elsewhere in his writings: rhythm, sound-colour, birdsong and religious music. The substance of the conference is strikingly similar to certain passages in the later treatise, and although the reader can quickly assimilate Messiaen’s thoughts on these topics, the Traité offers a far more comprehensive and analytical experience. 2.7: Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie (1994–2002) Publication of Messiaen’s seven-volume Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie began in 1994 and was completed in 2002.3 This treatise is a collection of Messiaen’s writings (many of which are based on his teaching material at the Paris Conservatoire) produced between 1949 and 1992, compiled and edited by his widow Yvonne Loriod and former pupil Alain Louvier, the order of material having been decided by Messiaen shortly before his death.   Cuthbert Girdlestone, W.A. Mozart et ses concertos pour piano (Paris, 1939).   References in subsequent chapters to the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie

2 3

will take the form: Tr (volume number)/(page number).

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

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The general plan of the Traité, as given at the start of each volume, is as follows: Volume 1: time, rhythm, Greek metres, Hindu rhythms Volume 2: rhythmic techniques, analyses of The Rite of Spring, Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus and the Turangalîla-symphonie Volume 3: symmetrical permutations, ‘Hors tempo’, analyses of Visions de l’Amen, Harawi, Quatre études de rythme, Livre d’orgue and Chronochromie Volume 4: plainchant, Mozart, analysis of Messe de la Pentecôte Volume 5: birdsong, analysis of Sept haïkaï Volume 6: Debussy Volume 7: modes, sound-colour, analysis of Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine The material in the Traité is presented as Messiaen desired, as Yvonne Loriod scrupulously respected her husband’s wishes and only took the minimum of editorial decisions.4 The treatise is immensely important, not only with regard to Messiaen scholarship, but also as a document of twentieth-century musical thought in general, and in particular of its relationship with extra-musical influences. While numerous composers have published writings on music theory, on their own works, and on the compositions of fellow musicians, none rivals the scale and detail provided by Messiaen. Within the treatise he provides indispensable analyses of nine of his own works, a ground-breaking survey of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, descriptive commentaries on the music of Debussy, and myriad comments on other composers from Adam de la Halle to Stockhausen, and on musical concepts from Greek and Hindu rhythms through to ‘irrational’ rhythms. Details of Messiaen’s interests in topics such as philosophy and literature add a further dimension. Messiaen’s career as a composer and teacher has left one of the most significant musical and theoretical legacies of the twentieth century. Within this, the Traité provides a wealth of first-hand insights into the work of a many-faceted figure who can easily seem enigmatic and highly idiosyncratic. It goes far beyond his other writings in the way in which it allows the reader to penetrate to the heart of Messiaen’s thought-processes and bring together the strands of his complex personality. It is the candid and open nature of Messiaen’s writing that makes such an appraisal possible. Whether discussing religious matters or the fine detail of a composition, Messiaen’s ingenuousness is evident, though of course when dealing with matters of belief, such as mysticism, he cannot be expected satisfactorily to define the indefinable, still less to offer objective critique. The contents of the Traité give a unique opportunity to re-examine the facts of the ‘Messiaen classes’, already the subject of much commentary. Prior to the publication of the Traité, the majority of information available on the subject was second-hand, and glimpses   Information supplied by Catherine Massip.

4

The Theoretical and Analytical Writings of Messiaen

9

of Messiaen’s material were only possible after a re-working by others. When this material is considered, many questions can be answered (for instance concerning the exact content and quality of his analyses) and a few surprises encountered (such as Messiaen’s heavy borrowing from other theorists). Messiaen’s Traité is not a purely technical treatise, and its title is arguably misleading. Neither its content nor its organisation is in the tradition of European theorists, whose work greatly interested Messiaen. Significant figures in this field (such as Jérôme-Joseph de Momigny, Hugo Riemann and Mathis Lussy) proposed large-scale concepts that are applicable to a wide variety of compositional approaches. Messiaen’s much more localised techniques are mostly unique to his own music, though some, such as personnages, did have an impact on younger composers. The formation of Messiaen’s musical language can be assimilated through the Traité. Not only does it provide the necessary invaluable technical information to update The Technique of My Musical Language, but also it surpasses the latter with its wealth of background information. The Traité therefore allows the reader to comprehend more fully every aspect of Messiaen’s techniques, whereas The Technique of My Musical Language is a dry, abstract listing of concepts with little reference to their origins. A brief overview of each volume will demonstrate its sheer scope. Volume 1 Rhythmic and temporal theories dominate the first volume, and analyses of the composer’s own works are at a premium. Messiaen divulges his scientific and philosophical leanings in the contemplation of the meaning and nature of time. The topic is considered in Bergsonian terms (see section 4.2) and from varied scientific perspectives, including the theory of relativity and views of time beyond a strictly human viewpoint. The breadth of Messiaen’s reading and curiosity gives a more rounded picture of the general thinking behind certain rhythmic elements of his musical language, but direct connections between science/philosophy and compositional intricacies are scarce. The second chapter ponders the origins and wider meaning of rhythm, its primordial importance and its central position in music. Literary and musical citations are sprinkled throughout to support Messiaen’s arguments. The remainder of the volume is focused on two rhythmic resources central to his work: Greek metres and Hindu rhythms. Theoretical sources are revealed, which will be considered in detail later. Volume 2 This volume is ostensibly dedicated to three of Messiaen’s own technical procedures: non-retrogradable rhythms, augmentations and diminutions, and personnages rythmiques. However, it is dominated by two of Messiaen’s most revealing and significant analyses – those of the Turangalîla-symphonie and Stravinsky’s The Rite

10

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

of Spring. The reader may be struck by the juxtaposition of revolutionary technical insight and whimsy; the Stravinsky analysis influenced most, if not all, subsequent investigations into the rhythmic construction of The Rite, but earlier in the same volume Messiaen presents rather strained analogies between non-retrogradable rhythms and their equivalent outside the sphere of music. Messiaen’s perspective of technical aspects of other composers forms part of the concluding chapter, and the forerunner of the personnages rythmiques observed in the analyses of the two orchestral works – development by elimination – is revealed in the context of Beethoven. Despite its having been prepared for courses given in 1954, the analysis of the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus is perplexingly uneven. Only a small number of pieces are discussed in any kind of depth, with the majority dealt with in a remarkably perfunctory manner. Volume 3 The third volume is rigorously technical and therefore of great interest from an analytical standpoint. Symmetrical permutations are comprehensively considered; an explanation is followed by lengthy tables illustrating all the possibilities of the notion. These tables are vital to the understanding of certain works dissected in the Traité, such as Chronochromie. The analyses of five works (Chronochromie, Quatre études, Livre d’orgue, Visions de l’Amen and Harawi) are comprehensive and uniquely revealing, disclosing many facts about the composer’s language and non-musical impulses. The remaining chapter consists of a selection of thoughts on varied musical topics such as permutations, ‘le langage communicable’ and ‘les hors tempo’. Volume 4 Plainchant and Mozart are the primary subject areas of the fourth volume. Messiaen utilises an array of rhythmic treatises to illustrate his survey of plainchant, including those of Auguste Le Guennant and André Mocquereau (see section 3.1). A thorough analysis of Messe de la Pentecôte follows; it is presumably placed here to indicate how Messiaen reimagined the neumes of plainchant in a modern context. Examining neumes functioning alongside a thoroughly twentieth-century device such as personnages in the same work reinforces the sheer breath and ambition of Messiaen’s compositional style. The final chapter on Mozart ultimately delivers less than may be expected given the insight Messiaen could have imparted. The opening remarks, charmingly entitled ‘Why I Love Mozart’, precede a selection of rather unsatisfying abrupt analytical fragments covering a range of works. The final element of this survey of Mozart is an analysis of his piano concertos. Prepared for a complete cycle performed by Yvonne Loriod, they are reproduced from Les 22 concertos pour piano de Mozart.

The Theoretical and Analytical Writings of Messiaen

11

Volume 5 Messiaen’s discussion of birdsong forms a significant part of the Traité (as suggested by its full title). Of the some 3,500 pages in the treatise, roughly onethird form this volume devoted to birdsong (which necessitated a split into two separate parts), with Volume 5i dedicated to the birds of Europe and Volume 5ii dealing with the songs encountered on Messiaen’s travels abroad. There is a distinct difference of approach observable in these two parts. The European birds are catalogued in exhaustive detail; for the majority Messiaen gives a full description of their appearance, the date, time and place of notation and examples of their song in his own work. The ‘foreign’ birds are dealt with in a far more perfunctory manner; physical descriptions (when supplied) are lacking in detail, and on many occasions Messiaen is content merely to name the bird with a cursory description followed by a short excerpt of score. An analysis of Sept haïkaï is placed within the survey of the birds of the world. The array of Japanese birds portrayed in the work is musically contextualised, and the analysis as a whole provides a valuable insight into Messiaen’s process of melding nature with music. Volume 6 Messiaen devotes the whole of Volume 6 to the music of Debussy. A range of works is discussed, but the most substantial contents of the volume are the analyses of La mer, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune and the first act of Pélleas et Mélisande. These analyses undoubtedly have their origins in Messiaen’s classes at the Paris Conservatoire, which from the early 1940s featured the work of Debussy.5 The influence of Messiaen’s discussion of Debussy does not rival the groundbreaking survey of The Rite of Spring, however, as his analytical approach has much less depth and uncovers little more than other commentators have detected in the Debussy works in question. Nevertheless, the contents of Volume 6 (in particular the analysis of La mer) do throw new light on Messiaen as an analyst of other composers’ work. Volume 7 A large part of the final volume deals with Messiaen’s technical devices, and therefore resembles an update to The Technique of My Musical Language. Modes and melodies from various cultures are illustrated, and the sources for these will be considered in Chapter 3. Certain notions catalogued in Appendix 1 are explicated with the addition of chordal tables to exemplify the possibilities of these harmonic devices. Messiaen concludes by broaching three works not surveyed in detail 5   The influence of Debussy on Messiaen (primarily from the point of view of comments made in the latter’s Technique of My Musical Language) is examined in Roger Smalley, ‘Debussy and Messiaen’, Musical Times, 59 (1968): pp. 128–31.

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

12

elsewhere in his writings: Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, Couleurs de la cité céleste and La transfiguration de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ. 2.8: Analyses des œuvres pour piano de Maurice Ravel (2003) This posthumous publication containing analyses of three works (Ma Mère l’Oye, Gaspard de la nuit, and Le tombeau de Couperin) was prepared by Yvonne Loriod. There are parallels with certain analyses in the volume of the Traité dedicated to Debussy; annotations made by Messiaen on his scores of the works in question are reconstructed by Loriod into the form of an analytical commentary. The survey of Le tombeau de Couperin would appear to have received more extensive posthumous editing, as only certain movements are reproductions of Messiaen’s notes. Messiaen also analysed parts of Gaspard de la nuit in the Traité (Tr1/126), although on this occasion the focus of the analysis is ostensibly Greek metres. As is often the case with Messiaen’s writings, the reader is left to surmise the completion date of both Gaspard analyses. There are similarities between the two publications, but the Traité survey is extremely limited in its scope given the stated focus on metrical intricacies and, somewhat perversely, there are on occasion slightly more harmonic details in the latter (such as bar 23 of ‘Le gibet’). Although studies based on score annotations are interesting,6 they are far less enlightening and revolutionary than Messiaen’s investigations of The Rite of Spring and his own works.

  See also the Debussy piano works survey in the sixth volume of the Traité.

6

Chapter 3

Theoretical and Written Sources The formulation of Messiaen’s own musical techniques was partly influenced by a variety of established theories. Information about these sources is present in a number of the writings discussed in Chapter 2, but it is the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie which sheds the most light on Messiaen’s preferred writers and ideas. In order wholly to understand and evaluate the formation of Messiaen’s unique technical language and fully to comprehend its employment in the various stages of his career, it is imperative to examine how he was influenced and borrowed (often quite heavily) from a range of sources. Volumes 1, 4 and 7 of his Traité contain extremely detailed information on the topic; however, there are scant specific details regarding precisely where Messiaen obtained his information. It is the aim of this chapter to clarify and make better sense of Messiaen’s writings on plainchant, Mozart and other theories by examining how they relate to his chosen models. 3.1: Plainchant1 Chapter 1 [Tr4/5] Messiaen’s first contemplation of plainchant (Article 1: Neumes) is heavily reliant on Le nombre musical grégorien by Dom André Mocquereau.2 The monastery at Solesmes played a vital role in the field of plainchant during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and Mocquereau (1849–1930) was central to the musical activities of this period. He developed the (primarily rhythmic) ideas of Joseph Pothier, his predecessor as the choirmaster of Solesmes, before passing on his musical notions to his successor Dom Joseph Gajard. To place the material of this first section in context, Table 3.1 presents a breakdown of Messiaen’s organisation alongside the corresponding sections with page numbers in Mocquereau’s work. The table also provides concordances with two well-known monographs on plainchant and a comprehensive study of neumatic notation (a Neume Key is given facing Table 3.1):

  See Tr4/5–80 and Tr7/32–35.   Dom André Mocquereau, Le nombre musical grégorien (Paris, 1908).

1 2

14

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Table 3.1  Comparative table of sources for Messiaen’s Article 1 Messiaen (Tr4/7–17)

Mocquereau

Apela

Hileyb

Cardinec

[Staves/clefs]

N/A

118–19

N/A

N/A

Neumes simples a) neumes de 2 sons b) neumes de 3 sons

A. Notes simples 137 120 B. Neumes de 2 notes 138 C. Neumes de 3 notes 139

342–3, 346–56

17–34, 59–67

D. Neumes de 4 notes et plus a) Flexus 141 b) Resupinus 141 c) Sub-punctis 141–2

100, 120

As above

68–9, 72–8

Neumes d’expression et d’ornement: a) Le Strophicus b) Le Pressus

2. Strophicus 147–9 3. Pressus 149–51

106–108 112–13

As above

92–107 124–43

Vertu attractive des Pressus entre euxd

Vertu attractive des pressus entre eux 327–8

N/A

N/A

N/A

c) Oriscus d) Salicus e) Quilisma

4. Oriscus 151 5. Salicus 152–3 Article 4. Quilisma 153–4

111–12 110–11 113–15

359–60 360–61 358

163–83 199–212

Le Quilisma a un effet rétroactif…e

Effets rétroactifs du quilisma 399

N/A

N/A

N/A

2) Principe de la broderie: Neumes composés – Flexus Resupinus Sub-punctis Prae-punctis

Notes: a. Willi Apel, Gregorian Chant (London, 1958); b. David Hiley, Western Plainchant: A Handbook (Oxford, 1993); c. Eugène Cardine, Godehard Joppich and Rupert Fischer, Gregorian Semiology, trans. Robert Fowels (Sablé-sur-Sarthe, 1982); d. This refers to occasions when a number of pressus are employed in a series, giving the effect of pillars on which the rhythm is built; 7. The ‘retroactive effect’ indicates that whenever a quilisma occurs within a phrase it has an effect of retardation on the neumes immediately prior to it.

Theoretical and Written Sources

15

Neume key

Flexus

A downward turn at the end of a neume, e.g. scandicus flexus

Resupinus

An upward turn at the end of a neume, e.g. torculus resupinus

Subpunctis

The addition of two following notes in descending motion, e.g. porrectus subbipunctis

Praepunctis

The addition of two preceding notes in ascending motion, e.g. porrectus praebipunctis

Strophicus

General term comprising the stropha, distropha and tristropha, e.g. tristropha

Pressus

A punctum added before a neume which shares a common pitch, e.g. pressus porrectus

Oriscus

A single-note neume added to another neume as an auxiliary note e.g. torculus oriscus

Salicus

An ascending group of 3–5 notes with a vertical episema, e.g. 3-note salicus

Quilisma

Always appears at the centre of a rising movement, e.g. torculus plus quilisma-torculus

While information on the content and style of the Messiaen classes in Paris are available from a number of sources, this direct comparison with Mocquereau reveals how, in certain cases, Messiaen reused his models in his own work. While such a close relationship is in many ways rather surprising, it is entirely feasible that Messiaen saw his teaching as an extension of the Solesmes tradition to which he so firmly aligned himself. Respect for the preeminent school of French plainchant and an unwillingness or inability to improve on Mocquereau and others are probable and understandable motivating impulses.

16

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

The varied types of Messiaen’s borrowing from Mocquereau may be demonstrated by extracts taken verbatim from the second volume of Le nombre musical grégorien. As Table 3.1 shows, two of Messiaen’s sections are not found in Apel, Hiley or Cardine, and a close examination reveals the reason: 1: Messiaen’s discussion of the ‘Vertu attractive des Pressus entre eux’ is entirely reliant on a quotation from Mocquereau: Très souvent deux, trois ou quatre pressus, ou même davantage, séparés par quelques notes, se succèdent dans la même mélodie. Ces accents-pressus s’attirent réciproquement dans l’exécution; cette attraction mutuelle ne permet aucun arrêt sur les notes qui les relient. C’est ici surtout que les pressus peuvent être comparés à des colonnes solides sur lesquelles repose la construction rythmique. Les notes intermédiaires sont comme les arceaux qui les réunissent; elles doivent être émises d’une seule volée, pour ainsi dire, naturellement, sans aucune prolongation, mais aussi sans précipitation, en laissant à chacune la valeur légère d’un temps simple. [Very often two, three, four or even more pressus, separated by a number of notes, follow each other in the same melody. These accents-pressus reciprocally attract each other in performance; this mutual attraction does not permit any pausing on the notes that connect them. It is in this respect, above all, that the pressus may be compared to solid columns on which the rhythmic construction is based. The intermediary notes are like the arches that connect them; they must be performed so to speak in a single flight – naturally, without any prolongation, but also without any haste, allowing for each note the gentle value of a single beat].

This passage appears on pp. 327–8 in Mocquereau, and is reproduced at Tr4/13. 2: Messiaen’s discussion of the two main aspects of the quilisma are unacknowledged quotations from Mocquereau: Le Quilisma est toujours au centre d’un mouvement ascensionnel. Le quilisma latin a un effet rétroactif de retard ou même de prolongement sur la note ou le groupe qui le précèdent. [The quilisma is always at the centre of a rising movement. The latin quilisma has a retroactive effect of delay or even prolongation on the note or group of notes that precedes it.]

These comments are given on pp. 153 and 399 respectively in Mocquereau, and Messiaen reproduces them at Tr4/16. The larger-scale structures of plainchant are described in the second article ‘The Forms of Plainchant’, whose sources are not revealed. Comparable passages are again indicated in Table 3.2.

Theoretical and Written Sources

17

Table 3.2  Comparative table of sources for the second article Messiaen (Tr4/17–25)

Mocquereau

Apel

Hiley

Cardine

Psalm

N/A

6–32 [Psalm tones 208–226]

58–64

N/A

Antiphon

N/A

6–32

88–108

N/A

Tract

N/A

6–32

82–5

N/A

Hymn

N/A

6–32

140–148

N/A

Litanies

N/A

6–32

148–56, 165–8

N/A

The source for the next section of Messiaen’s survey of plainchant ‘Résumé of the opinions of A le Guennant’ is the Précis de rythmique grégorienne, d’après les principes de Solesmes of Auguste le Guennant (1881–1972).3 The connection between the material at Tr4/26–32 and Le Guennant is illustrated in Table 3.3 (below). Messiaen’s practice of mixing quotes (which are often slightly altered by replacing or omitting words) and fairly free paraphrase is evident here again. The example of plainchant analysis at Tr4/26–7 (‘Analyse neumatique de quelques passages…’) appears to be entirely Messiaen’s own. The table of the modes of plainchant is directly related to Mocquereau, as shown in Table 3.4 (below), with only slight differences in presentation. The list of the modes of plainchant given in Volume 7 (p. 33) is the same as in Volume 4, and Messiaen adds little commentary.4 The premise behind the concluding part of this discussion of plainchant, ‘Neumes which inspired the Great Musicians’, is highly questionable. Messiaen supplies a series of short melodic quotations from a variety of composers in which he observes many types of neume. There appears to be an element of self-justification in this process: an attempt to prove that, for hundreds of years, composers have been routinely employing ‘neumatic’ melodies, irrespective of their theoretical premises, and that Messiaen’s conscious application of the device has an unbroken pedigree. The only real value of this section is to highlight the composers in which Messiaen was interested; those only mentioned in the context of neumes are Rossini, Overture to William Tell; Ravel, Alborada del gracioso; Musorgsky, Khovanshchina; Borodin, Steppes of Central Asia and Prokofiev, Chout.

3   Auguste Le Guennant, Précis de rythmique grégorienne, d’après les principes de Solesmes (Paris, 1948). 4   For further details of Messiaen’s interest in plainchant see: Dieter Buwen, ‘Gregorianik im Werk Olivier Messiaens’, Musik und Kirche, 71/6 (2001): pp. 349–55.

18

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Table 3.3  The connection between Messiaen and Le Guennant Messiaen (Tr4/26–32)

Le Guennant (Volume number/ chapter/page number(s)/ section or example

La Période: contient…

1/ I / 7–8 (paraphrased)

L’indice de la separation…

1/ I/ 8/ No.14

L’incise contient…

1/ I/ 10/ No.19

Tous les temps…

1/ II/ 12 (paraphrased)

Analyse neumatique de quelques passages…

N/A

Il arrive que la quilisma…

2/ X/ 77/ No.207

Il y en de nombreux…

2/ X/ 77/ No.207, n.1

Ordre, rythme et phonétique

1/ VI/ 32/ Nos.89–90

Rythme et ordre mélodique

1/ VI/ 33/ No.95

Rythme et ordre dynamique

1/ VI/ 34/ No.98 (including Ex.15)

Le rythme et l’ordre quantitative

1/ VI/ 43/ No.124

[Fragment of the Agnus]

3/ XXI/ 145/ Ex.82

Le rythme incise…

3/ XXI/ 145/ No.411

On entend par…

3/ XXI/ 147/ No.419

Le rythme-incise est fait…

3/ XXI/ 150/ No.429

[Alleluia]

3/ XXI/ 150/ Ex.85

[Sanctus, Mass VI]

3/ XXI/ 156/ Ex.92

[Sanctus, Mass XI]

3/ XXI/ 154/ Ex.89

[Alleluia of the Blessed Sacrament]

3/ XXI/ 156/ Ex.93

L’attraction du pole…

3/ XXI/ 156/ No.444

Table 3.4  Comparative table of sources for the modes Messiaen (Tr4/33–5)

Mocquereau

Apel

Hiley

Cardine

Tableau des modes du plain-chant

2. Fragmentation de l’échelle en huit modes 204–209

140–48

454–77

N/A

Theoretical and Written Sources

19

Chapter 2 [Tr4/41] Messiaen returns to Dom Mocquereau for his contemplation of arsis and thesis. A comparison is again given in Table 3.5. Messiaen utilises Dom Joseph Gajard’s Notions sur la rythmique grégorienne, especially the second chapter ‘Le processus de la synthèse rythmique’. ‘La formation de l’incise’ (pp. 20–39),5 for his ‘Simplified theory of Gregorian rhythm’. A very close connection exists between the layout of material in the Traité and Notions sur la rythmique grégorienne, as Messiaen quotes, paraphrases and reproduces Gajard’s musical examples. Table 3.6 illustrates the comparison. Table 3.5  Comparative table of sources for arsis and thesis Messiaen (Tr4/43–51)

Mocquereau

Dom Mocquereau et ‘Le nombre musical grégorien’

Prèmiere partie: l’origine du rythme 25–131

Table 3.6  Comparison between Messiaen and Gajard Messiaen (Tr4/52–5)

Gajard

Le rythme est une synthèse…

5–19 (paraphrase)

[Illustrations on 52]

20–21

La brève, parce que brève…

21

Le rythme élémentaire…

22

[First illustration on 53]

24

Prenez une balle de caoutchouc…

26–8 (paraphrase)

[Second illustration on 53]

29

Le rythme compose ou incise…

32 (paraphrase)

Je lance une balle de caoutchouc…

32–3

Chironomie: gestes manuels…

33

[Illustration on 54]

34

[First illustration on 55]

34–5

[Second (large) illustration on 55]

35 (the plainchant is given in modern notation)

5   Dom Joseph Gajard, Notions sur la rythmique grégorienne (Solesmes, 1972). As with Le Guennant, Messiaen refers to Gajard but gives no clue as to the extent of his borrowing.

20

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Messiaen ends his discussion with an explanation of the arm movements (chironomy) utilised in plainchant. Again, Dom Mocquereau is the model (Table 3.7). Table 3.7  Comparative table of sources for chironomy Messiaen (Tr4/56–61)

Mocquereau

La Chironomie (d’après Dom Mocquereau)

Expression plastique ou chironomie du movement rythmique (Part 1, Chapter 9) 103–117

3.2: Mozart and accentuation6 Messiaen held Mozart in the highest regard, believing him to be ‘the musician of musicians’. Such admiration has its roots in Mozart’s mastery of accentuation, melodic writing (‘so personal and poetic’), harmony (‘always light, suave when tonal, anguished when chromatic’), form (‘perfect and always renewed’), orchestration (‘has a power of truth, with a sense for the specific timbre’) and the theatre (‘a man of the theatre whose final acts are scenic masterpieces’).7 Accentuation in the music of Mozart especially interested Messiaen, and had a direct influence on his own work, mediated by the theory presented in the first two chapters of Vincent d’Indy’s Cours de composition musicale.8 D’Indy argues that two equal durations within a rhythmic unit are inherently different with regard to certain parameters, such as intensity. This results in an elevation (élévation) and a fall (chute). The first value is designated (according to the terminology of Hugo Riemann) as a ‘light beat’ (temps léger), and the second as a ‘heavy beat’ (temps lourd).9 These terms are analogous to Dom Mocquereau’s ‘arsis’ and ‘thesis’. The basic unit of two equal values can be in either binary or ternary metre, and d’Indy employs an anatomical analogy: a man walks in binary rhythm, while the heartbeat is ternary (‘contraction of the auricles, contraction of the ventricles, and 6   See Tr4/129–99. For further comments on this topic see: Raffaele Pozzi, ‘“Le rythme chez Mozart”: Alcune osservazioni analitiche di Olivier Messiaen sull’accentuazione ritmica in Mozart’, in Rudolph Angermüller, Ulrike Hofmann, Wolfgang Rehm, Dietrich Berke (eds), Mozart-Jahrbuch 1991 (Kassel, 1991), pp. 613–24. 7   Quotes in this paragraph from Tr4/129. 8   Vincent d’Indy, Cours de composition musicale (Paris, 1912). Further details of Messiaen’s debt to d’Indy’s work can be found in Vincent Benitez, ‘A Creative Legacy: Messiaen as Teacher of Analysis’, College Music Symposium, 40 (2000): pp. 133–7. 9   d’Indy, Cours, p. 25.

Theoretical and Written Sources

21

an interval or rest’).10 Messiaen supports d’Indy’s belief in the governance of the laws of accentuation over both language and music, which, as he explains, govern the principle of masculine and feminine rhythms (a concept previously proposed by d’Indy). The following definitions (based on d’Indy’s theories) clarify the difference between masculine and feminine rhythms: • If the heavy beat contains only one note the rhythm is masculine. • If the heavy beat is formed of an accented principal note followed by one or many notes whose intensity decreases the rhythm is feminine. D’Indy discusses this point in detail, and provides rhythmic schemes.11 Accentuation also employs tonic and expressive accents and when applied to whole phrases rather than the short rhythms above, the light and heavy beats become ‘light fraction’ (fraction légère) and ‘heavy fraction’ (fraction lourde). Accents For d’Indy ‘melody is a succession of notes differentiated by their duration, intensity and pitch. The starting point of melody is the accent.’12 The two types of accent are defined, in linguistic terminology, as follows: ‘The accent affects the words and the phrases; tonic in the first case, expressive in the second.’13 D’Indy proposes the following rules: Dans tout groupe masculin, la place de l’accent tonique est sur la fraction légère du groupe … Dans tout groupe féminin, l’accent tonique sera naturellement placé sur la fraction lourde du groupe, qui contient la désinence. [In every masculine group, the tonic accent is placed on the weak part of the group … In every feminine group, the tonic accent will naturally be placed on the strong part of the group, which contains the ending.]14

Feminine groups can also have an expressive accent, as shown in Mozart’s K.333 (315c) Piano Sonata (Messiaen’s example shows the melodic line from bars 23–26 of the Allegro, and the expressive and tonic accents are indicated by the letters E and T respectively in Example 3.1 below).15     12   13   14   15   10 11

Ibid., p. 25, n. 2–3. Ibid., p. 26. Ibid., p. 29. Ibid., p. 30. Ibid., p. 33. Tr4/139.

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

22

Example 3.1  Expressive and tonic accents in Mozart

D’Indy formulates three rules to aid the understanding of accentuation: La place de l’accent tonique varie suivant la forme, masculine ou féminine, du groupe mélodique.16 Il n’est point de mélodie qui commence sur un temps lourd.17 L’accent expressif remporte toujours en intensité sur l’accent tonique.18 [The place of the tonic accent varies according to the form (masculine or feminine) of the melodic group. A melody can never commence on a strong beat. The expressive accent always prevails in intensity over the tonic accent.]

Masculine group One of Messiaen’s simpler examples of such a group uses the theme of ‘Treaty’ in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung (Act 1, Scene 2; Example 3.2).19 The heavy fraction contains only one note (compare with the first of the examples above) so therefore the group is masculine, and such groups do not, according to Messiaen, contain a tonic accent.20 Example 3.2  Masculine group in Wagner

    18   19   20  

d’Indy, Cours, p. 33. Ibid., p. 34. Ibid., p. 36. Tr4/135. Tr4/135. Two other examples are given from Mozart’s ‘Jupiter’ Symphony and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. 16 17

Theoretical and Written Sources

23

Feminine group According to the rules established above, a group is feminine if the heavy fraction contains more than one note. Example 3.3 is taken from Mozart’s ‘Haffner’ Symphony.21 Messiaen adds a caveat, without providing any reasoning, that feminine and masculine groups can only be found in Classical and Romantic music, a theory supported by reference to the following works: • Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice • Mozart: Don Giovanni, ‘Haffner’ Symphony, Piano Concertos K.488 and K.503, Le nozze di Figaro, Piano Sonatas K.284 and K.333, String Quartet K.458 • Beethoven: Symphonies 6 and 9 • Berlioz: La damnation de Faust • Wagner: Götterdämmerung Debussy is apparently a borderline case, as although elements of these divisions can be applied to his music, the rhythmic freedom precludes adherence to such rules.22 Example 3.3  Feminine group in Mozart (Haffner K.385, Andante, bars 64–65)

In order to demonstrate the ideas outlined above, Messiaen supplies two short analyses of Mozart: the second movement of the ‘Jupiter’ Symphony K.551 and the first movement of the Piano Concerto in A major K.488.23 Both are lacking in detail from an analytical point of view but assist in placing Messiaen’s thoughts in a wider context. The final element of Messiaen’s survey of Mozart is an analysis of the piano concertos first published as Messiaen’s Les 22 concertos pour piano de Mozart.24

  Tr4/137.   Tr4/142–57. Messiaen gives numerous examples of masculine and feminine groups

21 22

(with accents, arsis/thesis and anacrusis groups) taken from a range of Mozart’s works. 23   Tr4/161–70. 24   Olivier Messiaen, Les 22 concertos pour piano de Mozart (Paris, 1990).

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

24

3.3: Hindu Rhythms and Modes25 Çârngadeva’s table of 120 Deçî-tâlas (which proved such a rich resource during Messiaen’s compositional career) occupies a central role in his discussion of Hindu rhythms.26 The Traité sheds new light on Messiaen’s knowledge of Hindu music by revealing his acquaintance with aspects of this topic beyond Çârngadeva’s rhythms. Although Messiaen’s familiarity with the Samgîta-Ratnâkara of Çârngadeva is well documented, other sources revealed in the Traité include: • Bharata: Nâtya-Çâstra • Alain Daniélou: L’Inde du Nord • Joanny Grosset: Histoire de la musique de l’Inde Hindu modes had much less impact on Messiaen’s music than Hindu rhythms, but were undoubtedly an area of fascination. In total, 72 modes exist (each having seven notes – the ‘perfect’ number): 36 employing a perfect 4th within the mode, and 36 containing an augmented 4th.27 3.4: Greek Metres and Modes28 Messiaen identifies Aristoxenes of Tarente and Hephestion as the most significant figures in this area, but one of his main sources is the Traité de métrique greque by W.J.W. Koster.29 There are numerous references to Greek poets in Messiaen’s discussion, but comments on the poems themselves are completely absent. The reason for this becomes clear when a comparison is made between Messiaen’s examples and those of Koster. Table 3.8 gives page numbers for both sources. The fact that Messiaen only gives verse numbers when Koster does is conclusive evidence of this relationship. Several authors are referred to during Messiaen’s discussion, but specific sources are difficult to identify. Paul Griffiths suggests Maurice Emmanuel’s writings on the subject as an important source for Messiaen,30 and details of monographs consulted are found at Tr1/369.   See Tr1/247–368 and Tr7/27–32.   The complete table is in Albert Lavignac (ed.), Encyclopédie de la musique et

25 26

dictionnaire du Conservatoire, vol. 1 (Paris, 1921), pp. 301–304. 27   For the full table of 72 modes see Tr7/29–30. 28   See Tr1/73–243 and Tr7/32–3. 29   Willem John Wolff Koster, Traité de métrique grecque (Leyde, 1966). Again Koster only gets the briefest of references, and no clue is given as to the extent of Messiaen’s borrowing. 30   Paul Griffiths, Oliver Messiaen and the Music of Time (London, 1985), p. 26. Griffiths is right, as Emmanuel’s essay ‘Grèce (Art Gréco-Romain)’ in Lavignac (ed.), Encyclopédie de la musique et dictionnaire du conservatoire, vol. 1, pp. 377–537, is a detailed treatise on many

Theoretical and Written Sources

25

Table 3.8  The location of Messiaen’s examples of Greek prose in Koster Author/Work

Messiaen

Koster

Pindar: Olympian II

78

268

Aeschylus: Agamemnon

78

269

Mesomedes: Hymn to Isis

78–9

270

Timotheus: Persae

79–80 (reordered and incomplete)

271

Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus

89

241

Various under the heading ‘Form 1’

94

275: Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9

Various under the heading ‘Form 2’

94

276: Nos. 12, 13, 15, 16

Various under the heading ‘Some lesser known or exceptional forms’

95

276: No. 21, 277: 26–8

Aristophanes: Oiseaux

95

285

Euripides: Orestes

95–6

286

Euripides: Orestes

96–7

290

Pindar: Isthmian I

97–8

182

Pindar: Pythian I

98–9

183

Pindar: Nemean I

99–100

N/A

Pindar: Pythian IV

100–101

N/A

Pindar: Pythian IV

101–102

N/A

Pindar: Olympian III

102–103

N/A

Pindar: Olympian III

103–104

N/A

Bacchylides: Ode IX

104–105

184–5

Euripides: Medea

105–106

N/A

Various under the heading ‘Choriambic Dimetre’

107–108

213–19

Sappho: 96D

111

249

Sappho: 98D

111–12

249

Alcaeus: 43D

112

250

Alcaeus: Extract from the Palatine Anthology

112–13

250

Anon.

113

250

Pindar

113–14

236

26

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

3.5: Chinese modes31 Messiaen fails to reveal the sources for his fairly perfunctory discussion of Chinese modes, commenting only that ‘According to the treatises, its [Chinese religious music] moral influence is immense’,32 but the most likely source is Maurice Courant’s comprehensive survey of Chinese music in Lavignac’s Encyclopédie.33 Messiaen concludes characteristically by listing occurrences of the Chinese modes in other composers: on this occasion Stravinsky (Le rossignol), Ravel (Ma Mère l’Oye) and Debussy (Estampes).

aspects of Greek music, and was surely a primary source of information for Messiaen’s own writings on the topic. 31   See Tr7/25–7. 32   Tr7/26. 33   Maurice Courant, ‘Chine et Corée: essai historique sur la musique classique des chinois’, in Lavignac (ed.), Encyclopédie de la musique et dictionnaire du conservatoire, vol.1. The first four chapters (pp. 77–121) of this essay are the most relevant to Messiaen’s discussion.

Chapter 4

Extra-Musical Influences A voracious appetite for knowledge in myriad domains formed a vital part of the make-up of Messiaen, both as a man and composer. This thirst manifested itself directly in the core of his music, setting him apart from the majority of composers. Influences beyond music did not merely inspire, they became part of the musical fabric. In specific cases, for example birdsong in the early 1950s, they were the music. A nucleus of subjects permeates the majority of Messiaen’s musical output: birdsong, religion, philosophy and literature. 4.1: Birdsong The technical basis of Messiaen’s birdsong has not been fully explained in the existing literature, and the Traité sheds important new light on the subject. The composer names a number of sources used in his ornithological research, but two of these – Roger Tory Peterson’s A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe and A Field Guide to the Birds – played a significant role in the presentation of Volume 5.1 Messiaen does not provide details, but there are striking similarities between many of his physical descriptions and those of Peterson. The extent of Messiaen’s reliance on the renowned ornithologist is unclear, but it is entirely possible that some of the non-French birds are described only after reference to Peterson.2 Messiaen had also commented on his birdsong excursions and methods of collection prior to the publication of the Traité. The accuracy and validity of his methods of notation have been scrutinised, and on occasions criticised, by a number of writers, and it is not the aim of this chapter to add to the debate but rather to focus on the new information the Traité provides. The most interesting component of Volume 5 (more specifically Volume 5i) is the analytical approach Messiaen takes to passages of birdsong within his own music. The works discussed in this context include La transfiguration de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ, Saint François d’Assise, La fauvette des jardins and Un vitrail et des oiseaux. Two categories of analysed birdsong are present in Volume 5: there   Roger Tory Peterson, Guy Mountfort, and P. A. D. Hollom, A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe (Boston, 1993) and Roger Tory Peterson, A Field Guide to the Birds: A Completely New Guide to all the Birds of Eastern and Central North America (Boston, 1980). 2   Messiaen occasionally relied on recordings of birdsong, and sources such as Peterson will have been a valuable source when first-hand observation of a bird was not possible. 1

28

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

are numerous examples of songs only a few bars in length, but far fewer extended passages of a page or more. Table 4.1 gives details of the extended passages extracts in Volume 5i. Table 4.1  Significant birdsong passages analysed in Volume 5i Bird

Work

Traité ref.

Score ref.

Rock Thrush

La transfiguration de Notre-Seigneur JésusChrist

70–5

119–23

Blue Rock Thrush

‘Le merle bleu’

95–9

3–5

Song Thrush

Chronochromie

126–31

111–13

Robin

Saint François d’Assise, Tableau VI

152–71

54–6, 58, 62–3, 65–7, 70–71, 73–4

‘Le rouge-gorge’

171–81

16–21

Blackcap

Saint François d’Assise, Tableau VI

340–69

80, 90–91, 104–11, 214–5, 230–31, 246–8, 361

Garden Warbler

La fauvette des jardins

378–98

10–11, 14–18, 35–41

Nightingale

Un vitrail et des oiseaux

437–43

7–11

Saint François d’Assise, Tableau VIII

443–7

52–4

La transfiguration de Notre-Seigneur JésusChrist

454–62

194, 225–6

Saint François d’Assise, Tableau VI

462–70

354–5, 357–8

Great Reed Warbler

The Traité reveals the consistency of the technical methods employed by Messiaen in his birdsong transcriptions, and his approach is identical regardless of the type of work or instrumental forces employed.

Extra-Musical Influences

29

On a small number of occasions Messiaen places his original transcription and its final appearance in a work side by side and analyses them, providing a barby-bar description of the rhythmic and harmonic features employed. However, comments regarding the transcription process itself are completely absent, and it seems to have been a conscious decision on Messiaen’s part to avoid elaborating on such technicalities. This may be partly due to the difficulty of establishing definitive rules for the notation of birdsong; also its religious connotations (in Messiaen’s mind) dictated the retention of an element of the unknowable. Birdsong and Messiaen’s Musical Language: La fauvette des jardins In order to better make sense of this information supplied by Messiaen and investigate how birdsong became an integral component of his musical language, its usage in La fauvette des jardins will be examined. The relatively brief commentaries in the Traité provide critical insights into the constituent musical elements of Messiaen’s birdsong, and they are an ideal starting point for a more thorough study. It is clear that the composer’s approach is identical regardless of the type of work or instrumental forces employed, and Messiaen’s musical translation of birdsong can be explored most comprehensively through a study of La fauvette des jardins. This work employs the entire range of his harmonic resources and was regarded by the composer as among the greatest of his birdsong works (alongside ‘Le prêche aux oiseaux’ from Saint François d’Assise).3 The primary musical elements of birdsong in Messiaen’s works are: • • • • •

chords of contracted resonance turning chords chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note chords of total chromaticism doubling to provide colour and resonance.

These features may all be discussed with reference to La fauvette des jardins. In the passage at 4/1–8, Messiaen draws on all of the more developed elements of his harmonic language, that is to say those postdating his Technique of My Musical Language of 1944. These eight bars are given in Example 4.1 (below). The call of the nightingale is harmonised in the first bar by chord ‘C’ of turning chord 5 and the first chord of contracted resonance No.12. The purity of the harmonies is compromised as early as the second chord of this extract: the B of the demisemiquaver chord is an added note, which was seemingly introduced to allow Messiaen to follow the contour of the bird’s song. It also demonstrates Messiaen’s willingness to introduce added notes to his own invented harmonic 3   Olivier Messiaen and Claude Samuel, Music and Color: Conversations with Claude Samuel, trans. E. Thomas Glasow (Portland, 1994), p. 92.

30

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

aggregates as well as to the more traditional harmonies outlined in The Technique of My Musical Language. The added note presumably also adds extra ‘colour’ and an instance of this type (in a chord of contracted resonance) is less troubling from a theoretical perspective than an equivalent supplementary note in a chord of total chromaticism. Example 4.1  Eight bars of La fauvette des jardins at 4/1–8 (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

Extra-Musical Influences

31

The representation of the alders in the fourth bar employs the chord of transposed inversions 11B; the added notes here are the B, A# and C# in the seventh, ninth and tenth dyads respectively. Such depictions of inanimate nature in musical terms are even more open to criticism than the often-debated validity of Messiaen’s birdsong transcriptions, and Example 4.1 illustrates how his idiosyncratic imagination is applied to all aspects of nature. In the sixth bar, the nightingale utilises the twelfth chord of total chromaticism with a slight alteration: the A# of the middle stave should be A (the use of the chord of total chromaticism in this work is significant in that it is the first appearance of the full technique in Messiaen’s piano music). This harmonic deviation is somewhat problematic, as the chord no longer is composed of all 12 chromatic notes (the A#/B@ is doubled). However, this type of bending of self-imposed rules is certainly not atypical in Messiaen’s compositions, as predetermined harmonic or rhythmic notions do not always surface in an unaltered format. On this occasion, the note would appear to have been changed to alter the ‘colour’ of the chord: according to Messiaen, this four-part chord is coloured from blue to Prussian blue (reading the chord from top to bottom).4 The change to A# would appear therefore slightly to lighten the chord from a synaesthetic perspective. This device is closely associated with the nightingale and a further example may be observed at 53/2, where the second chord of the series closes the final call of the bird (on this occasion the original chord is changed via an alteration to the two notes on the upper stave). Bars 3, 7 and 8 of Example 4.1 have examples of Messiaen’s simpler method of ‘colouring’ the birdsong. Theo Hirsbrunner has noted the lack of concurrence between the ‘colours’ of birdsong and those of the instruments on which they are performed,5 and Messiaen turned to his style of colouring termed as ‘badly doubling’ (mal doublée)6 the song, or ‘doubling in an inexact manner’.7 This procedure is not systematised, and the intervals produced between the two hands have no significance. The upper part is the song itself, while the lower part provides the colouration. Messiaen’s comments on the golden oriole provide clarification, revealing the strong link between the bird’s song and E major embellished with added notes.8 A short song of the golden oriole later in La fauvette des jardins at 21/22 is a demonstration of the E major tonality (loosely speaking) of the bird (Example 4.2 below).

4

  Tr7/190.   Theo Hirsbrunner, Olivier Messiaen: Leben und Werk (Laaber, 1988), p. 63. 6   Tr7/386. 7   Tr7/394. 8   Tr7/448. 5

32

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Example 4.2  Song of the golden oriole at 21/22 in La fauvette des jardins (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

The presence of both G# and G corresponds to Messiaen’s comments, and while notes 1, 3 and 5 of the upper part establish the E major triad, the F and G weaken the tonality. The lower part is entirely unrelated (from a melodic point of view) to E major, and is there purely to colour the song and provide resonance. Robert Sherlaw Johnson makes the following observations on Messiaen’s ‘coloured’ birdsong: A feature of Messiaen’s harmony had always been its function to ‘colour’ a melodic line, rather than to ‘harmonize’ it in the traditional sense. [Melodic songs such as Example 4.2] could be regarded as a ‘thickened’ or ‘coloured’ monody, rather than a harmonized melody. This conception of harmony led naturally to the colouration of birdsong to represent its timbre.9

This procedure is remarkably consistent; the intervals between the songs and their colourations are slightly more or less than an octave. The resultant texture is certainly at variance with the occasions on which the chords of contracted resonance appear (see the first bar of Example 4.1). Messiaen’s idiosyncratic harmonic devices play a prominent role in the representations of vegetation in La fauvette des jardins. Example 4.3 depicts ‘la menthe mauve et l’herbe verte’ at 12/4–6 and its harmonic structure. The first bar is built entirely on the notion of contracted resonance, with an alternation of the two chords – A and B – of the first chord of contracted resonance No.7.

9   Robert Sherlaw Johnson, ‘Birdsong’, in Peter Hill (ed.), The Messiaen Companion (London, 1995), pp. 253–4.

Extra-Musical Influences

33

Example 4.3  Various chords in La fauvette des jardins at 12/4–6 (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

The next bar has an innovative superposition of harmonies taken from the turning chords. The upper and lower parts of turning chords 7C and 6C are divided and split into two combinations: 7C over 6C and then vice versa. The bar concludes with the chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note 7B, with the addition of an extra F at the top. The two chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note in the final bar both have an added note: D in the first and C in the second. The remaining chords draw from the first chord of contracted resonance 3A, with the addition of D. One of the most prominent themes in La fauvette des jardins is the representation of Lac Laffrey. It first appears at 4/10–11 (Example 4.4 below). The first four chords are a complete and unaltered presentation of the fifth chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note (as given at Tr7/144). The penultimate chord is one of numerous instances in Messiaen’s works based on birdsong where traditional harmony is utilised to great effect. On such occasions a pure major chord is employed at a climactic moment in a phrase representing the environment of the birds. Amidst harmonic innovations, simple chords such as the first inversion of C major here have an understated yet striking effect. The final chord is also a harmonic signature of Messiaen: the added sixth.

34

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Example 4.4  First appearance of the ‘lake music’ in La fauvette des jardins at 4/10–11 (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

La fauvette des jardins also affords an opportunity to examine Messiaen’s methods of harmonising his chosen birdsong. The examples above highlight how chords colour music moving at a relatively slow pace. However, an increase in tempo necessitated a change of methodology, as constantly changing chords which harmonise each note of a bird’s song would be aurally frenetic and practically impossible to execute (at least with regard to piano music). Messiaen therefore chose to punctuate high-tempo songs with chords, giving the opportunity to integrate his own language into that of the birds while allowing their songs time to breathe. In the Traité Messiaen discusses an extended song of the warbler in detail, and Table 4.2 uses this information as a basis for an examination of the relationship between song melody and chords (results given as (Y) indicate that the chord retains its fundamental identity but has undergone slight alteration, and (N) designates a chord whose upper line bears no relation to the song). Reasoning behind the choice of harmonic support for birdsong is a subject area about which Messiaen reveals extremely little. Assertions that a note of a song is combined with a particular harmony leave readers to ponder why certain chords are selected over others. Perhaps the fundamental question to be addressed is whether any patterns are present in the choice of chord, or whether the method of selection is an entirely free choice. Is it possible that Messiaen harmonises the song of a nightingale in a manner analogous to the way his predecessors harmonised a melody with tonal chords? Table 4.2 suggests that, for the most part, chords are selected to meld with a song, and the melodic line of a bird directly influences the choice of harmony. Messiaen’s harmonies are subordinate to the natural songs (possibly due to their status as creatures of God and therefore beyond alteration by man) as demonstrated by the changes introduced to ‘respect the bird’s song’, and it would seem that on such occasions nature is the driving force, not artistic choice.

Extra-Musical Influences

35

Table 4.2  Harmonic basis of birdsong in La fauvette des jardins, pp. 35–41 Melody note

Chord

Top note of chord – Yes/No

1CCR12B

(Y) Lacks E treble

G# B

1CCR4B CTI10D

Y Y

G# B F# E F# F#

1CCR12B CTI3C 1CCR2B 1CCR12B CTI9B CTI3B

(Y) Added note Y Y Y Y (Y) Added note

A B@

1CCR5B 1CCR10B

Y N (Due to descending augmented 4th)

B B

1CCR2A 1CCR2B

(Y) Added note (Y)

F# E A# C# B

1CCR11B 1CCR6A 1CCR6B CTI12D CTI10B

(Y) Added note (Y) Added note produces dim. 5th to respect the bird’s song Y Y (Y) Added note

B@ B@

1CCR8A 1CCR8B

Y (Y) Repeated note

E

1CCR10A

Y

E E E

1CCR10B 1CCR12B TC1C

(Y) Repeated note Y (Y) Doubled note

G# A# D

1CCR4B 1CCR4A CTI5D

Y Y N ‘the notes are disposed differently’

D#

CTI4B

(Y) Added note

G

1CCR8A

N Added note

p. 35 C p. 36

p. 37

p. 38

(continued)

36

Melody note

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Chord

Top note of chord – Yes/No

D B D B

1CCR8B 1CCR7B CTI5B TC2A

B B@

TC2B TC2C

(Y) Added note Y Y (Y) The upper notes lowered by a tone; the lower notes remain the same N (Y) Missing C

(TC6) (TC6) (1CCR5A) 1CCR5B CTI4B CTI7B 1CCR7A 1CCR7B 1CCR4A 1CCR4B

(N) Recalls TC6 (N) Recalls TC6 (N) ‘Borrows from 1CCR5A’ Y (Y) D raised by octave Y (Y) F added to respect the bird’s sonority Y (Y) C raised by octave Y

F A C# B

CTI1B CTI6D CTI12B TC2A

E

TC2B

(Y) Upper A# missing (Y) Added note (Y) Added note ‘added to make augmented 4th’ (Y) ‘Variants in disposition of notes on upper stave’. Lower stave correct. (Y) ‘Variants in disposition of notes on upper stave’. Lower stave correct.

B@ F# G

TC2C 1CCR3A 1CCR3B

(Y) N ‘The chord borrows from 1CCR3A’ N ‘The chord is disposed differently’

G

1CCR1A

Y

D@

1CCR1B

(Y) Redistributed to obtain augmented 4th

C#

TC4C

(Y)

A

1CCR3A

Y

D

CTI4B

(Y) Doubled note

p. 38

p. 39 F# F E@ A D E F B C G# p. 40

p. 41

Extra-Musical Influences

37

4.2: Philosophy and Literature Messiaen’s literary interests were wide ranging and eclectic, with philosophy and science occupying a privileged position. The Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie offers a fascinating insight into the sources of the composer’s interest and provides an opportunity to assess their relationship with his music. Time and Religion Messiaen contemplates time and duration by placing the former within a religious context. 10 St Thomas Aquinas provided inspirational impulse for a number of compositions; quotations from his writings are either explicitly referenced or the influence is implied.11 The Summa theologica of St Thomas – one of the texts featured among Messiaen’s sources of musical inspiration – contemplates time from a theological and philosophical stance, and the article ‘The Eternity of God’ (Part 1, Question 10) provides Messiaen with a starting point for his exposition on time and eternity (the Summa theologica citations are located at Tr1/7–9 and Tr3/361, 366). The first step towards understanding Messiaen’s point of view is to establish the difference between the concepts of time and eternity, as they are ‘two measurements of completely different duration’. Time is the means by which man measures duration, while eternity is not only the timeless duration of God, but God Himself. Edward J. Gratsch offers the following observations: Eternity is the measure of an unchanging being, while time is the measure of a being subject to change. God is eternal because he continues to exist of himself without having begun and without the possibility of ceasing, neither acquiring anything nor suffering the loss of anything. God’s eternity, therefore, supposes his immutability which excludes all change in God. God is at any moment what he always was and what he always will be. In this respect, God differs completely from human beings who not only begin to exist, but progressively mature from infancy to adulthood until they reach the grave.12

Parallels may be drawn between this conception of eternity and the rhythmic devices with no obvious beginning or end whose presence lasts for the entire duration of a movement; they commence at a seemingly arbitrary point in the technique and their perpetual processes have to be terminated suddenly.

  Tr1/7ff.   For an extensive consideration of the influence of St Thomas Aquinas on Messiaen

10 11

see: Siglind Bruhn, Messiaen’s Interpretations of Holiness and Trinity: Echoes of Medieval Theology in the Oratorio, Organ Meditations, and Opera (Hillsdale, 2008), pp. 13–36. 12   Edward J. Gratsch, Aquinas’ Summa: An Introduction and Interpretation (New York, 1985), p. 15.

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

38

An alternative link with musical procedures (particularly the notion of nonretrogradable rhythms) is evident in Messiaen’s proposition that the human concept of time allows for the perception of the past and future, as expressed in the famous verses from Ecclesiastes 3: 1–8 (For everything its season…). Time and Science Observations on time from a scientific perspective allow Messiaen to apply theories of a more concrete nature to his music than the relatively abstract notions of religion and philosophy. His brief consideration of the intimate links between space and time leads to the philosophy of Henri Bergson. Although Messiaen does not refer directly to it, the following passage taken from Bergson explains the connection between duration and space: There is a real space, without duration, in which phenomena appear and disappear simultaneously with our states of consciousness. There is a real duration, the heterogeneous moments of which permeate one another; each moment, however, can be brought into relation with a state of the external world which is contemporaneous with it, and can be separated from the other moments in consequence of this very process. The comparison of these two realities gives rise to a symbolical representation of duration, derived from space. Duration thus assumes the illusory form of a homogeneous medium, and the connecting link between these two terms, space and duration, is simultaneity, which might be defined as the intersection of time and space.13

The concepts of space and time can be united in Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity, resulting in the concept of space-time. The most significant factor about space-time, as far as Messiaen is concerned, is the interdependency of the coordinates of space and time.14 Musically, this does not impact greatly on his processes but forms part of Bergson’s philosophical thought. The main musical analogy to be drawn from Messiaen’s brief discussion of Einstein is that any change in rhythmic procedures can only be ascertained when viewed in relation to those around it. Any increase or decrease in duration can only be gauged in a relative sense, since there is no a priori basic unit to which everything can be compared. Time and Philosophy Messiaen ponders the philosophical implications of duration. He argues that a musician must be a true ‘rhythmician’ with an acute sensitivity to rhythm, an objective attained by an understanding of ‘true duration’ – one of the fundamental   Henri Bergson, Time and Free Will, trans. F. L. Pogson (London, 1910), p. 110.   Tr1/14.

13 14

Extra-Musical Influences

39

elements of the philosophy of Bergson. References to the French philosopher’s work are present in the Traité (Table 4.3). Table 4.3  Bergson references in the Traité Time and Free Will Creative Evolution Thought and Movement Duration and Simultaneity

Tr1/9–10, 35, 52

Messiaen was interested in Bergson’s division of time into two categories: ‘real’ time or durée which is internal time, and ‘structured time’ (temps structuré) by which everyday events could be measured.15 Table 4.4 highlights the differences between the notions of duration and time.16 Table 4.4  Comparison of ‘real’ time and structured time ‘Real’ time/durée

Structured time

Concrete

Abstract

Heterogeneous

Homogeneous

Qualitative

Quantitative

Subjective

Objective

Messiaen summarises ‘real’ time/durée:17 Sentiment de la durée présente. Loi: dans le présent, plus le temps est rempli d’événements, plus il nous paraît court – plus il est vide d’évènements, plus il nous paraît long. Appréciation rétrospective du temps passé. Loi inverse de la précédente: dans le passé, plus le temps était rempli d’évènements, plus il nous paraît long maintenant – plus il était vide d’évènements, plus il nous paraît court maintenant. 15   The philosophy of Bergson has interested other composers. For example, Elliott Carter refers to Bergson’s perspective on time and duration in his Collected Essays and Lectures, 1937–1995 (Rochester, 1998), p. 263. 16   Tr1/12. 17   Tr1/10.

40

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond [The feeling of present durée. The rule is: in the present, the more time is filled with events, the shorter it appears to us, whereas the emptier it is of events, the longer it appears to us. Retrospective apprehension of time past. The rule is the reverse of the preceding one: in the past, the more time was filled with events, the longer it appears to us now, whereas the emptier it was of events, the shorter it appears to us now].18

Using the idea of retrospective appreciation, Messiaen formulated his ‘law of attack–duration relationship’: ‘With equal durations, a brief sound followed by a silence appears longer than a prolonged sound.’19 This law is discussed further and demonstrated in a specific musical context in Messiaen’s analysis of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.20 A link between philosophy and music is also found in the concept of ‘superimposed time’ (temps superposé). Dr Alexis Carrel persuasively explains this notion (in a passage quoted by Messiaen) by asserting that human life can only be evaluated when compared to the lifespan of other living organisms.21 A parallel can thus be drawn with the unfolding of rhythmic devices with dissimilar base durations at varying rates in Messiaen’s work (examples can be observed in the Turangalîla-symphonie). The thinking behind non-retrogradable rhythms is partly illustrated by the notion of the interrelationship between the divisions of time: the past, present and future. If it is accepted that these divisions cannot exist in isolation, when viewed from a musical perspective this proposition then assumes the listener to be simultaneously aware of the three notes in a non-retrogradable rhythm (to take the simplest example). This arguably assists with an inherent problem of nonretrogradable rhythms, namely that for the palindromic effect to be perceived the listener must not view the rhythm as isolated values, but be aware of the preceding and subsequent durations. It is of course a matter of debate as to whether Messiaen intended listeners to comprehend techniques such as non-retrogradable rhythms audibly. The recognition of the simplest palindromic rhythm is perhaps achievable, but once the complexity increases, identification without prior knowledge of the score would in all likelihood be beyond even the most accomplished of listeners. Messiaen’s fascination with the philosophy of Bergson is clear, but the extent of the composer’s knowledge of Nietzsche is more difficult to evaluate. The Nietzsche references in the Traité (Thus Spake Zarathustra and The Wagner Case Tr3/353, Tr4/43) give the impression more of passing acquaintance with his 18   Reproduced by kind permission of Éditions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England. 19   Tr1/23. 20   Tr2/93–147. 21   Alexis Carrel, L’homme, cet inconnu (Paris, 1935), p. 189, quoted at Tr1/20.

Extra-Musical Influences

41

philosophy, possibly through a third party, rather than of in-depth knowledge.22 It is obvious that Nietzsche’s strictly atheistic philosophy clashed with Messiaen’s own outlook, and the author of a work such as The Antichrist could hardly have been a favourite of a deeply religious composer. Literature Messiaen makes numerous references to literary works in the Traité. These are presented in Table 4.5 (below).23 Messiaen’s references to a number of Greek poets, including Sophocles, Euripides and Sappho, are in a different category from the authors listed in Table 4.5. The metrical aspect of the writing is alluded to during the section on Greek metres in Volume 1 rather than any imagery. Rainer Maria Rilke is revealed as Messiaen’s preferred poet.24 Rilke’s cycle of Duino Elegies (named after Duino Castle on the Adriatic Sea) impacted greatly on Messiaen; quotations from these poems are liberally scattered throughout the Traité. The subject matter would not readily be associated with Messiaen, given its strong element of existential doubt: The [Duino Elegies are] the battle-ground of [Rilke’s] desperate efforts to win over a fierce and radiant foe; and the sense of a darker conflict, a long, grim struggle with the demon of doubt … [A] spiritual uncertainty has left its mark on the Duino Elegies. Hardly less harrowing, if on a less exalted plane, was the problem of his human existence, the utter isolation of his genius, the loneliness of his mind, accompanied by sharp stabs of fear that he, and not the world, might be in the wrong.25

The probable appeal of the Duino Elegies for Messiaen lay in Rilke’s attempt to ‘represent humanity, life, death, the world and the universe’.26 Messiaen recurrently quotes the line ‘Every angel is terrible’ from the first Elegy to such an extent that it could be regarded as a kind of leitmotif in his spiritual thought. The ‘Angel’ dominates the Duino Elegies, and Messiaen in all probability identified with its role as a personification of an unattainable state transcending human existence. After being drawn towards Christianity during the early stages of his career, Rilke’s change of perspective precludes interpretation from a Christian standpoint. Judith Ryan divulges the influence of Rudolf Kassner’s interpretation of William Blake as a contributing element to the formation of the Angels,27 and adds:   Tr4/43.   Titles are given in their original language, unless an English translation has been

22 23

consulted. 24   Tr1/281. 25   Eliza Marian Butler, Rainer Maria Rilke (Cambridge, 1941), pp. 316–17. 26   Ibid., p. 423. 27   Rudolf Kassner, Die Mystik, die Künstler und das Leben (Leipzig, 1900).

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

42

A number of other texts combined with Kassner in Rilke’s imagination to crystallise in the angel motif of the Duino Elegies. The motif also draws heavily on the Pre-Raphaelites’ obsession with angels.28

Peter Stern, while analysing the first Elegy, considers the representation of beauty and terror in Rilke’s Angels: The Angels [are] bearers of the continuity between perfection and terror, reinforced in line 7, by ‘Each one of the angels is terrible.’29

The biblical allusions would have certainly spoken to Messiaen, regardless of Rilke’s own point of view. Further parallels may be drawn between Messiaen’s way of thinking and Michael Minden’s perception of the angels as ‘the interconnection of man with the unsayable’.30 ‘The unsayable’ assumes myriad forms in Messiaen’s work, and for an artist Rilke’s angels conceivably represent a means of interaction. Poetry with a macabre theme fascinated Messiaen, as exemplified by the many references to Aloysius Bertrand and Edgar Allan Poe. Messiaen surely became acquainted with the work of Poe via the translations of his fervent admirer Baudelaire, who established Poe’s reputation in France, and many subsequent writers (perhaps most notably Mallarmé) expressed their admiration for a writer who at the time was rather underestimated in his homeland. Given the growing popularity of Poe, and the increasing esteem in which he was held in France, Messiaen’s acquaintance with his work is not surprising. Of the two Poe short stories mentioned in the Traité, The Pit and the Pendulum is cited more commonly. The celebrated tale has a distinct role to play in Messiaen’s analyses as an archetype of a ‘terrifying’ situation or event. During a discussion of a musical feature designed to strike fear into the listener (such as the ‘Statue theme’ of the Turangalîla-symphonie) Messiaen urges the reader to contemplate ‘the pit’. His emphasis on the pit rather than the myriad other elements present in Poe’s fable designed to instil terror (such as the rats and pendulum) is noteworthy. The pit represents the unknown rather than a tangible source of dread, and the listener is therefore free to transpose a pure sensation unencumbered by specific imagery.

  Judith Ryan, Rilke, Modernism and Poetic Tradition (Cambridge, 2004), p. 112.   Peter Stern, ‘Elegy One’, in Roger Paulin and Peter Hutchinson (eds), Rilke’s

28 29

Duino Elegies: Cambridge Readings (London, 1996), p. 3. 30   Peter Stern, ‘Elegy Two’, in Paulin and Hutchinson (eds), Rilke’s Duino Elegies, p. 19.

Extra-Musical Influences

43

Table 4.5  Literary works mentioned in the Traité Author

Work mentioned

Location in the Traité

Joseph Bedier (1864–1938)

Tristan et Iseult

Tr2/152, 284

Aloysius Bertrand (1807–1841)

Gaspard de la nuit: La chambre gothique Scarbo

Tr1/126, 128

William Blake (1757–1827)

Poems and Fragments: Birds and Flowers

Tr5i/254

Robert Burns (1759–96)

Ode to a Woodlark

Tr5i/182

Lewis Carroll (1832–98)

Alice in Wonderland

Tr2/42

Dante Alighieri (1265–1321)

Divine Comedy

Tr5ii/599

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–81)

Crime and Punishment

Tr2/104

Paul Éluard (1895–1952)

Capitale de la douleur Facile Médieuses Une longue réflexion amoureuse L’amour la poésie

Tr1/63, 328 Tr2/159, 176, 235

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)

Faust

Tr2/18

Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843)

Hyperion Other poems

Tr1/120

Homer (c.9th century BC)

Iliad

Tr1/109

Victor Hugo (1802–1885)

Les djinns

Tr1/178

John Keats (1795–1821)

Ode to a Nightingale

Tr5i/425

Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936)

Second Jungle Book

Tr1/293, 322

Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949)

Arianne et Barbe Bleue La vie des abeilles

Tr3/353, 360

Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–98)

La vierge, le vivace et le bel aujourd’hui L’après-midi d’un faune

Tr1/62, 63

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849)

Ligeia The Pit and the Pendulum

Tr2/312, 331

(continued)

44

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Author

Work mentioned

Location in the Traité

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926)

Epitaph Duino Elegies Nos. 1, 7, 8

Tr1/193, 199, 330 Tr2/153, 322 Tr3/213

William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

Macbeth King Lear Romeo and Juliet

Tr2/18, 147, 235

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)

To a Skylark

Tr5i/255

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94)

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Tr2/514

H.G. Wells (1866–1946)

The Time Machine

Tr1/20–21, 33 Tr3/180

Chapter 5

The Influence of Debussy and Stravinsky The numerous composers cited in Messiaen’s writings cover an extensive range of styles and periods, and several works, or sections of works, are analysed in various contexts. Some analyses are bound by the constraints of the topic in question, but the Traité also presents detailed surveys of certain works by favoured composers. The percentage of the Traité’s roughly 3,500 pages devoted to Debussy, Stravinsky and other composers are graphically represented in Figure 5.1. The truly significant analyses are those of Debussy’s La mer and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, while the study of the former’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune offers an insight into Messiaen’s thoughts on the correlation between the Debussy and Mallarmé works. The present chapter seeks to examine Messiaen’s relationship with selected compositions of Debussy and The Rite of Spring from technical, poetical and analytical perspectives.

Figure 5.1  Percentage of Messiaen’s Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie dedicated to Debussy, Stravinsky and other composers 5.1: Debussy La mer The essential contents of Messiaen’s analysis of La mer are presented in Table 5.1.1 1   All score references in this section refer to Eulenburg miniature score No. 1321, and take the form Fig. number/bar number.

Table 5.1  Tabulation of Messiaen’s analysis of La mer La mer Section 1

‘De l’aube à midi sur la mer’ Section 2

Introduction in B D major (2/9) minor using 1st 2nd (main) theme (3) cyclic theme (1) 1st commentary (4) 2nd (main) theme (5) 2nd commentary (6) Shortened reprise of 2nd (main) theme (7/6)

La mer

Section 3 Section 4 1st cyclic theme (8) 3rd theme (9) 1st commentary (9/7) Reprise of 3rd theme [10] 2nd commentary (10/5)

Section 5

Section 6

New 1st cyclic phrase theme (12) ‘Call theme’ (13/4) (12/4) Reply of 1st cyclic theme (13)

Section 7 Coda in subdominant using 4th cyclic theme (14) Arrival at tonic (14/4)

‘Jeux de vagues’

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

1st ‘Call theme’ (16), reprised (17) New distribution of head of theme (18)

Exposition in E major (19) starting with 2nd (main) theme Bridge (20) 3rd theme (21) ‘4-bar conduit’ (22)

Central development on the ‘theme of the development’ (3rd theme): 1) Theme of the development (23) and 1st theme (24) 2) 1st theme (25) 3) 3rd theme (26) 4) 1st ‘Call theme’ [27/7] and 4th theme [28/2] 5) Variant of theme of the development (3rd theme) [29/5] and 4th theme (30) 6) 10 bars of trills (32)

Recapitulation in E major (33) with 2nd (principal) theme 5th theme [33/9] and all other themes except 3rd Terminal development of 5th theme (35) with 1st theme (35/5), 4th theme (35/7) ‘Frayed values’ (38/5) 1st ‘call theme’ (39/3) with 4th theme

Coda [41] using 1st ‘call theme’

La mer Section 1

‘Dialogue du vent et de la mer’ Section 2

Introduction with Bridge (45) 1st cyclic theme. Initial rumblings, then strange lament (43) Bridge theme: 1st cyclic theme (44)

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Section 6

Section 7

Section 8 Section 9

2nd theme (main theme) forming the refrain, divided into antecedent, consequent, commentary (46)

1st development in 3 elements: Element 1: with 1st cyclic theme (49/3) Element 2: (51) Element 3: with 3rd cyclic theme and bridge theme (52/9)

2nd theme divided into antecedent, consequent, commentary, then reprise (54/5)

2nd development in 2 elements: Element 1: (57/9) Element 2: (58)

2nd theme in a new variation forming the refrain (60)

3rd cyclic Coda in D theme major based on (60/14) 1st cyclic theme and bridge theme (61)

48

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

To assess Messiaen’s analysis of La mer it is instructive to make comparisons with those of two Debussy scholars – Roy Howat and Simon Trezise.2 ‘De l’aube à midi sur la mer’ Messiaen is at variance with Howat and Trezise in his description of the structural outline of the movement. The two British analysts agree on a five-section form of exactly the same dimensions, the only difference being the labelling of the fourth section – Howat chooses ‘Transition’ while Trezise opts for ‘Interlude’. Messiaen’s Sections 2 and 3 (see Table 5.2) are sub-divisions of the other authors’ ‘First Principal Section’ and his Sections 4 and 5 are sub-divisions of the ‘Second Principal Section’.3 Messiaen’s version is if anything slightly more persuasive, as it clearly defines the recurrences of the 1st cyclic theme, while not overcomplicating the structure. The identification of motifs/themes is an area in which the analysts agree, although each uses different labels. Details are given in Table 5.2.4 Table 5.2  Motivic/thematic labels in ‘De l’aube à midi sur la mer’ Messiaen

Howat

Trezise

1st cyclic theme

Motif X

1st cyclic motif

‘Wave decoration’

Motif A1

First motif

2nd (main) theme

Motif A2

Second motif

Fragment

Motif A3

New motif

Triplet figure

Motif B

Sensuous flute melody

Prolonged double appoggiatura

Motif C

Minor 3rd motif

3rd theme (of the middle)

Motif D

New motif

4th cyclic theme

Motif E

2nd cyclic motif

‘Jeux de vagues’ Messiaen, Howat and Trezise all disagree on the structural outline of this second movement. Figure 5.2 shows Messiaen’s version (as in Table 5.1) with those of Howat and Trezise added above and below respectively:5 2   Roy Howat, Debussy in Proportion (Cambridge, 1983), pp. 64–135; Simon Trezise, Debussy, ‘La mer’ (Cambridge, 1994). 3   Cf. Howat, Debussy, p. 70 and Trezise, La mer, p. 54. 4   These themes are shown in a concise list in Howat, Debussy, p. 68. 5   See Howat, Debussy, p. 111 and Trezise, La mer, p. 62.

The Influence of Debussy and Stravinsky

49

Figure 5.2  Structural analyses by Messiaen, Howat and Trezise Howat admits that this movement ‘can easily be divided into sections’ which are ‘small and numerous’.6 He proposes an alternative approach of ‘two overlapping binary systems’, as shown in Figure 5.2.7 Both systems contain two of Messiaen’s smaller sections; however the main discrepancy between the two is Howat’s placement of the end of the thematic exposition at Fig. 25, lying within Messiaen’s Section 3. The four parts identified by Trezise roughly align with those of Messiaen. His Part 2 is a combination of Messiaen’s Sections 2 and 3, while there is a shift of the division between the last two parts to Fig. 38/5 as compared to Messiaen’s preference for Fig. 41. Trezise’s four-part structure appears to be a more preferable division of the movement, while Howat’s is more imaginative but less persuasive. Motivic/thematic identification again shows general agreement (Table 5.3)8 Table 5.3  Motivic/thematic labels in ‘Jeux de vagues’ Messiaen

Howat

Trezise

1st ‘call theme’

Motif H

Tritone motif

2nd (principal) theme

Motif J

Violin melody

3rd theme

Motif K

New motif

Theme of the development

Motif L1

Clarinet motif

New variant of 3rd theme

Motif L2

Chromatic motif

4th theme

—

Trumpet motif

5th theme

Motif M

‘New melody’

  Howat, Debussy, p. 110.   Ibid., p. 111. 8   These themes are shown in a concise list in ibid., p. 69. 6

7

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

50

‘Dialogue du vent et de la mer’ Structural outlines of the third movement are given in Figure 5.3.9 Contrary to the previous movement, Howat’s analysis here most closely resembles Messiaen’s. Howat does not stipulate as many sections, but his important landmarks correspond with those identified by Messiaen. The only significant discrepancy is Howat’s division of the recapitulation and coda at Fig. 60/17. Trezise opts for a rondo plan while acknowledging Howat’s sonata form outline.10 This approach has similarities with that of Messiaen, with correspondences at Figs 46, 54/5 and 57/9 (see Table 5.1).

Figure 5.3  Structural analyses of ‘Dialogue du vent et de la mer’ by Messiaen, Howat and Trezise As in previous movements, the three analysts pinpoint the same motifs/themes as detailed in Table 5.4. Table 5.4  Motivic/thematic labels in ‘Dialogue du vent et de la mer’ Messiaen

Howat

Trezise

1st cyclic theme

Motif X

1st cyclic motif

Bridge theme

(Motif G)

Motif x

2nd (main) theme

Motif F

Principal theme of 2nd group

3rd cyclic theme

Motif E

‘Chorale’

Messiaen as Debussy analyst The prelude ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’ (which is discussed in the sixth volume of the Traité and is given a privileged position compared to the other preludes) offers the opportunity to examine in a more detailed way Messiaen’s   See Howat, Debussy, p. 94 and Trezise, La mer, p. 70.   Trezise, La mer, p. 68.

9

10

The Influence of Debussy and Stravinsky

51

method of analysing elements of Debussy’s music from a technical standpoint, and offers an understanding of how the influence of Debussy is evident in the works of Messiaen. The tonality of F# major (with added notes) appears prominently in Messiaen’s work – most notably the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. However, there are more specific, small-scale links to be found in the prelude. The modes of limited transposition described in The Technique of My Musical Language would not be automatically associated with Debussy, but Messiaen notices the presence of mode 41 in the opening bars of the prelude (Example 5.1). Example 5.1  Mode 41 in the opening bars of ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’

Of course, the whole-tone scale (or mode 1) is a significant element of the musical language of Debussy, and Messiaen believed its possibilities had been exhausted by his compatriot.11 Mode 2 (or octatonic scale) played a role in the works of certain Russian composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and also in the works of Ravel, but it is one of Messiaen’s original modes,which he identifies in ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’. The case here is remarkable; the arabesque consists entirely of a ‘pure’ mode 41 without any unrelated notes. Elsewhere in Messiaen’s writings we find less persuasive examples of his modes of limited transposition in the works of other composers, as notes not belonging to the mode in question often temper passages. When discussing modes of limited transposition elsewhere, Messiaen could define harmonies in a less convincing way. For example, he believes the chord in bars 8 and 9 of the prelude (as shown in Example 5.2 below) to be in mode 22. However, it could be argued that this interpretation is rather laboured, since the chord is simply B major. The second example (Example 5.2) leaves the   Messiaen, The Technique of My Musical Language, p. 59.

11

52

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

impression of Messiaen trying to impose his own techniques and ideas onto the music of Debussy, but Example 5.1 (mode 41) is more credible. Example 5.2  Bars 8 and 9 of ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’

There are tonal and textual links between ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’ and the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. Both works are supposedly in the key of F# major, but they exhibit a shared element of the methodologies of the two composers: a lack of tonal stability. Debussy and Messiaen only intermittently establish a key and they will regularly leave it: the prelude of Debussy moves towards distant tonal centres, and Messiaen is more interested in his modal priorities. The two men sought to escape the constraints of the tonal system but neither completely abandoned tonality. Of course, there are works of Messiaen which have no connection with tonality, but it is normally present (even fleetingly) in his works written before Cantéyodjayâ of 1948. Certain harmonic and melodic details of ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’ would have especially attracted Messiaen. For example, he believes the last chord of pure F# major to be ‘slightly modalized’ by the G$ (Example 5.3). The addition of notes to the pure harmonies is a technique often employed in the Vingt regards, and Messiaen explained his thoughts on the matter in his The Technique of My Musical Language. Marcel Bitsch also notices a melodic element in ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’ which is of interest to students of the music of Messiaen: an altered Phrygian mode in the last bars of the work.12 While the modes of limited transposition have a privileged position, medieval modes occur frequently in the music of Messiaen in both pure and altered forms. Although Debussy was not the primary influence on these patterns, it is interesting to note the shared enthusiasm of both composers. 12   Marcel Bitsch, Les préludes pour piano de Claude Debussy en correspondance avec ‘À la recherche du temps perdu’ de Marcel Proust (Paris, 1996), p. 46.

The Influence of Debussy and Stravinsky

53

Example 5.3  Last four bars of ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’

There are echoes in Messiaen’s piano works of the textures found in the section in E major of ‘La terrasse’ (Mouvement du début) using the extreme registers of the instrument in the manner favoured by Messiaen (Example 5.4). Similar textures may be found in the Vingt regards (and elsewhere) where Messiaen creates resonance: the outer voices contain the melody while the central registry adds resonance. The effect is the opposite in Debussy, who preferred to place the melody in the centre and add resonance above or below. Example 5.4  Mouvement du début section of ‘La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune’

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

54

Debussy and poetry Given Messiaen’s enthusiasm for a greater understanding of the role of poetry in the work of other composers, it would also be constructive to make an assessment of his views on the close relationship between Debussy and his chosen literary sources. The poetry of Mallarmé was a common interest of both composers, and Messiaen’s analysis of Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune allows an insight into his views on the correlation between Debussy and Mallarmé. Messiaen’s comments reveal a number of his thoughts on the often direct connection between poetry and music (this perspective differs slightly from Debussy’s view of his work as a ‘general impression’ of the poem), and Figure 5.4 is the starting point for an exploration of this link. Figure 5.4 illustrates the first 78 lines of Mallarmé’s poem with Messiaen’s interpretation of Debussy’s score on the right. On the left, there are the divisions in the poem proposed by Arthur Wenk in Claude Debussy and the Poets.13 The most striking of Messiaen’s comments is his conception of the non-linear relationship between the poem and score. The portion of the score between the start and Fig. 3 represents the first 25 lines. However, lines 47 to 55 are also, according to Messiaen, connected to the same section. A detailed examination of the poem and the interpretation of Wenk provides a possible solution to this discrepancy. The first lines introduce the faun in a state of uncertainty, full of doubt about his understanding of the difference between reality and fantasy. A certainty for him is the presence of his pipes (which are mentioned in the 19th line of the poem) and the music they produce, and he returns to music in lines 47 to 55 (specifically the ‘ligne monotone’ evoked by the first musical idea of Debussy). Therefore, Messiaen’s interpretation of the music is reinforced by the poetical perspective. The correlation between musical sections outlined by Messiaen and the commentary of Wenk is obvious. The limits of the first three sections and the beginning of the ‘middle’ equate to Figs 0 to 3, and the two writers agree on the significant divisions in the poem (lines 42 and 66). However, Messiaen’s choice of extracts from the score he believes to be connected to lines 29 to 35 may be regarded as a problem. The sections of the poem in quotes are the faun’s recollections of events in the past and the narrative is clearer. In these lines, Messiaen leaps from a bar before Fig. 9 to the fourth bar of the piece, which appears to disagree with the poetic view of Wenk. There is also an overlap in the musical interpretation of Messiaen as two musical extracts (those between lines 34 and 38) are part of the passage between Figs 0 and 3. These excerpts would seem to illustrate specific similarities between the poem and the score rather than general impressions: the glissando evokes the ‘plunge’ of the 35th line.

  Arthur Wenk, Claude Debussy and the Poets (Berkeley, 1976).

13

Figure 5.4  Mallarmé’s poem with the divisions of Wenk and score references of Messiaen Wenk

Mallarmé

Introduction

Ces nymphes, je les veux perpétuer. Ces nymphes, je les veux perpétuer. Si clair, Leur incarnat léger qu’il voltige dans l’air Assoupi de sommeils touffus. Assoupi de sommeils touffus. Aimai-je un rêve? Mon doute, amas de nuit ancienne, s’achève En maint rameau subtil, qui, demeuré les vrais Bois mêmes, prouve, hélas! que bien seul je m’offrais Pour triomphe la faute idéale de roses – Réfléchissons… Réfléchissons… ou si les femmes dont tu gloses Figurent un souhait de tes sens fabuleux! Faune, l’illusion s’échappe des yeux bleus Et froids, comme une source en pleurs, de la plus chaste. Mais, l’autre tout soupirs, dis-tu qu’elle contraste Comme brise du jour chaude dans ta toison? Que non! par l’immobile et lasse pamoison Suffoquant de chaleurs le matin frais s’il lutte, Ne murmure point d’eau que ne verse ma flûte Au bosquet arrosé d’accords; et le seul vent Hors des deux tuyaux prompt à s’exhaler avant Qu’il disperse le son dans une pluie aride, C’est, à l’horizon pas remué d’une ride, Le visible et serein souffle artificiel De l’inspiration, qui regagne le ciel.

Hypothesis 1

Hypothesis 2

Messiaen

                          

Figs. 0–3

Hypothesis 3

Ô bords siciliens d’un calme marécage Qu’à l’envi des soleils ma vanité saccage, Tacites sous les fleurs d’étincelles, CONTEZ » Que je coupais ici les creux roseaux domptés » Par le talent; quand, sur l’or glauque de lointaines » Verdures dédiant leur vigne à des fontaines, » Ondoie une blancheur animale au repos  » Et qu’au prélude lent où naissent les pipeaux, » Ce vol de cygnes, non! de naïades se sauve » Ou plonge… » Ou plonge… Inerte, tout brûle dans l’heure fauve Sans marquer par quel art ensemble détala

One bar before Fig. 9

   Fourth bar of the piece   

A dotted crotchet before Fig. 3 Trop d’hymen souhaité de qui cherche le la:

  

Fig. 8 (Pure aspect of the faun) Alors m’éveillerais-je à la ferveur première, Droit et seul, sous un flot antique de lumière, Lys! et l’un de vous tous pour l’ingénuité.

  

Hypothesis 4 Milieu 1

Milieu 2

Autre que ce doux rien par leur lèvre ébruité, Le baiser, qui tout bas des perfides assure, Mon sein, vierge de preuve, atteste une morsure Mystérieuse, due à quelque auguste dent; Mais, bast! arcane tel élut pour confident Le jonc vaste et jumeau dont sous l’azur on joue: Qui, détournant à soi le trouble de la joue, Rêve, dans un solo long que nous amusions La beauté d’alentour par des confusions Fausses entre elle-même et notre chant crédule; Et de faire aussi haut que l’amour se module Évanouir du songe ordinaire de dos Ou de flanc pur suivis avec mes regards clos, Une sonore, vaine et monotone ligne. Tâche donc, instrument des fuites, ô maligne Syrinx, de refleurir aux lacs où tu m’attends ! Moi, de ma rumeur fier, je vais parler longtemps

         

Figs. 0–3

Fig. 8/5 (Demonic aspect of the faun) Des déesses; et, par d’idolâtres peintures, À leur ombre enlever encore des ceintures: Ainsi, quand des raisins j’ai sucé la clarté, Pour bannir un regret par ma feinte écarté, Rieur, j’élève au ciel d’été la grappe vide Et, soufflant dans ses peaux lumineuses, avide D’ivresse, jusqu’au soir je regarde au travers.

  

Final 1

Ô nymphes, regonflons des SOUVENIRS divers. » Mon œil, trouant les joncs, dardait chaque encolure » Immortelle, qui noie en l’onde sa brûlure » Avec un cri de rage au ciel de la forêt; » Et le splendide bain de cheveux disparaît » Dans les clartés et les frissons, ô pierreries!

» J’accours; quand, à mes pieds, s’entrejoignent (meurtries » De la langueur goûtée à ce mal d’être deux) » Des dormeuses parmi leurs seuls bras hasardeux; » Je les ravis, sans les désenlacer, et vole » À ce massif, haï par l’ombrage frivole, » De roses tarissant tout parfum au soleil, » Où notre ébat au jour consumé soit pareil. Etc.

Fig. 7/5   

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Of course, other aspects of the relationship between Messiaen and Debussy warrant further contemplation, such as the profound impact of Pelléas et Mélisande, but these studies of Messiaen as analyst of Debussy’s music and his relationship with Mallarmé exhibit the central role of the composer in the creative life of Messiaen. It is impossible to reach a definitive conclusion regarding Messiaen as an analyst of the relationship between poetry and music as opinions on such a topic are always subjective. However, comparisons with Wenk’s comments clearly demonstrate Messiaen’s perceptive comprehension of musico-poetic associations in the work of another composer, and his opinions are entirely convincing. Even though Messiaen had a preference for his own poetic texts or religious quotation when composing, Debussy was clearly one of the figures who stimulated his appreciation for the connections between the arts. 5.2: Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring Messiaen’s analysis of The Rite of Spring was known in certain circles prior to the publication of the Traité; according to Alain Louvier, it was ‘passed on for many years through oral tradition’.14 The most tangible evidence previously available was Pierre Boulez’s article on The Rite, ‘Stravinsky Remains’, which is quite obviously based on the concepts proposed in Messiaen’s analysis,15 while other writers such as Pieter van den Toorn and André Boucourechliev have also employed theories whose origin can be traced (through Boulez) back to Messiaen.16 The analysis is not consistent in its coverage, as Messiaen prefers to focus on passages containing the greatest rhythmic interest. Harmonic comments are fleeting, as an explication of rhythmic innovations – more specifically personnages rythmiques – is the prime motivation. Messiaen discovered personnages in The Rite of Spring, labelling them ‘the great Stravinskian innovation’.17 Personnages rythmiques are encountered in many places in The Rite of Spring, forming a crucial part of the work’s rhythmic construction. The technique evidently underwent subtle changes and adaptions in order to produce passages of sufficient 14

  Tr2/1.   Pierre Boulez, Stocktakings From an Apprenticeship (Oxford, 1991), pp. 55–110. Originally published as Relevés d’apprenti (Paris, 1966). 16   Pieter C. van den Toorn, Stravinsky and ‘The Rite of Spring’ (Los Angeles, 1987) and André Boucourechliev, Stravinsky (London, 1988). 17   Tr2/97. Messiaen also described the concept of personnages rythmiques in conversation with Claude Samuel: Olivier Messiaen: Music and Color, pp. 70–72. Messiaen’s brief 1939 article ‘Le rythme chez Igor Strawinsky’ (La revue musicale, 191 (1939): pp. 91–2) reveals the composer’s impressions on the topic of rhythmic procedure in Stravinsky (and other composers). Messiaen notes the ‘rhythmic variations’ (the term personnages was seemingly not used at this date) in The Rite of Spring, but the article is entirely eclipsed by his later cover of the topic. 15

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diversity to warrant individual assessment. The simplest example of the technique occurs at the start of the ‘Augurs of Spring’ (Fig. 13 in the score; Example 5.5). There are two personnages: A and B. A increases – with the values (always in quavers) of 2, 3 and 5, and B decreases – with values of 6, 4 and 3. The movement of B is a retrogradation of that of A, but with B starting a value higher (6 instead of 5). This instance of personnages rythmiques immediately highlights a flaw. Messiaen divides the chords on the upper stave into either A or B. The main problem here is the seemingly arbitrary nature of this division; Personnages A and B lack their own inherent identity, as they are the same chord. This problem will be addressed in later instances, but the above passage provides evidence of Messiaen’s belief that each personnage is not necessarily required to have its own characteristics. Messiaen sees the repeated chords as cells with different values, rather than just a chord with a value of a quaver repeated six times, due to his conviction that the rests following notes must be included in the total duration of each value.18 Example 5.5  Personnages rythmiques in the ‘Augurs of Spring’. © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd)

The ‘Sacrificial Dance’ is almost entirely constructed on the technique of personnages rythmiques; it is in an ABACA rondo form, and personnages are only absent from section C. The three A sections are prime examples of how the technique should work. Messiaen divides the first of these into three cells: A, B and C (Example 5.6). Cells A and C are mobile, while B is immobile. Here each personnage has its own distinct identity, allowing them to be audibly differentiated. Messiaen prepared two versions of the passage between Figs 142 and 148, and 18

  Tr2/100.

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Figure 5.5 (below) charts the unfolding of the technique (the x axis indicates the score position and the y axis the value of each personnage in semiquavers). Example 5.6  Personnages A, B and C. © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd)

The first version only takes account of the treble instruments and all bass registers are ignored. The mobility of A and C produces an overall impression of continuous expansion and contraction, with B providing an unchanging reference point. Personnage B’s values of 7, 6 and 4 are slightly problematical (as in Version 1 in Figure 5.3) given its supposed immobility. Messiaen explains the change from a value of 7 semiquavers to 4 (at 146/3/2) as the cell taking a new form. The argument seems a little forced. However, the leap from 7 to 4 is sudden and once completed the cell is again immobile. The presence of a value of 6 (at 144/4/2) is of more concern, given its disturbance of the cell’s immobility in only its third presentation. Messiaen was obviously sufficiently concerned by this anomaly to prepare the second version of his analysis of the same section, redistributing the personnages and taking into account the bass instruments. On this occasion Personnage B remains at either 7 or 4, resulting in a greater sense of immobility, and some of the A cells are sub-divided (for example, the first ‘A’ cell worth 8 semiquavers in Version 1 is split into two cells of 3 and 5 at the start of the second version). This second analysis eliminates some of the inherent problems of the first, remaining closer to the original theatrical concept behind personnages rythmiques. The second of the A sections in the rondo form of the ‘Sacrificial Dance’ is an exact repetition a semitone lower. The last A section is very similar, but the coda introduces a new personnage (D) and lengthens the procedure established in the previous sections. The ‘Glorification of the Chosen One’ is in ternary form, with each of its three sections built on personnages rythmiques. In the first A section (at Fig. 104) four cells are present: A, B and C are mobile, D is immobile and Figure 5.6 (below) charts their progress (on this occasion the base rhythmic unit of each axis is a quaver).

Figure 5.5  Two versions of the analysis of Figs 142–148 in the ‘Sacrificial Dance’

Figure 5.6  Personnages rythmiques in the first A section of the ‘Glorification of the Chosen One’ © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd)

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As in the ‘Sacrificial Dance’, each of the four cells has a distinctive identity. Personnages A and C both have a melodic and harmonic characteristic; B and D lack a melodic shape, but are defined by their harmonic content. This is the ‘best’ of the instances of personnages rythmiques discussed so far, as the idea of mobility combined with one rigidly immobile cell is here perfectly preserved. The passage has no obvious flaws and could therefore be regarded as a ‘textbook’ example of the technique. The B section of the ‘Glorification of the Chosen One’ introduces four new personnages: E, F, G and H. The presence of four personnages – the same number as in the A section – is probably coincidental, and there are also similarities in the way in which the four cells operate: three are mobile, one is immobile. The four personnages proceed as shown in Figure 5.7. Messiaen’s analysis is slightly less persuasive here, since the immobile cell (E) appears only three times, all within the first five bars. The most complex use of personnages rythmiques in The Rite of Spring, according to Messiaen, occurs in the ‘Dance of the Earth’, Figs 72–74, which are shown in Figure 5.8 below (the score position is now given in crotchets). There are three personnages and two (B and C) are sub-divided, producing cells within cells. A is immobile, although, as in the ‘Sacrificial Dance’, the immobility is disturbed by a single change to another quaver value (at Fig. 73/8/2). Personnage B starts with a value of 16 quavers, decreases to 12 and then increases to 36. However, the sub-cells are of greater interest: in its first presentation B is divided into four smaller cells with the values of 4, 5, 3 and 4, before a change to 3, 5 and 4 in its second presentation. This second group of values is a retrogradation of the first, but the final sub-cell has been removed, reducing the overall duration from 16 to 12 quavers. In the third and final presentation of B the forward sequence of sub-cells (4, 5, 3, 4) is followed by its retrograde. The result is a non-retrogradable rhythm with a shared central value of 4. The first value in this presentation of B (2) acts as a preparation and the final values of 4 and 2 as a conclusion. Personnage C, which is mobile throughout this passage, is again sub-divided into smaller cells, apart from in the fourth and final presentation. As Chapters 6 and 7 will illustrate, these occurrences of personnages rythmiques in The Rite of Spring are comparable to the simpler examples of the technique in Messiaen’s own music, and the concept attained its greatest complexity when the newly developed harmonic and melodic components were employed alongside their rhythmic counterpart in the Turangalîla-symphonie.

Figure 5.7  Personnages rythmiques in the B section of the ‘Glorification of the Chosen One’ © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd)

Figure 5.8  Personnages rythmiques in the ‘Dance of the Earth’ © Copyright 1912, 1921 by Hawkes & Son (London) Ltd (Reproduced by permission of Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd)

Chapter 6

Rhythmic Evolution 6.1: Rhythmic Pedal Compared to many of the elements of Messiaen’s musical language, the rhythmic pedal lacks the scope for potential development. At least a survey of the technique in the works examined suggests a tacit admission of this on the composer’s part, since by the late 1940s it loses favour and other rhythmic features come to prominence. The Visions de l’Amen nevertheless rely on pedals to provide a rhythmic base over some quite extended passages. And even in the very first appearance of a pedal at the start of the work, Messiaen is seeking to meld this apparently rather traditional notion with more original elements of his thinking. The upper stave of the first piano has a pedal of three rhythmic cells. The first is non-retrogradable, and the second and third are based on the Hindu Dhenkî and Greek amphimacer (Table 6.1). Table 6.1  Rhythmic pedal in the opening bars of Visions de l’Amen Cell

Value in semiquavers

1

6, 3, 6

2

2, 1, 2

3

2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

The pedal contains subtle alterations that demonstrate how Messiaen manipulated and developed both his sources and rhythmic labels. As the composer remarks, the non-retrogradable rhythm is followed by the same rhythm with a diminution by two-thirds that is (in this diminished form) Dhenkî. However, the non-retrogradable and Dhenkî rhythms are identical in terms of their inner rhythmic relationships, and the second rhythm could clearly also be labelled as nonretrogradable. The amphimacer has been reinterpreted according his conception of ‘monnayage’.1 A similar procedure may be observed in the second pedal located on the second stave of the first piano, but here the idea is less developed as Messiaen simply adds a quarter to each value at its first repetition. It may be argued that the   Tr3/231.

1

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succession of cells adumbrates personnages rythmiques, since the first rhythmic unit is merely presented, the second (Dhenkî) has values retracted from each value, and the final rhythm (amphimacer) has values added. Messiaen also tries to obviate excessive laboured repetition by introducing irrational rhythms (2/7–8), which facilitate the subtle manipulation of metre within the pedal. We may therefore perceive in these opening two pages of Visions de l’Amen a tension between the fixed, repetitive nature of an ostinato and the need for rhythmic invention and delicate variety. Example 6.1  Râgavardhana, Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça at 14/4 in Visions de l’Amen (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

The rhythmic pedal commencing at 14/4 (lower stave of the first piano) contains one of Messiaen’s favourite combinations of Hindu Deçî-tâlas during the 1940s: Râgavardhana, Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça (Example 6.1). Certain of the Hindu rhythms were utilised far more frequently than others, and the purely musical reasons are not always clear. Some fascinated Messiaen due to a particular rhythmic quirk which reflected his own thought-processes, such as nonretrogradability or augmentation/diminution. Here the pedal is constructed from altered Hindu Deçî-tâlas, and Messiaen extends the principle in comparison to the previous example by altering many aspects of the three rhythmic cells. However, once the pedal has been established, Messiaen refrains from the type of rhythmic additions and tinkering highlighted above. The identical rhythmic pedal returns at 29/7 (lower stave of the first piano before transferring to the second piano at 30/4), and on this occasion the rigidity of the ostinato disintegrates towards its conclusion. During the first three appearances of the pedal, the altered Deçî-tâlas are restated without change, but in its fourth (and final complete) appearance the final value of Lakskmîça is contracted (31/7) and all traces of Hindu rhythms are eroded by the concluding continuous semiquavers. The manner of the employment of the pedal in this instance raises the question of whether such manipulations of the original Hindu rhythms destroy their perceptible characteristics. A similar tension between rigidity and freedom may be observed in the passage commencing at 40/1, where a double rhythmic pedal is introduced to combine with a restatement of the movement’s passionate theme. Again, Hindu, Greek and non-retrogradable rhythms form the basis of the pedals before they give way (at 42/10) to a mix of rational and (simple) irrational

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patterns, then to uniform quavers, and finally semiquavers prepare the way for the climactic moment (from an emotional rather than technical point of view) at 45/2. The pedal present throughout the twelfth of the Vingt regards is fixed for the entirety of the piece, apart from the final value being interrupted at the conclusion. The rhythm is perfectly non-retrogradable (it has values of 3, 5, 8, 5, 3 semiquavers) and a rest of seven semiquavers follows. It would be entirely appropriate to associate extra-musical images with the theoretical purity of the pedal, as Messiaen had already employed technical procedures in earlier Regards to represent the different manifestations of God (for instance the depiction of the Three Persons of the Trinity in ‘L’échange’). On this occasion the pedal is unchanging and permits no elaboration or manipulation – an ideal rhythmic metaphor for the timelessness and immutability of ‘The All-Powerful Word’. Evidence of the lack of evolution in Messiaen’s deployment of the rhythmic pedal may be found in the technique’s employment in the Turangalîla-symphonie. Despite the potential for new explorations in this work, we again find pedals constructed from the same sequence of Hindu rhythms as highlighted above: Râgavardhana, Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça (at 16/1, 111/5 and 272/3). To place such technical stasis in context, comparison may be made with the progression during the 1940s of other aspects of Messiaen’s burgeoning musical language. For example, while the notion of personnages is already integrated into his compositional thinking in the Vingt regards, the Turangalîla-symphonie takes this technique to its summit of complexity. Rhythmic pedals lost out to new ways of thinking, and they were to re-surface only intermittently after 1948. 6.2: Rhythmic Canon Rhythmic canons usually function in a similar capacity to rhythmic pedals, providing a substructure over which the primary element may be added. Although Messiaen occasionally utilises ‘normal’ canons (a simple two-part ‘normal’ canon at the distance of a semiquaver operates in ‘Par Lui tout a été fait’ (42/10–43/2)), his preference is for purely rhythmic canons. There are a number of ways in which Messiaen develops purely rhythmic canons, but the concept can be observed in a moderately uncomplicated form in ‘Regard du Fils sur le Fils’ (18/1–24/8). This canon is notable for the amalgamation of elements of Messiaen’s musical language (a factor that would become more frequent in later years) constructed from the often-used combination of Hindu Deçî-tâlas (as noted in the discussion above of rhythmic pedals), Râgavardhana, Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça, with the simple addition of a dot to the lower part. Messiaen returns to the same concept the following year with a slight variation of this type of canon being located at the start of ‘Dans le noir’ (Harawi, 94/5), where the lower stave of the piano adds a quarter to each value of the upper stave. Example 6.2 below illustrates the start of the procedure.

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Example 6.2  Canon in ‘Dans le noir’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

All the cases cited so far have been two-part canons, and the first three-part rhythmic canon makes its appearance in ‘Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux’ (Visions de l’Amen, 51/6). The canon is once again not functioning without being combined with other rhythmic ideas, as the three-part canon is constructed from two non-retrogradable rhythms, and this idea is observable again in ‘Par Lui tout a été fait’, ‘Regard du Temps’ (Vingt regards, 26/1 and 55/2) and ‘Adieu’ (Harawi, 52/1). In a similar vein, there are more canons assembled from Hindu rhythms – specifically Râgavardhana, Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça – which surface in the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus (26/14, 98/9) and Harawi (23/6, 41/1) and are therefore limited to the one-year time span of 1944–45. The next stage of the technique makes its debut in Harawi, with a marked shift towards retrograde rhythmic canons. A clear distinction needs to be drawn at this point between a retrograde rhythmic canon, and a rhythmic canon within a retrograde section. The former is a canon in which the lower part is an exact reversal of the upper, whereas the latter is a normal rhythmic canon that has merely been reversed by retrogradation on a larger scale. To clarify these differences see ‘Montagnes’ (Harawi, 13/5) and the lengthy retrograde reprise in ‘Joie du sang des étoiles’ (Turangalîla-symphonie, 203/1) respectively. The Harawi canon uses the rhythm shown in Example 6.3. Example 6.3  Canon rhythm in Harawi (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

The bracket indicates the Hindu Dhenkî rhythm, although ‘non-retrogradable’ is an equally viable label. The forward part of the canon, on the upper stave of the piano, commences on the central value of Dhenkî. Its retrograde, on the lower stave, begins on the last value of this rhythm. Another example of a retrograde

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rhythmic canon in the simplest form of the technique occurs in the Turangalîlasymphonie at 99/1, where a 12-bar rhythm is performed simultaneously forward on the flute/clarinet and retrograde on the oboe. The technique may be observed here in a ‘textbook’ form: the oboe’s rhythm is an exact mirror of that of the flute and clarinet. The device reappears in Livre d’orgue and Sept haïkaï, although it is on each occasion aggregated with another rhythmic technique (chromatic durations and Hindu rhythms). The passage at 203/1 in the Turangalîla-symphonie is, as stated above, a normal rhythmic canon that has merely been reversed by retrogradation on a larger scale; Messiaen takes the section starting at 188/1 and retrogrades it in its entirety. The retrogradation is combined with the technique of personnages. The influence of Messiaen’s wide-ranging analytical interests may be felt in this type of procedure; his enthusiasm for the work of Machaut in particular is clearly reflected here. It should also be noted that rhythmic canons could function with occasional punctuations without, from Messiaen’s perspective, the integrity of the canon being compromised. A prime example of this approach is found in the Visions de l’Amen, starting at 78/1 with a canon based on the typical combination of Râgavardhana, Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça: 78/1: A double rhythmic pedal in canon on the first piano concludes at 80/1. The distance of the canon is a minim. 80/3: The canon restarts at the distance of a crotchet and finishes at 82/6. 82/8: The canon restarts once more at the distance of a quaver and finishes at 84/6. This flexibility of thinking is not especially momentous here, but similar technical elasticity surfaces elsewhere in the rhythmic aspect of Messiaen’s music and perhaps more significantly in his harmonic language. 6.3: Non-Retrogradable Rhythms Non-retrogradable rhythms appear most extensively in the mid- to late 1940s, although the technique is employed across a wide range of Messiaen’s output. The relatively simple notion of a palindromic rhythm is developed to some extent, but the limitations of the concept seemingly impeded any comprehensive elaboration. The composer observes a link between non-retrogradability and Hindu rhythms in the first bar of the Quatre études, where the palindromic properties of the Vijaya Deçi-tâla are noted. There would appear to be little more to this connection other than a happy coincidence between source material and Messiaen’s own technical thinking, and it illustrates an attempt at integrating aspects of his rhythmic thinking (however debatable the point of view might be). The principal way in which this device is expanded first surfaces in the final Regard (158/2), with the addition of cells to the left and right of the original rhythm

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which retain the integrity of the technique. These extra rhythms may be added and subsequently removed in a fairly free manner to alleviate the inherent rigidity of the concept, as long as the overall rhythm remains non-retrogradable. The technique remains a small-scale compositional device which, for the most part, functions on a secondary level as support for a more complex rhythmic or harmonic scheme. However, the general idea was also applied to the structural domain where Messiaen constructed palindromic formal designs (see Chapter 9). 6.4: Anacrusis, Accent, Termination The conception of anacrusis, accent and termination appears early in Messiaen’s output but it never attained a central position in his technical arsenal. It surfaces from time to time (mostly in the 1940s) without ever becoming more than an intriguing aside compared to other rhythmic devices. The Visions de l’Amen have both extended and more concise instances. At 25/13ff. on the second piano, a lengthy anacrusis of almost two bars leads to an accent fff followed by the termination. Messiaen then extends the idea at 28/14ff. by augmenting the anacrusis and adding a second accent. A more compact occurrence surfaces at 50/1, where the first period of ‘Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux’ is formed by an anacrusis, accent, mute which is supplemented by an arsis (but not a thesis). Further examples may be observed in the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus (where it plays a central role in ‘Regard de la Croix’), the Turangalîla-symphonie (124/1) and the Quatre études (2/1). The underlying principle remains the same, regardless of specific implementation and any real sense of development during the life of the technique is absent. 6.5: Chromatic Durations The most common type of chromatic duration is a straightforward presentation, such as 1, 2, 3 and so on. The technique plays a meaningful role in the majority of pieces, and Messiaen develops the presentations of chromatic series to produce wide-ranging results. A familiar form is the simple exposition of a series, which can be examined in ‘Regard des prophètes, des bergers et des mages’ (Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, 122/1–123/3). This instance is notable for the fact that when the series has completed its journey from 16 semiquavers to 1, the final value is repeated – thus slightly distorting the purity of the process. When the repetition of a value is located within a chromatic series, the distortion assumes greater significance – an effect observable in the Turangalîla-symphonie at 11/1–4. The values of the durations (in semiquavers) are as follows: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1

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It could be argued this sequence is not chromatic in the strictest sense: the extra values of 2 and 1 destroy the true chromaticism. This Turangalîla example is, however, a step towards more complex distributions of a chromatic series. Messiaen occasionally ‘interpenetrates’ chromatic durations to form an interlocking sequence that is no longer truly chromatic but is nevertheless a derivation of the technique. In the Turangalîla-symphonie (96/1), two series of chromatic semiquavers (1–8 and 5–12) are ‘interpenetrated’: 1

2 5

3 6

4 7

5 8

6 9

7 10

8 11

12

The final value is reduced to 10 semiquavers in the score (rather than the 12 indicated above, which would theoretically complete the process) due to the commencement of the next section.2 A stage further in intricacy can be detected later in the Turangalîla-symphonie (266/2; Table 6.2). Table 6.2  ‘Interpenetrated’ chromatic durations at 266/2 in the Turangalîlasymphonie Instrument

Durations in semiquavers

Triangle

15, 13, 3, 4, 15, 13, 3, 4, 15, 13

Wood blocks

12, 14, 1, 2, 7, 8, 16, 12, 14, 1, 2, 7

Turkish cymbal

5, 6, 9, 11, 10, 5, 6, 9, 11, 10, 5, 6, 9

Maracas

4, 3, 13, 15, 4, 3, 13, 15, 4, 3, 13, 15

Chinese cymbal

10, 11, 9, 6, 5, 10, 11, 9, 6, 5, 10, 11

Bass drum

16, 8, 7, 2, 1, 14, 12, 16, 8, 7, 2, 1, 14

The interpenetration is here less rigid than in the example cited above, and it is combined with a scattered distribution of the values of 1–16 semiquavers across three layers of the texture. A willingness subtly to manipulate self-imposed rules is in evidence here, suggesting a possible dissatisfaction with results of an excessively intractably mechanical nature.   An analogous passage occurs in the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus (81/13), with series of 1–13 and 3–15 being superimposed to form an interlocking structure. As indicated in the score, the first series progresses from 1 to 13 semiquavers, while the second increases from 3 to 15 semiquavers. 2

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Another concept applied to chromatic durations is that of ‘disperse order’. The passage commencing at 267/9 of the Turangalîla-symphonie, in which values of 1–7 semiquavers are seemingly arbitrarily re-ordered, is a prime example: 1, 4, 7, 6, 5, 3, 2, 8, 11, 14, 13, 12, 10, 9, 15, 18, 21, 9

Messiaen does not provide any reasoning behind the results obtained, and it is possibly only coincidental that there is a noticeable movement from the extremes to centre when ascending numerically. Chromatic durations can be melded with other rhythmic devices, as in Cantéyodjayâ 13/4 (with a retrograde rhythmic canon) the Quatre études de rythme (interversions) and Livre d’orgue 33/1 (interversions and retrograde rhythmic canon). The already noted potential malleability of the technique makes it suitable for these technical mergers. 6.6: Interversions Interversions do not appear until the Quatre études de rythme of 1949–50, but they play a role in subsequent works. There is a clear distinction between the type of interversion utilised in the ‘Experimental period’ (1949–51) and the compositions of the early 1960s. The interversions of Cantéyodjayâ, the Quatre études de rythme, Messe de la Pentecôte and Livre d’orgue are all one of the alternative methods listed in Appendix 1, while those in Chronochromie and Sept haïkaï are taken exclusively from the table given by Messiaen in the third volume of his Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie (pp. 16–66). Interversions can be both melodic and rhythmic, although Messiaen favoured the rhythmic form of the technique. Melodic interversions appear in Cantéyodjayâ; one of the sections in the work’s mosaic structure (19/11–20/6) contains nothing else. Example 6.4 illustrates the start of the procedure. The lower stave has permutations of the four-note motif which is treated as an ostinato above. Example 6.4  First two melodic interversions at 19/11 in Cantéyodjayâ

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The ‘Interversion in a triple line’ appears in ‘Neumes rythmiques’, exactly as outlined in the explanation in Appendix 1 (Example 6.5). The three ‘lines’ (1–5, 6–10, 11–15) are spread across the five phrases. Example 6.5  Interversion in a ‘triple line’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

Later in the same work (‘Île de feu 2’) Messiaen favours the ‘interversion in open scissors’. These examples demonstrate the significance of the omission of the final value in the explanation of the method, as the symmetry of the 12 durations does not pivot around a central value (a favoured feature of Messiaen’s techniques). The problem of a superfluity of results when interverting durational series led Messiaen, at times, to choose only a selection from the total of theoretically possible interversions. This kind of decision-making is an alternative, and logically less satisfactory, means of reducing the results to manageable proportions than the ‘limited symmetrical re-interversions’. An instance occurs in Messe de la Pentecôte (5/5), in which only 10 of a possible 24 interversions are used. Interversions of Hindu rhythms combined with personnages rythmiques are a prominent feature of Messe de la Pentecôte and Livre d’orgue. On each occasion three Hindu rhythms are interverted, giving the maximum of six interversions. The table of 36 interversions in the Traité, together with the superposition in groups of three, sums up the favoured form of the technique in use from the time of Chronochromie onwards. The number of interversions selected from these tables is extremely limited, and Messiaen does not discuss his reasons for choosing so few. In Chronochromie and Sept haïkaï only three of the single interversions are seen: 4, 5 and 35. A larger number of superpositions are present (1–3, 7–9, 13–15, 19–21, 22–24, 28–30), but this again is only a percentage of the total available. 6.7: Rhythmic metamorphosis The first movement of the Sept haïkaï contains the only occurrence of this technique. The process lasts for the duration of the movement and is located on the xylophone and marimba. The metamorphosis involves the gradual modulation from Simhavikrama into Miçra varna, after the latter has been presented at 2/2. Both rhythms are given in Example 6.6 below. The process begins at 4/1 with

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the initial presentation of Simhavikrama. The first metamorphosis of this rhythm occurs at 5/1, and is shown in Example 6.7. The values marked A have decreased by a semiquaver, and value D has had a demisemiquaver retracted. Values continue to be added and retracted during the process in a similar vein until the rhythm has become Miçra varna, at which point the metamorphosis is therefore complete. Example 6.6  Two Hindu rhythms used in the metamorphosis in Sept haïkaï

Example 6.7  First metamorphosis in Sept haïkaï (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

It is intriguing as to why such a relatively developed idea surfaces so late in Messiaen’s career and appears so infrequently. Although on this occasion the metamorphosis dominates the rhythmic aspect of the movement and may have proved rather constraining from a compositional perspective, large-scale devices are found in numerous works. 6.8: Development by Elimination Messiaen does not employ this technique in this complete form in his work, but there is an instance of elimination alone in the last movement of the Turangalîlasymphonie at 381/1. The main theme of the final movement is initially reduced to the rhythm of its last four notes, then in the second elimination the last two notes of the theme are retained (the procedure is similar to the instance shown in Appendix 1, A.1.8). Presumably the Beethovenian idea of elimination attracted Messiaen mainly as a precursor to his own personnages. 6.9: Personnages Rythmiques Personnages rythmiques are found in only four works analysed in the Traité: Harawi, Turangalîla-symphonie, Messe de la Pentecôte and Livre d’orgue. The earliest example (Harawi, 56/4) is very simple, with only one mobile personnage

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(A) acting alongside the immobile element (B) (Table 6.3). There is significance in labelling Personnage A in this example as ‘mobile’, as personnages are not limited to performing either an increase or decrease; both are possible.3 Table 6.3  Personnages rythmiques at 56/4 in Harawi (each figure indicates the value in semiquavers) Personnage A

Personnage B

2

5

3

5

4

5

5

5

4

5

3

5

2

5

All the instances of personnages rythmiques in the organ works Messe de la Pentecôte (‘Offertoire’) and Livre d’orgue (‘Reprises par interversion’ and ‘Pièce en trio’) follow the structure outlined in the explanation above. There are mobile and immobile elements: one increases, one decreases, while the other remains immobile. At 3/11 in Messe de la Pentecôte, technical mergers are evident again in order to increase the complexity of the music: personnages are combined with interversions and the Hindu rhythms Tritîya, Caturthaka and Nihçankalîla: Interversion 1: Tritîya, Caturthaka, Nihçankalîla Interversion 2: Tritîya (unchanged), Nihçankalîla (demisemiquaver retracted from each value), Caturthaka (demisemiquaver added to each value) Interversion 3: Caturthaka (further demisemiquaver added to each value), Nihçankalîla (further demisemiquaver retracted from each value), Tritîya (unchanged) Each Deçî-tâla is a cell (which is either changeable or immovable) and the personnages procedure functions within the interversion structure. The two movements from Livre d’orgue employ the ideas outlined in the last two examples. 3   This is one of the notable ways in which personnages rythmiques surpass development by elimination.

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Numerous examples of personnages rythmiques are present in the Turangalîlasymphonie; all are located in the three ‘Turangalîla’ movements and ‘Joie du sang des étoiles’. The technique reaches its highest point of complexity in this latter movement, where it is combined with personnages mélodiques and harmoniques. In most cases, the personnages in the ‘Turangalîla’ movements are to be found on the percussion instruments. In ‘Turangalîla 1’ (99/1) the technique is located on three percussion instruments: maracas, wood-block and bass drum. Each instrument has its own personnage and those of the bass drum and maracas consist of pairs of identical durations. The basic concept behind personnages rythmiques is here perfectly demonstrated – one personnage increases while another decreases as a consequence, and one remains immobile (Table 6.4). Messiaen’s fondness for retrogrades is palpable here: the bass drum is a mirror of the maracas. Table 6.4  Personnages rythmiques at 99/1 on the percussion in ‘Turangalîla 1’ (each figure indicates the value in semiquavers) Bass drum

Maracas

Wood-block

1, 1

8, 8

7

2, 2

7, 7

7

3, 3

6, 6

7

4, 4

5, 5

7

5, 5

4, 4

7

6, 6

3, 3

7

7, 7

2, 2

7

8, 8

1, 1

7

To highlight the interrelationships between techniques, on several occasions Messiaen states that series of chromatic durations could be better expressed as personnages rythmiques. Therefore any sequence with durations increasing or decreasing by steps of a single unit can be thought of as either being chromatic or containing a series of personnages. Evidence of this can be found in the above example and also later in the movement, where the same three instruments have a new sequence of personnages: the maracas increase then decrease, the bass drum decreases then increases, while the wood-block is still immobile.

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Messiaen regards the instance of personnages rythmiques in ‘Turangalîla 2’ (272/3) as the rhythmic high-point of the symphony. There are again two lines of durations: the first decreases from 6 to 1, while the second increases from 9 to 16. An additional feature included here (and elsewhere) in the ‘Turangalîla’ movements is the immobile anacrusis. In this instance the value is always 1, therefore remaining immobile and completing the personnages rythmiques technique. The personnages rythmiques in ‘Joie du sang des étoiles’ combine with one of the composer’s simpler rhythmic notions, as the two mobile personnages contain a three-value non-retrogradable rhythm. This is perhaps not a huge step forward from the process as seen so far. However, a far more significant event in this movement is the expansion of personnages beyond the domain of rhythm, into melody and harmony. Messiaen employs these types of personnage concurrently and individually in the same movement. The extension of personnages will be considered in section 7.13. 6.10: Small-Scale Techniques There are myriad techniques not surveyed in sections 1–9 of this chapter that enrich Messiaen’s musical language but do not demonstrate the same level of development. For example, non-retrogradable rhythms started as a fairly limited device but expanded in scope (additions to the left and right, application to the domain of form). In contrast, the idea of ‘addition of a dot’ lacks development during Messiaen’s career and remained a comparative small-scale tool. While an exhaustive account of the distribution of the latter category of technique would be impractical here (such a herculean task was even beyond the scope of Messiaen’s treatises), Table 6.5 (below) indicates where they were utilised in a range of works. Both Greek and Hindu rhythms are pervasive elements of the table, revealing Messiaen’s close attachment and fidelity to rhythmic resources discovered early in his career. A tendency to assemble rhythms into small groups of (generally) three is a recurring feature, as is producing combinations with other more complex devices. Subtle rhythmic manipulations such as addition of a dot and added values date back to Messiaen’s earliest rhythmic research and typify his style at the time of The Technique of My Musical Language. They never went out of favour, but they are less musically arresting than his later developments whose role could be structural as well as rhythmic. The fugal retrogradation in the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus is not on a small scale in terms of length, but the idea behind the technique is borrowed from other composers and it therefore shares the same lack of growth as the other components of the table. The alternation of groups of short and long values in the Vingt regards points towards another of Messiaen’s interests – the prime number. Although the ‘magical’ properties of prime numbers were a source of intrigue, their practical musical application began to dissipate in later works.

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The primary role of these techniques is to provide subtle variation and avoid rhythmic stagnation. The pulse of a passage can be altered without the necessity of committing to an extended procedure of unwanted or impossible dimensions. The majority of ideas surveyed in this chapter play an integral structural role and require an extended period to complete a predetermined pattern (for example, personnages rythmiques or chromatic durations). Smaller-scale techniques offer the kind of lower-level manipulations denied to the composer by many of his devices, and their importance to his musical language should not be underestimated. Table 6.5  Small-scale techniques in a range of works Work

Technique

Visions de l’Amen

Greek and Hindu rhythms (53/5) Fragments of Hindu rhythms (92/3ff.)

Vingt regards sur l’EnfantJésus

Addition of a dot (6/8ff.) Greek metres (12/1) Change of rhythm combined with change of register (25/9) Alternation of groups of short and long values (30/1): 3–31, 5–29, etc. Retrogradation of fugue (30/8) Inexact augmentation of the ‘Theme of Love’ (42/3) Alternation of groups of short and long values (44/9): 3–31, 5–29, etc. Dhenkî rhythm (55/1) Greek metres (79/2): cretic and trochaic. Korean rhythm (84/1): Hindu rhythms and Greek metres found within Addition of a dot (91/3) Antecedent, consequent (93/4) Augmentation by addition of a dot (98/5) Râgavardhana (retrograde), Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça (98/9) Epitrite III (107/3) Addition of a dot (133/8)

Harawi

Addition of a dot (2/2), addition of a quarter (3/9) Dhenkî (2/2) Rhythmic variations (12/6ff.), new variations (15/9) Antecedent, consequent (39/6) Râgavardhana, Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça (41/1) Vijaya (48/2) Addition of a dot/quarter (50/11, 51/1, 51/5) Addition of a dot (70/1), added value (70/3), etc. Epitrite III (76/1) Elimination (82/7) Antecedent, consequent (88/1) Variations (88/1)

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Turangalîlasymphonie

Three rhythmic successions: upper, middle, lower (35/1) [Tr2/173] Polyrhythm (35/1) Rhythmic counterpoint on wood-block using Gajajhampa, epitrite IV, Vijaya and Personnage ‘B’ (which increases) (60/1ff. and 78/3ff.) Rhythm on percussion with additions at each repetition, including non-retrogradable and spondee (70/2) [Tr2/184] Prime number – 61 semiquavers (double bass). Ostinato of 5, 5, 4, 5, 5, 7, 5 in LH of piano (92/1) Variants of iambic rhythm create second theme on brass and strings (102/3) [Tr2/193] Rhythmic reduction/addition (101/4ff.) Prime number of First Trio – 29 (124/6) Râgavardhana varied, Candrakalâ and Lakskmîça (197/1, 211/4) Rhythmic procedure with cells on tuned percussion (245/1) [Tr2/280] Ostinato on piano and vibraphone (282/3) Forward and retrograde movement at same time (288/2) Glyconic rhythm (364/1) Ostinato of Râgavardhana retrograde by augmentation, Candrakalâ by diminution and Lakskmîça by augmentation (364/1, 389/1, 404/4) – extra values added at 370/7 Diminution (414/6)

Quatre études de rythme

Various neumes (2/3ff.) Phrases based on prime numbers (3/1ff.)

Messe de la Pentecôte

Greek rhythms treated as irrational values (1/1) Augmentation of pedal values of previous section (11/11) Hindu rhythm Simhavikrama – combination of epitrite IV and Vijaya (14/1) Hindu rhythm Miçra varna (which contains Gajalîla by diminution and amphimacer/Dhenkî) (14/6) Inexact augmentation (17/7) Irregular rhythms (18/1) Rhythmic divisions of groups of 7 (26/4)

Livre d’orgue

Many Hindu rhythms treated in various ways (5/1)

Chronochromie

Different simultaneous irrational values (12/2) Irrational values (210/1)

Sept haïkaï

Hindu rhythms (Sarasvatîkanthâbharana, Pârvatîlocana, Lakskmîça) (1/1) Irrational values (13/3) Irrational values on percussion (27/1) Various Greek metres (58/1) Irrational values on piano (95/17ff.) Mixed irrational values (120/2) Hindu rhythms (Sarasvatîkanthâbharana, Pârvatîlocana, Lakskmîça) (124/1)

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Chapter 7

Harmonic Evolution 7.1: Harmonic Pedal Harmonic pedals share the same premise as rhythmic pedals, namely the repetition of a predetermined pattern, and intriguingly are evenly distributed chronologically within Messiaen’s output. As with rhythmic pedals, there is no evidence of evolution from earlier to later works due to the innate limitations of the notion. Harmonic pedals are always allied to a rhythmic device, as Messiaen obviously believed the technique could not function satisfactorily in technical isolation. In the first movement of the Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, ‘Antienne de la conversation intérieure’, a harmonic pedal commences at 11/1 on the piano. The upper stave has a pedal of 13 chords in mode 61, while the lower has a pedal of nine chords in mode 32. The rhythmic procedure to which they are allied is a canonic pedal: the lower stave reiterates the upper’s rhythm with the simple addition of a dot. At 8/1 in ‘Amen des étoiles, de la planète à l’anneau’ (Visions de l’Amen), the first piano unites harmonic pedals with their rhythmic counterpart. This instance exploits a superposition of two amalgamations; unlike the example in the Trois petites liturgies, the rhythmic elements are not canonic and the resultant effect is slightly more complex. The first combination allies a rhythmic pedal of 24 values to a harmonic pedal of seven chords. The second has 18 values and five chords. The resultant isorhythmic technique is of course not Messiaen’s invention, but it nevertheless appears here in an extraordinarily complex guise. A passage in the ‘Introduction’ to the Turangalîla-symphonie (16/1) superimposes two combinations of harmonic and rhythmic pedals in a manner comparable to the instance highlighted above in Visions de l’Amen. On this occasion one pedal marries a variant of Lakskmîça to the harmonic pedal of 14 chords, which is as, Reverdy observes,1 in mode 62. The other rhythmic and harmonic ostinato originating at the same point in the score utilises Râgavardhana and mode 44 in an analogous manner. A parallel passage in ‘Montagnes’ (Harawi, starting at 13/5) employs a retrograde rhythmic canon but does not extend the potential of harmonic pedals beyond the instance highlighted in Turangalîla. An amalgam of harmonic pedals and rhythmic canon (by the addition of a dot) can be observed in ‘Regard du silence’ (Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, 128/1–128/9). The isorhythmic facet is absent here given that both layers of the rhythmic canon utilise 17 values. Despite such unions between techniques, the   Michèle Reverdy, L’œuvre pour orchestre d’Olivier Messiaen (Paris, 1988), p. 31.

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84

intrinsic character of the harmonic pedal remains unchanged. Furthermore, on this occasion each pedal uses exclusively chords contained within a single mode of limited transposition, with the upper part’s pedal of 17 chords being in mode 34 and the lower part of 17 chords in mode 44. In all the above instances the pedals function in the same capacity regardless of the rhythmic procedure to which they are allied – namely as the harmonic equivalent of an ostinato. 7.2: Modes of Limited Transposition The modes of limited transposition date from around 19272 and continued to be used during the remainder of Messiaen’s career. His early works are based almost entirely on the modes, and despite falling out of favour between the late 1940s and 1950s they later regain their importance to feature alongside other harmonic devices. An examination of selected works will illustrate the changing role of the modes. The Visions de l’Amen exhibit the central position of the modes in works written prior to Messiaen’s change of style at the end of the 1940s. Their use in this work may be summarised as follows: 8/1: Superposition of 33 and 21. 10/6: Polymodal modulation [1]: 21, 22, 23, G (LH), 33 (RH). 3 11/8: Superposition of 43 and 61 within C# minor (transposed to 45 and 63 within E minor at 12/6). 14/2: Series of five chords in eight modes – 23, 45, 22, 41, 21, 43, 23, 45 (different degree) – which ends on B7 (dominant of home key). 19/1: Chords of 31 (transposed to 32 at 19/6). 23/9: Superposition of 31 and 22. 26/4: 21 [2]. 32/2: Theme in C major – mode 21. 33/1: Mode 23 – dominant, mode 22 – tonic, mode 21 – subdominant, mode 42 – subdominant minor (plus mode 65). 36/4: F major second inversion followed by modes 23 and 31. 36/10: E major second inversion followed by modes 21 and 33. 48/1: First theme harmonised by modes 21, 22, 31. 48/4: Mode 31 for theme and accompaniment. 50/12: Mode 21 (A major). 62/7: Mode 22 [1] (LH). 66/4: Chord with all notes of mode 33 transposed onto three degrees. 66/5: Mode 21 with added notes. 74/10: [1] Mode 1, Mode 22 ff.   Tr7/126.   Numbers in square brackets indicate Piano 1 or 2.

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77/11: Mode 33 followed by repetitions a tone higher. 78/1: [2] Mode 21 except C. 79/2: [2] Mode 21, mode 23 … mode 23, mode 22. 85/3: Mode 21 amongst various chords with added notes. 85/3: [1] Upper stave 41, lower stave 65. 86/1: Chords with added notes making part of modes 32 and 22. 86/5: [2] Alternation of mode 32 and 33. 86/6: [1] Cascades in mode 32. 93/3 (and 96/3): [2] Mode 21 = A major. 93/5: [2] Mode 23 = subdominant of A. 96/3: [1] Cascade in mode 21 (with added notes). 96/5: Melodic figure in mode 21. The modes are here used individually, concurrently to create polymodality, and combined with standard definitions of tonic, subdominant and dominant. In the latter case, the tonality of the movement is unified with a transposition of the mode (the choice for this type of procedure is invariably mode 2), allowing Messiaen to create a hybrid of traditional harmony and his own expanding language. It is possible to propose the argument that the Visions de l’Amen represent the pinnacle of mode of limited transposition usage, as only a year later in the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus their frequency is reduced: 13/2ff.: Mode 44 on 31, 63 on 22, 32 on 42. 18/1ff.: [Lowest stave] Mode 21 = tonic, 22 = dominant, 23 = subdominant. 18/1: Polymodality: 63 on 44. 38/10 (and 42/10): F# major/mode 2. 46/1: Mode 64 on 46. 63/11: Mode 21 = A major, 22 = E major, 23 = D major. 65/12: Cascades in mode 2. 69/13: ‘Theme of God’ in mode 2. 70/6: RH mode 3, LH mode 2. 76/9: Mode 2 (RH), white keys (LH). 77/1: Mode 2 in B major. 93/14 (and 94/9): Mode 3 (RH), mode 2 (LH). 94/4: Mode 3. By the mid-1940s, increased variation found its way into Messiaen’s harmonic repertoire, and passages that in earlier works would naturally return to the modes now take advantage of the greater technical choice afforded by the development of other techniques. This process advanced at such a rate that by the end of the decade the modes had almost been erased from the compositional process. For example, only one occurrence of a mode is evident in Cantéyodjayâ, and pieces appear soon after this in which modes are entirely absent. Although the modes of limited transposition return in later works, the dominance they once enjoyed never returned.

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7.3: Chords of Inferior/Superior (Contracted) Resonance Chords of contracted resonance may be employed as isolated chords (often to punctuate birdsong), over extended periods, or in combination with other types of chord. They may function in isolation but are often presented as A–B pairs.4 They span the majority of Messiaen’s career; they were used from the early 1940s to 1992. The role of contracted resonance is generally to function in a secondary role to the main theme by providing superior resonance and inferior contracted resonance (‘contracted’ because of the close-position spacing). However, the superposition of all varieties of resonance can occasionally be observed: for example, in ‘Amen du jugement’ (74/9) where the second piano has two chords with superior and contracted inferior resonance and extends the idea by tritone transposition, while the first piano accompanies with normal (that is to say uncontracted) inferior resonance. An occurrence of inferior contracted resonance in the piano part of Harawi (‘Katchikatchi les étoiles’, 90/2, under ‘cheveux’) could be regarded as a retrogradation of the usual presentation of such chords. Here the resonance is exposed prior to the chords it supports (Example 7.1). Example 7.1  Inferior contracted resonance at 90/2 in ‘Katchikatchi les étoiles’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

In practice differentiation of the resonance from the surrounding material is only possible after taking into account Messiaen’s comments, and this brief extract is a demonstration that some of the composer’s technical idiosyncrasies are practically impossible for others to detect without a key to the code. The composer’s detractors could point to this weakness as being applicable to a number of his techniques (both harmonic and rhythmic). 4   For an investigation into Messiaen’s concept of resonance see: James Mittelstadt, ‘Resonance: Unifying Factor in Messiaen’s Accords Spéciaux’, Journal of Musicological Research, 28 (2009), pp. 30–60.

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There is an interjection seen at 11/4 in Cantéyodjayâ based on the first chord of contracted resonance (Example 7.2). The first chord of contracted resonance commences on a D bass (No. 1), and in Messiaen’s table the following chords ascend by a semitone. In Example 7.2 we therefore see the first chord of contracted resonance at its seventh transposition. The resonance chord is here an event in itself, so by this stage in his career Messiaen had progressed the technique beyond its earlier role as a supportive device for other musical elements. Example 7.2  First chord of contracted resonance at 11/4 in Cantéyodjayâ

In ‘Neumes rythmiques’, Messiaen underlines the prominent role of resonance in his score annotations. In the ‘first period of the phrase constructed from neumes’ there are three examples of resonance: • At 2/4 the central stave has the neume ‘scandicus’, with the remaining staves functioning as resonance. • Similarly at 2/9 a three-note ‘torculus’ is divided between the upper and central staves (first two notes: upper, last note: central), and the surrounding chords are resonance. • At 2/10 the upper stave is superior, and 2/11 has inferior and superior resonance for the first and second chords respectively. The three bars at 2/9–11 perfectly demonstrate the function of resonance in Messiaen’s keyboard writing as a device to support the primary element, and illustrate its particular suitability for the piano. 7.4: Chords of a Dominant Appoggiatura This notion occurs early in Messiaen’s output but later theoretically became part of the more advanced chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note. Despite the change in terminology, the practical usage of the two techniques is not substantially dissimilar. The primary difference is the retention in this type of chord of a definite appoggiatura, while in the later technique an appoggiatura can be alluded to but not always overtly expressed. Messiaen makes reference to a chord of a dominant appoggiatura within the fifth of the Visions de l’Amen: ‘Amen

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des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux’ (50/9–11, both pianos). The chordal basis for these three bars is shown in Example 7.3. Example 7.3  Chordal basis for a chord of a dominant appoggiatura at 50/9–11 in ‘Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

The pianos present these harmonies one note at a time, starting with the E and rising upwards, then the C# and G#. The problem with such a distribution is that unless the technique is presented as chords, the effect is extremely diluted. If the three bars were taken in a single pedal, an approximation of the effect could possibly be created, but this is not normal practice and would produce an unfeasibly blurred result.5 The chord of a dominant appoggiatura is little more than a curiosity in Messiaen’s catalogue of techniques: an early notion which later became subsumed within more developed ideas. 7.5: Closed/Open Fan In the final two bars of Cantéyodjayâ both types of fan are combined in one figure (Example 7.4). It commences with a brief closed fan before turning into an open fan. This is a perfect example of the convergent harmonic effect the technique produces, and also of its typical keyboard layout. ‘Fans’ regularly feature in both solo and two piano works, taking either a primary or secondary role. An example of a fan in the Turangalîla-symphonie illustrates Messiaen’s use of the procedure as a small-scale transitional device. In ‘Chant d’amour 1’, at 49/3, a short closed fan provides a link between the first couplet and reiteration of the refrain. This type of fan is ideal for connecting unrelated material, given its lack of intrinsic thematic identity and its harmonic ambiguity. When the device is given a more prominent function and combined with other compositional elements it is done so only in a fairly limited way. Later in the same movement at 65/4–67/1 the principal thematic material of the passage is treated as a closed fan. 5   In his own 1949 recording of the work with Yvonne Loriod (FMR CD120-L0403), these three bars are not taken in one pedal.

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Example 7.4  Fan in final two bars of Cantéyodjayâ

The most developed use of the technique transpires in ‘Regard du temps’ (Vingt regards, 55/3–6): a three-part rhythmic canon is allied to a closed and open fan effect. Nevertheless, on both occasions the fan principle imposes boundaries that restrict the way in which it can interact with the other element involved. 7.6: Asymmetric Augmentation The most important occurrence of the technique is within ‘L’échange’ (Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus), as the piece is entirely dominated by the procedure (see A.2.6 for details). In ‘Regard de l’esprit de joie’, the section between 62/2 and 63/4 superimposes two independent augmentations. As in ‘L’échange’ the technique concludes when it has returned to its original pitches, albeit in different registers. Although asymmetric augmentation is used in combination with a fugue (‘Par Lui tout a été fait’, 25/3–6) and interversion of pitch (‘Regard de l’église d’amour’, 158/9–159/7), there is not a real interaction with the other element on either occasion. It appears Messiaen was either unwilling, or unable, to merge the concept with others. 7.7: Change of Rhythm and Register Change of rhythm and register is used relatively rarely, but it plays an important role in ‘Par Lui tout a été fait’ (Vingt regards, 25/3–5). Here Messiaen alters the rhythm and register of fugal material so that it theoretically retains its identity but its sound is greatly changed. It is perhaps surprising that the technique did not establish itself in Messiaen’s language, as it permits the variation of passages in a style beloved of the composer. The relative crudity of the procedure (when compared to asymmetric augmentation, for example) is perhaps the explanation for its extremely limited use.

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7.8: Rocket-Like Groups (Groupes fusées) Contrary to Messiaen’s other harmonic procedures, the whimsically titled rocketlike groups are named after the resultant audible and visible effect, rather than the technical process itself. These groups of grace notes feature many times in the Vingt regards and are remarkably similar at each appearance, irrespective of the context. Such prominence is the exception rather than the rule. The length of the ‘rocket’ may be extended (occasionally by dividing it between the hands), but the shorter type is the most common as it allows Messiaen to break up extended themes or ideas. Later examples of rocket-like groups in orchestral works retain the core idea of the concept, but lack the immediacy and attack of the piano. When transposed to the orchestral domain the groups have the effect (to borrow Messiaen’s term) of a ‘gust of wind’, and take on a more decorative role than in the Vingt regards. A prime example is observable in the ‘Introduction’ of Chronochromie (12/3). Messiaen had a tendency at times to blur the line between a rocket-like group and a simple arpeggio, as at 279/4 in the Turangalîla-symphonie, and it is by no means clear how, if at all, the two should be differentiated. 7.9: Chord of Transposed Inversions on the Same Bass Note The earliest instances of chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note demonstrate a sparing use of the device. In Harawi and Messe de la Pentecôte only a small number of chords are present, and in their fleeting appearance they do not particularly distinguish themselves from the surrounding material. In Cantéyodjayâ, Chords 1A–C coincide with the rhythmic retrogradation at 17/11–12, and on this occasion the essence of the procedure is weakened – from the perceptual rather than the conceptual point of view – by the changes of register. Example 7.5 illustrates the passage from Cantéyodjayâ (see Appendix 1 for the full series of the first chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note). Messiaen employs the chords merely as a harmonic resource with little regard for their true function (in his terms), as the omission of Chord D prevents a completion of the technique. Example 7.5  Cantéyodjayâ 17/11–12

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It is not until Chronochromie that chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note take on a role of equal importance to the other elements of the texture. ‘Strophe 1’ is built on layered interversions, and those executed by the second violins are ‘coloured’ by chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note. The subsequent occurrences of the procedure form a pattern of larger-scale usage, confirming its greater prominence during the later stages of Messiaen’s career.6 7.10: Resonance of Timbres As stated in Appendix 1, resonance of timbres is not often found and its occurrences are limited to the earlier works. Its natural use is in piano music as an additional resonant effect, and examples are present in works such as the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. The technique is clearly an effect rather than a specific chord (or set of chords) and its application is free from any consideration of pitch. 7.11: Turning Chords Turning chords started life as ‘colonnes d’air en résonances mobiles (comme le vent dans les arbres)’ in the early 1940s (Messiaen’s study of Visions de l’Amen illustrates the technique in this form at Tr3/238). They were used from about 1943 onwards and their frequency increases after the 1940s. These harmonies do not have to be used as a complete technique (A–C) and individual chords may be chosen from various transpositions to appear consecutively. The label ‘turning chords’ was a later development in Messiaen’s output and the concept is a relatively loose one. The Trois petites liturgies have harmonic links to the concept, but only certain elements of the chords appear and therefore are not turning chords as defined by Messiaen. For example, at 8/3 the first chord on the piano uses the lower harmonies of turning chord 11A, but the upper harmonies are unconnected with the procedure. The full technique starts to emerge in the Cinq rechants (2/6–8), and consequently in Cantéyodjayâ (12/6ff.). The latter work makes use of turning chord 8 during one of its most clamorous moments (Example 7.6 below).

  The usage of this technique in works from the late 1960s onwards is surveyed in Vincent P. Benitez, ‘Aspects of Harmony in Messiaen’s Later Music: An Examination of the Chords of Transposed Inversions on the Same Bass Note’, Journal of Musicological Research, 23 (2004), pp. 187–226. 6

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Example 7.6  Turning chord 8 at 12/6–7 in Cantéyodjayâ

The two upper staves present turning chord 8 (the first chord is repeated) in a slightly altered form. The three chords (labelled A–C in Messiaen’s table in the seventh volume of his Traité) are presented in the second bar of Example 7.6 as follows: Chord A: original form Chord B: The G of the upper stave has been lowered by a semitone (originally A) Chord C: The G has been raised by a semitone (originally F#) The bass provides a harmonically unrelated effect of resonance.7 Two distinct methods of employment are present in Chronochromie (‘Strophe 1’) and Sept haïkaï: an extended movement-long unrolling of chords, and smallscale isolated examples. The former method illustrates a kinship with the chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note, and the two techniques function concurrently in ‘Strophe 1’. At the start of this movement the first violins execute interversions while adding the colouration consisting of turning chord 8. Messiaen generally retains the principles formulated in his table of turning chords, and again in ‘Le parc de Nara et les lanternes de pierre’ (Sept haïkaï, 13/1–26/2) he superimposes the methodology of his chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note onto turning chords. The second method is more reminiscent of the isolated use encountered earlier in Messiaen’s output, but in the 1960s their use is more frequent and there is a more palpable coherence to their employment as opposed to the sporadic nature of the prior instances. As is the case with numerous other techniques (both rhythmic and harmonic) Messiaen favoured certain of his turning chords over others. For example, the eighth chord illustrated above was a preferred selection. The reasoning behind these selections defies objective analysis and would appear to be a purely personal decision (possibly guided by his synaesthesia).

  See section 10.2 for further discussion of this appearance of turning chord 8.

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7.12: Chord of Total Chromaticism The moniker chord of total chromaticism has a specific usage in Messiaen’s work and is one of the ways in which he utilised the 12-note total. Instances of total chromaticism are present as early as the start of the 1940s, but this chord finds favour later in the composer’s career.8 The 1960s and beyond see it coming into fruition as a (fairly) regular harmonic tool, where it appears according to Messiaen’s definition (that is, as an eight-note chord followed by the remaining four notes of the set). The chord of total chromaticism is fundamentally the same at each manifestation but lack of development is an understandable trait of this device. 7.13: Personnages Mélodiques and Harmoniques These techniques were used very sparingly in Messiaen’s work, and the combination of all three types of personnages in the fifth movement of the Turangalîla-symphonie has them functioning at the maximum of their potential. At Fig. 14 the theme of the refrain is subjected to three related techniques: personnages rythmiques, personnages mélodiques, and personnages harmoniques. They function in three strands of the orchestral texture: the brass, woodwind/strings and piano. Personnages Rythmiques9 The three personnages rythmiques are found on the brass. A is the increasing personnage, B decreases, while C remains (apart from slight discrepancies) immobile. Both A and B have three values within each cell, while C has one. They proceed as shown in Table 7.1. Table 7.1  Values of Personnages A, B and C Personnage A

Personnage B

Personnage C

4, 1, 4 5, 2, 5 6, 3, 6 7, 4, 7

8, 4, 8 7, 3, 7 6, 2, 6 5, 1, 5

10 9 10 10 11 11 5

  See sections 8.1 and 8.2 for a consideration of the varied types of total chromaticism.   Personnages rythmiques will be discussed here as they form an integral part of the

8 9

total personnages concept in this passage.

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This movement of the two personnages can be directly connected to Messiaen`s observations in his analysis of The Rite of Spring, where it is stated that if one personnage acts then another personnage must as a result be acted upon. It can also be seen in Table 7.1 that Personnage B performs a retrograde movement of A except that its ‘outer’ values are increased by a semiquaver. Personnage C proceeds as follows: 10, 9, 10, 10, 11, 11, 5. This sequence would appear to be at odds with its supposed immobility. However, the immobility is only applicable to the first four values, as these follow the four appearances of A and B after which the whole process is suspended. The second value of C is reduced to 9 semiquavers due to the interruption at Fig. 17 of seven bars unrelated to this process. The last three values of 11, 11 and 5 are in actual fact unconnected with the personnages rythmiques, as they are just a prolongation of C. Personnages Mélodiques The personnages mélodiques are performed by the woodwind/strings and piano. As the name suggests, personnages mélodiques are an application of the idea behind personnages rythmiques to the field of melody. The woodwind/strings have semiquaver thirds in groups of seven, with each group separated from the next by a semiquaver rest. The piano has the same groupings but starting a semiquaver later. In the groups played by the woodwind/strings the first five thirds in the group descend by a semitone on each appearance, while the last two thirds remain melodically immobile. The groups on the piano reverse this procedure; the first two thirds remain melodically immobile, while the last five thirds ascend by a semitone on each appearance. The resulting combination of the woodwind/strings and piano has an increasing element (ascending), a decreasing element (descending) and one that never moves. This is the first occurrence of personnages mélodiques in Messiaen`s music, but the technique is very similar to the instances of asymmetric augmentation in earlier works. A clear example of asymmetric augmentation can be observed in ‘L’échange’ from the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, which has six melodic fragments that ascend, descend or remain immobile. The main distinction between asymmetric augmentation and personnages mélodiques is the former’s more rigid nature, often completing its expansion over a set period and then ending. The personnages mélodiques allow for the greater flexibility required of them to combine with the other types of personnages. This would suggest an application of different terminology to the same technique, and also reveals the influence of Stravinsky to be traceable back to before the Turangalîla-symphonie. The technique of personnages mélodiques highlights how Messiaen reconstitutes a process observed in Stravinsky’s work and not only used it in his own music, but also developed its potential.

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Personnages Harmoniques Personnages harmoniques are produced by the combination of the three strands of the texture: brass, woodwind/strings and piano. The concept shares the notion of increase, decrease and immobility but on a larger scale. The increase is found in the brass: each time the music found at Fig. 14 reappears it rises by a semitone. This semitonal increase operates outside the boundaries of the personnages rythmiques. That is to say, the initial chord of Fig. 14 (A/C#), which happens to be the first chord of Personnage rythmique A, ‘increases’ to B/D at Fig. 16, but is here one chord prior to the second appearance of Personnage A. The decreasing facet of the technique is located in the woodwind/strings: the first chord of each group of seven semiquaver thirds (as described above) ‘decreases’ by a semitone on each appearance. The immobility is supplied by the piano: the group of seven semiquaver thirds always starts on the same chord of A/C#.

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Chapter 8

Harmony: An Alternative Perspective The previous chapter illustrates when and where Messiaen utilised his harmonic techniques at various stages of his career, but there is an alternative approach to assessing his relationship with harmony that, in certain cases, reveals more than Messiaen himself commented upon. It is the aim of this chapter to examine Messiaen’s harmonies in descending order of pitch total; pitch-class set labels will be used to identify harmonies, but at no point will set theory otherwise be applied to Messiaen’s music. The identification of Messiaen’s harmonies requires a clear strategy to avoid the process of analysis becoming unwieldy and even impractical. Pitch-class set theory has previously been applied to Messiaen’s music – the most notable work being Allen Forte’s ‘Messiaen’s Chords’.1 Whilst Forte dissects many harmonies (primarily examples taken from the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie), the fundamental drawback of his approach is a lack of engagement with Messiaen’s aesthetic and the composer’s many technical idiosyncrasies. This drawback prevents Forte from penetrating into the music as deeply as may be hoped; his discussion of a series of chords from the Turangalîlasymphonie illustrates the problem of focusing on the mechanics of pitch-class set theory at the expense of the wider picture. Forte selects four pairs of chords (A–D) given as an example in the Traité and applies pitch-class labels.2 He identifies two instances of the first chord of contracted resonance (Chords B and D) and Messiaen has already pointed out in his Traité that Chord A is the ‘Theme of chords’. The first and second harmonies of Chord C are termed 8-20 and 8-18 respectively (Example 8.1 below). However, Forte then offers the following observation: And since Messiaen leaves readers on their own when they come to chordal succession C, I will do the same, except to say that the tetrachordal subsets are all modal.3

Rather than highlighting the presence of modal tetrachords, it would be far more apposite to utilise familiarity with Messiaen’s chord tables and his manner   Allen Forte, ‘Messiaen’s Chords’, in Christopher Dingle and Nigel Simeone (eds), Olivier Messiaen: Music, Art and Literature (Aldershot, 2007), pp. 91–113. See also: Wai-ling Cheong, ‘Rediscovering Messiaen’s Invented Chords’, Acta Musicologica, 75/1 (2003), pp. 85–105. 2   Tr2/162. 3   Forte, ‘Messiaen’s Chords’, pp. 110–11. 1

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Example 8.1  Chord C labelled as 8-20 and 8-18 by Forte (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

of working to arrive at the conclusion that these harmonies are fundamentally chords of transposed inversions (CTI) on the same bass note. The four lower notes of each chord indicate the presence of CTI1A–B. Viewed in these terms, the first chord is CTI1A with an E added; the second is CTI1B with B# and E added while B is missing (see Appendix 1, A.2.9 for the table of the chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note). Such an assessment may seem slightly inelegant compared to the simplicity of pitch-class labels, but it is more in line with Messiaen’s own approach and results in more accurate identification. In addition, Forte’s overriding focus is the linking of chords to modal origins, rather than to the myriad other more likely possibilities. Despite the central position of the modes of limited transposition in Messiaen’s musical language, it would appear from the evidence in the Traité that they rarely demonstrate a technical crossover with the other harmonic resources, and reducing unknown harmonies to modes wherever possible is at odds with Messiaen’s own methodology. Pitch-class set labels offer an initial method of pinpointing which chord is being employed and all of Messiaen’s chords or indeed modes can be assigned a pitch-class label, summarised as follows: Total chromaticism 12-1 Turning chord A 8-5 Turning chord B 8-4 Turning chord C 8-14 Mode 2 8-28 Mode 3 9-12 Mode 4 8-9 Mode 6 8-25 Chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note A-D 7-20 First chord of contracted resonance A 7-Z36 First chord of contracted resonance B 7-Z12 Second chord of contracted resonance A 6-Z19 Second chord of contracted resonance B 6-Z43

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There are numerous chords of 3, 4, or 5 notes featured in Messiaen’s analyses, but such small groups cannot be connected with any confidence to a specific component of the composer’s musical language. For example, two four-note sets at the start of the Visions de l’Amen (4-19 and 4-14) are referred to by Messiaen simply as a ‘series of chords’. They could be a subset of a range of the chords listed above and therefore precise analysis in terms of Messiaen’s theory of chords becomes impossible. A survey of the analyses in the Traité uncovers a lack of association in Messiaen’s mind between such small sets and his own categorised harmonies: vague descriptions such as the aforementioned ‘series of chords’ or more simply ‘harmonies’ suffice as descriptions, and precise labels are conspicuously absent. Apart from the harmonic devices listed in Appendix 1, however, there is a range of chords whose appearance in many works is far too regular to be mere coincidence. If the tables prepared by Messiaen for his Traité are used as the sole source during examination of his music, there are many chords that fail to fall into a particular category. To avoid analyses riddled with unexplained passages, an allencompassing perspective on potential harmonic possibilities is required, and the recurrent aggregates found in various periods of Messiaen’s career would seem to offer a possible explanation of how a complete view of his harmonies may be formulated. Given the absence of specific names with which to refer to these other chords, pitch-class set labels offer the means to investigate Messiaen’s harmonic language without being restricted only to techniques to which he applied terms (such as chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note). A set would need to have six notes to be confidently identifiable as a complete version or subset of one of Messiaen’s chords; there are simply too many options for groups smaller than this. The evidence in the Traité would appear to vindicate this approach when studying harmonies, and such small groups may be drawn from techniques apposite to the period of composition. There remains a large part of his work that does not align with these self-invented harmonies. Once the pitch-class sets of Messiaen’s chords are identified, however, the process of analysing his work independently is a step closer. If Messiaen’s favoured notion of ‘added notes’ (a legacy of his enthusiasm for Debussy) is melded with settheory analysis, his otherwise unclassifiable harmonies can start to be identified. The first analytical stage is, of course, the simple application of pitch-class labels with the aim of matching chords to the set labels listed above. On the numerous occasions when this method fails to yield a positive result, the possibility of the presence of added notes should be the next consideration. If the pitch set obtained is not one of Messiaen’s chords, an alternative including added or missing notes may present a path towards helpful classification. For example, if the result is a seven-note group apparently not belonging to Messiaen’s language then the possibility of a relevant altered six- or eight-note set may be posited. A survey of Messiaen’s works suggests a range of + or – 2 notes to be an acceptable working limit in order to achieve viable results. The sets may be summarised as shown in Table 8.1 below.

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Table 8.1  Relationship between Messiaen’s chords and sets of 6–9 notes Number of notes in set

Possible Messiaen chord

6

Chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note -1 First chord of contracted resonance -1 Turning chord -2

7

Second chord of contracted resonance +1 Turning chord -1

8

Second chord of contracted resonance +2 First chord of contracted resonance +1 Chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note +1

9

Chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note +2 First chord of contracted resonance +2 Turning chord +1

Study of Messiaen’s harmonies also leads to the conclusion that turning chords are not converted into ten-note sets via the addition of two notes, so for this technique a limit of one added note would appear to be the maximum. Obvious omissions from this procedure are the eight- and nine-note sets of the modes of limited transposition, and the reasoning for this stems from Messiaen’s own belief that notes outside a mode should not be included in passages based on the technique.4 In order to create an analytical methodology sufficient to analyse Messiaen’s compositions successfully, sets greater than eight notes need to be accounted for. The theory proposed above needs to be integrated into an approach encompassing all harmonies within the range 6–12 notes. The 12-note set is simply the chromatic total and can either function as the chord of total chromaticism or as a freer version of total chromaticism. The 11- and 10-note sets are chromatically inflected and function as subsets of the chromatic total (they appear most often as 11-1 and 10-1); 10-5 and 10-6 are observable infrequently and their use is dwarfed by the chromatic ten-note group. The harmonies falling within the 10–12 note range again do not interact with the modes, and their usage is less generalised than the smaller sets as shall be seen later in the chapter.   Tr7/50.

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All of the harmonies identified thus far are related to the composer’s clearly defined techniques, but close examination of Messiaen’s scores reveals further recurrent harmonies whose origins lie some distance from these techniques and form an additional resource. Some of these harmonies are taken from other features in Messiaen’s music; for example, the pairing of 8-Z29 and 8-18 is a fairly regular occurrence (it is the ‘Theme of chords’ as seen in the Turangalîla-symphonie). Given Messiaen’s fondness for systematisation, it is not unreasonable to search for ways to make sense of these unlabelled harmonies, and the key would appear to lie in the role of 9-5 as a superset of a range of chords whose regularity rivals many of the ‘main’ techniques. Table 8.2 (below) illustrates sets from 12 to 8 notes that form a substantial part of Messiaen’s harmonic toolbox. 8.1: Total Chromaticism (12-1) The chord of total chromaticism occurs relatively infrequently in Messiaen’s work, but total chromaticism on a scale larger than a single or pair of chords is strikingly prevalent, and the potential of employing the chromatic total is mined extensively. The idea existed in 1943 (possibly even earlier) and was used regularly until the late works. Messiaen divulges his approach in his analysis of Visions de l’Amen (Tr3/267), where the aggregation of the first and second pianos at 74/9–10 results in ‘a total chromaticism of 11 notes (except A flat)’ for the first half-bar of 74/9, ‘a total chromaticism of 11 notes (except G)’ in the second half of 74/9, and a complete chromatic total in the opening chord of 74/10. This brief example illustrates the difference (in conceptual terms) between total chromaticism as discussed here and the chord of total chromaticism highlighted in Appendix 1, A.2.12. The latter is a specific technique whose prominence features later in Messiaen’s career, while the former is a looser notion in which the 12note total may have omissions and/or repetitions and does not always represent the sole technical focus of a passage. Small-scale use (ranging from one to several bars) with a small number of repetitions allows Messiaen to produce passages with a technical basis, but with a sense of freedom when interspersed between thoroughly rigorous devices. The extract in Example 8.2 (below) is from ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ (3/15). The piece commences with the unyielding effect of total serialism, carefully chosen to reflect the stark nature of the rocky habitat (Messiaen’s dislike for the austerity of the technique here works to his aesthetic advantage). The first flight of the chough occurs at 3/15, and Messiaen employs every note of the scale but this time with free distribution and ordering. Whether a 12-note link between the bird and its habitat is the composer’s intention here is debatable but, given Messiaen’s comments regarding musical perception, not impossible.5   Tr1/9ff.

5

Table 8.2  Favoured harmonic sets of eight notes or more found in Messiaen

12-1: Total chromaticism

11-1: Total chromaticism with 1 note missing

10-1: Total chromaticism with 2 notes missing

9-1: Total chromaticism with 3 notes missing 9-5 9-6 9-11 9-12: Mode 3

8-1: Total chromaticism with 4 notes missing 8-2 1CCRA+1, 2CCRB+2 8-4: Turning chord B 2CCRA+2 8-5: Turning chord A 8-6: 1CCRA+1, 2CCRB+2 8-8: CTI+1, 1CCRB+2, 2CCRA+2, 2CCRB+2 8-9: Mode 4, 2CCRB+2 8-13: 1CCRA+1, 1CCRB+1, 2CCRB+2 8-14: Turning chord C, CTI+1 8-Z15: 2CCRA+2 8-16: 2CCRB+2 8-17: 2CCRA+2 8-18: ‘Theme of chords’, 1CCRA+1, 2CCRA+2, 2CCRB+2 8-19: 2CCRA+2, 2CCRB+2 8-20: CTI+1, 2CCRA+2 8-22: 1CCRA+1, 2CCRB+2 8-25: Mode 6 8-26: 2CCRA+2 8-27: 2CCRA+2 8-28: Mode 2 8-Z29: ‘Theme of chords’, CTI+1, 2CCRB+2

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Example 8.2  12–1 set at 3/15 in ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

Messiaen extends the technique with lengthy figurations (generally ranging from several bars to two or three pages) drawing from the chromatic total in a seemingly random way. Such passages occur extensively, and the result gives the impression of aleatoric pitch selection rather than of the ‘distorted chromaticism’ highlighted above in ‘Le chocard des Alpes’. It is nevertheless interesting that all 12 pitches transpire so regularly, and this contrasts with the more limited selection found in passages utilising Messiaen’s own chords. Total chromaticism is also used to construct themes and birdsong (there is a clear differentiation between birdsong and other bird-related material such as the flight motif already discussed). A prominent example is the Cantéyodjayâ main theme (1/1) (Example 8.3). All 12 notes are present in this theme but the pitch repetition avoids the possibility of its being a 12-note row. Birdsong regularly utilises the 12-note total and the technique is not limited to a particular species of bird. For example, in ‘Le traquet stapazin’ three different birds use it in within a few pages: the herring gull (7/4), orphean warbler (8/3–4) and the melodious warbler (12/1). Example 8.3  Cantéyodjayâ main theme

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8.2: Total Chromaticism with no Repeats (12-1) (Serialism) As has already been shown, Messiaen felt affection for the chromatic total and the ways it could be manipulated and combined with other elements of his harmonic language. Its usage in his early period and the works up to and including the Turangalîla-symphonie is imbued with a certain freedom, but during the ‘Experimental period’ (starting in 1949) there surfaces a more strict application of serial thinking. Serialism (despite being a technique not held in the highest regard by Messiaen) appears to be used in Cantéyodjayâ, and 12-note rows feature most prominently between this date and the late 1950s. Messiaen’s self-analyses refer only sporadically to serial procedures, and the direct influence of the Second Viennese School was minimal. He expressed to Claude Samuel his belief that serialism’s life span was limited, and revealed his lack of enthusiasm for Schoenberg.6 Apart from the formation of the concept of total serialism, serial thinking and terminology did not rival the importance of other theories in Messiaen’s musical language. Livre d’orgue exploits serial techniques fully, but Messiaen was acutely aware of the dangers of ‘dry rigour’. As is the case with some of the other theories already highlighted, serialism appears to have been more an area of interest (stemming from analytical classes),7 rather than a creative concept of lasting influence. The dramatic change in artistic direction evident in the ‘Experimental period’ is underlined by the presence of serial passages in Cantéyodjayâ. At 19/6–10, serialism is utilised in a standard form. The unaltered nature of the technique is remarkable given Messiaen’s aversion to its dryness, and his compulsion to tinker with established theories and rules. This also defines how these five bars differ from the extracts cited in the previous section of this chapter; total chromaticism has now become serialism (Example 8.4). The technical fluidity of Messiaen’s compositional style at this time is brought sharply into focus when these bars are placed in context: they are preceded by typical harmonies (such as turning chords) and followed by melodic and rhythmic interversions (one of the characteristics of Cantéyodjayâ is its quick-changing mosaic structure). Twelve-note rows make regular appearances in birdsong-based works. ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ contains a collection of note rows as shown in Example 8.5). The bar can be divided into four parts, as shown in the example, with the upper and lower staves having independent rows.

  Messiaen and Samuel, Music and Color, p. 50.   Messiaen provides five standard laws of serialism at Tr7/45–50.

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Example 8.4  Serialism at 19/6–10 in Cantéyodjayâ

Example 8.5  12-note rows at 10/1 in ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

8.3: Chromatic Subsets (11–1, 10–1, 9–1) Sets of 11 and 10 notes are a common feature in various works and were regarded by Messiaen as an incomplete version of the chromatic total (as opposed to a smaller set with added notes); 9-1 is also a recurring resource, but it is less significant than other nine-note sets, which will be discussed below. These sets are often grouped together to create chromatically inflected passages conveying stark non-musical imagery (in a manner akin to total serialism), for example as a representation of harsh features such as cliffs in birdsong works. They surface at same time as total chromaticism in the early 1940s.

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8.4: 9-5 and its Eight-Note Subsets (8-5, 8-6, 8-8, 8-9, 8-13, 8-Z15, 8-16, 8-18, 8-Z29) The usage of pitch-class set labels in Messiaen analysis reveals the importance of a series of chords employed with remarkable frequency in a range of works. As illustrated so far in this chapter, aggregates containing between 12 and 10 notes tend to be chromatic in nature. There are exceptions: the sets 10-5 and 10-6 occur on a number of occasions, but the overwhelming tendency is for these larger harmonic groups to be related to the complete chromatic total (12-1). However, the 9-5 set would appear to be a significant harmonic force in Messiaen’s work as it functions both as a recurring resource and a superset of a wide range of eight-, seven- and six-note sets. The 9-5 set occurs in the early 1940s, and may be observed in the sixth bar of ‘La ville qui dormait, toi’ from Harawi (Messiaen singles out this chord at Tr3/283). It acts here as a ‘chord of D (dominant)’ preceded by an acciaccatura (Example 8.6). The 9-5 set and its subsets pertinent to Messiaen’s work are illustrated in Figure 8.1. Example 8.6  9-5 set in ‘La ville qui dormait, toi’ (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

Figure 8.1 exemplifies the relationship between the 9-5 set and Messiaen’s chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note and chords of contracted resonance. However, the eight-note sets notable by their absence are the three turning chords and certain modes of limited transposition. All of the eight-note sets listed in the table occur in Messiaen with a varying degree of frequency. Two sets have a great significance when paired together: 8-18 and 8-Z29 form the ‘Theme of chords’ from the Turangalîla-symphonie (Example 8.7 below). However, none of the remaining sets are identical to any of Messiaen’s own unique chords. These subsets of 9-5 occur regularly at various stages, most prolifically from the 1950s onwards, and there exists a link with Messiaen’s chords if they are regarded as chords of a smaller set with added notes. As Figure 8.1 highlights, all the eight-note sets are chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note or chords of contracted resonance with added note(s). The analyses in the Traité reveal a certain consistency regarding added notes: chords forming part of Messiaen’s language will have one or two supplementary notes, so six-note and

Figure 8.1  9-5 and selected subsets

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Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Example 8.7  8–18 and 8–Z29 (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

seven-note chords are transformed into one of the eight-note sets listed in the table. Messiaen may on occasion add more than two notes to a chord, but such instances are rare. There is a resultant homogeneity in this harmonic working, and this would suggest that Messiaen’s use of added notes is not as random as may first appear. 8.5: Turning Chords (8-4, 8-5, 8-14) The turning chords do not belong to the overall 9-5 group and are the only major chordal resource not to do so. Despite each turning chord being a series of eightnote chords (A–C) in their pure theoretical form, on many occasions the central chord (Chord B) has its uppermost note altered so that it shares the same pitch as the other chords. As noted in the previous chapter, this alteration causes a change to a seven-note set, as the altered note now has the same pitch class as the root of the chord. This change normally occurs when the turning chords are presented in their entirety as a series of three chords. 8.6: Chords of Contracted Resonance (7-Z36, 7-Z12, 6-Z19, 6-Z43) The chords of contracted resonance are unique among Messiaen’s harmonic resources in having two pitch classes of differing size – six and seven notes. When these chords are altered they can range from six to nine notes (if the rule of a maximum of two additions outlined above is adhered to), and this partly contributes to their prominent role in a wide range of Messiaen’s output. Chords of contracted resonance are therefore more fluid than many of their counterparts and offer greater scope for employment within the context of the 9-5 set to which they belong. This mutability renders them harder to locate during the process of analysis, and the application of pitch-class labels assists greatly in revealing the origins of an ostensibly unclassified chord. As illustrated in Figure 8.1, all forms of the chord (7-Z36, 7-Z12, 6-Z19, 6-Z43) are only one step away from the many seven- and eight-note sets which surface with regularity in Messiaen but are unnamed.

Harmony: An Alternative Perspective

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8.7: Chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note (7-20) The chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note are more problematic to locate in Messiaen’s scores even with the aid of pitch-class set theory, as all four chords of each series are a 7-20 set. Despite the differing make-up of the chords – A, B, C and D – the 7-20 set applies to all. When a 7-20 is identified it is not immediately apparent which specific chord is being used, and there are theoretically 48 possibilities. However, the emphasis placed by this technique on the bass note holds the key to the solution. The bass note must match those in Messiaen’s tables for identification to be correct, and this reveals which transposition is in use. It is consequently a matter of pinpointing which of the four chords is the harmony in question. It is, naturally, simpler to detect this device if it is utilised in its full theoretical form: a series of four chords A–D. However, this manifestation is not especially common after the earlier stages of Messiaen’s career, and the technique starts to become more fragmented. 8.8: Modes of Limited Transposition (8-28, 9-12, 8-9, 8-25) The modes of limited transposition differ from the other techniques, as if they appear harmonically in a complete form it is the exception rather than the rule; Messiaen generally prefers to select pitches from a mode rather than employ them all simultaneously. It is a notable occasion if a full mode is employed as a single chord, and this impacts on its relationship with pitch-class set labels. Messiaen composes with the modes by selecting notes to construct a passage; whether the mode is completed is seemingly immaterial. This necessitates input on the analyst’s part to assess whether harmonies may be modal or based on one of Messiaen’s chords, and pitch-class set theory assists in confirming identification. A key element in deciding whether a harmony is modal or chordal is context: Messiaen’s chords are employed as single events (which may on occasion be arpeggiated) or complete series, but his modes form the basis of passages and are less likely to function as isolated chords amongst other techniques. The combination of pitch-class sets with intimate knowledge of Messiaen’s work can produce an analytical approach approximating that of the composer. The imperfections evident in Allen Forte’s reliance on pitch-class set theory demonstrate its inability to be the sole solution to harmonic analysis of Messiaen, and it should not be allowed to obscure more obviously suitable solutions. However, pitch-class labels offer a reliable and manageable route towards identification. An over-enthusiastic application of the complete range of set theory processes leads to interpretations that veer too far from what might confidently be believed to be in the manner of Messiaen. Nevertheless, the theory proves to be of great value as part of the overall process of analysis, as will be demonstrated in Chapter 10.

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Chapter 9

Form Messiaen’s analyses of his own works disclose a vast amount of information, and in many cases only the composer himself could have supplied such detail of technical thought-processes and programmatic imagery. However, the analyses do have their limitations, not least in the domain of form. A relatively small number of movements are prefaced by a brief formal outline, but such tables are sporadic and baldly presented. Messiaen had a tendency to concentrate on minutiae, while largely omitting to elaborate on the aspect of larger-scale structure. His reticence to discuss structural features in any depth contrasts sharply with the wealth of information in the Traité on technical and non-musical topics. His comments in an interview with Claude Samuel reveal his lack of interest in the majority of classical forms, and that his originality in this area lay in the connection between the passing of time and form.1 Whether the forms Messiaen employs in his birdsong works are in actual fact a ‘great innovation’ is a matter for debate, and would need to be assessed after considering his formal structures in detail. A number of commentators have made reference to form in Messiaen, and Robert Sherlaw Johnson devotes a section of his explanation of Messiaen’s musical language to the topic.2 However, his observations are largely based on The Technique of My Musical Language and therefore mainly cover Messiaen’s early period. A wide-ranging, detailed overview of structure is not attempted. The greater part of the Messiaen literature (including writings by Sherlaw Johnson, Griffiths and Hill) has understandably concentrated on rhythmic and harmonic features. Any larger formal considerations are usually mentioned in passing, and none of these authors survey form across a range of Messiaen’s works. Anthony Pople’s Cambridge Handbook on the Quatuor pour la fin du temps is exceptional, in that the form of the second movement of this work is considered in detail.3 Although illuminating articles have appeared on certain aspects of Messiaen’s musical language, such as those by Wai-ling Cheong on harmony,4 the pioneering technical studies of Michèle Reverdy are still the primary source on the topic

    3   4  

Messiaen and Samuel, Music and Color, pp. 116–17. Robert Sherlaw Johnson, Messiaen (Berkeley, 1975), pp. 22–4. Anthony Pople, Messiaen: Quatour pour la fin du temps (Cambridge, 1998), pp. 28–34. Wai-ling Cheong, ‘Messiaen’s Triadic Colouration Modes as Interversion’, Music Analysis, 21/1 (2002): 53–84; ‘Rediscovering Messiaen’s Invented Chords’; ‘Messiaen’s Chord Tables: Ordering the Disordered’, Tempo, 57/226 (2003): 2–10. 1 2

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of form.5 Within the existing Messiaen literature, Reverdy’s monographs still offer the most illuminating contrasts with the analytical content of the Traité, and reference will be made to them below. In order to gain a clearer understanding of form in Messiaen’s work, it may be helpful to survey his analyses of his works as given in the Traité and to propose a hypothetical taxonomy of formal models in a range of his works. 9.1: Messiaen and Structure: Ten Hypothetical Models A number of the structural outlines for each movement of a work as given in this chapter are provided by Messiaen, either as preliminary headings to each movement of an analysis or in the course of his descriptions. The remainder have been added following an assessment of each movement. Whether or not details of the structure are supplied depends largely on Messiaen’s capriciously varying styles of presentation. For example, his analysis of Visions de l’Amen does not penetrate as deeply into the work as does that of the Turangalîla-symphonie, formal considerations being either far less in-depth or omitted completely. Table 9.1 is a condensation of the structural outlines of the nine works as presented in the Traité. The sources of information fall into the following categories:6 OM1: Messiaen clearly states the form prior to his analysis. OM2: Messiaen gives structural sub-headings within his discussion. GH: Formal details are sparse or missing completely, and have therefore been added by the author. Table 9.1  Tabulation of the structure of selected Messiaen works Visions de l’Amen 1) Amen de la création

‘Period’ 1, 2, 3 (GH)

2) Amen des étoiles, de la planète à l’anneau

Theme, 1st dev, 2nd dev, 3rd dev, Theme (OM1)

3) Amen de l’agonie de Jésus

Strophe, Antistrophe, Epode (OM2)

4) Amen du désir

Theme 1, Theme 2, Reprise of theme 1, Reprise of theme 2, Coda (OM2)

5   Michèle Reverdy, L’œuvre pour piano d’Olivier Messiaen (Paris, 1978), and L’œuvre pour orchestre d’Olivier Messiaen. 6   Messiaen’s terminology has been retained in Table 9.1. Neutral labels such as ‘period’ help to illustrate Messiaen’s stance towards form.

Form 5) Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux

Part 1, Birdsong, Reprise of part 1, Coda (OM1)

6) Amen du jugement

Phrase 1, Phrase 2, Variation of phrase 1 (OM1)

7) Amen de la consommation

Period 1, Period 2, Period 1 trans, Period 3, Period 1, Period 2 trans, Transitional, Period 1 reprise, Period 3, New period (GH)

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Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus 1) Regard du Père

Theme, Theme reprise, Coda (GH)

2) Regard de l’étoile

Intro, Theme, Intro reprise, Variations of theme, Intro reprise, Coda (OM2)

3) L’échange

Asymmetric augmentation (OM2)

4) Regard de la Vierge

Lullaby, Asymmetric augmentation, Lullaby, Birdsong, Lullaby, Asymmetric augmentation, Lullaby, Birdsong, Coda (GH)

5) Regard du Fils sur le Fils

Canon, Birdsong, Canon, Birdsong, Canon, Coda (OM2)

6) Par Lui tout a été fait

Exposition, Middle, Exposition retrograde, Fugal stretto, Final section (OM2)

7) Regard de la croix

Theme, Coda (GH)

8) Regard des hauteurs

Intro, Birdsong, Song of nightingale, Skylarks, Intro, Birdsong, Blackbird, Coda (GH)

9) Regard du temps

Theme, Canon, Theme, Canon, Theme, Canon, Theme, Canon, Theme, Canon, Theme (OM2)

10) Regard de l’esprit de joie

Theme, Theme of joy, Asymmetric augmentation, Hunting Theme, Theme of joy, Theme of God, Theme of joy, Theme, Coda (OM2)

11) Première communion de la Vierge

Theme of God, Quote, Variation of theme of God, Harmonisation of D, Heartbeat, Coda (GH)

12) La parole toute puissante

Theme (Periods) (GH)

13) Noël

Bell, Xylophone, Bell, Middle, Bell, Xylophone, Bell, Coda (OM2)

14) Regard des anges

Strophes 1–5 (OM2)

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Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

15) Le baiser de l’Enfant-Jésus

Sleep, Garden, Arms, Kiss, Shadow (GH)

16) Regard des prophètes, des bergers et des mages

Intro, Oboe, Middle, Oboe, Intro reprise, Coda (OM2)

17) Regard du silence

Intro, Strophe 1, Strophe 2, Coda (OM2)

18) Regard de l’onction terrible

Chromatic duration, rocket-like groups, Chorale, rocket-like groups, Chromatic duration (GH)

19) Je dors, mais mon cœur veille

Intro, Kiss, Love, Kiss, Intro, Coda (GH)

20) Regard de l’église d’amour

Large development, Large exposition (OM1)

Harawi 1) La ville qui dormait, toi

Period 1, Period 1, Period 2, Period 2, Period 3 (OM1)

2) Bonjour toi, colombe verte

Period 1, Birdsong, Period 1, Birdsong, Period 2, Birdsong, Coda (OM1)

3) Montagnes

Strophe 1, Canon, Strophe 2, Canon, Strophe 3 (OM1)

4) Doundou tchil

Intro, Refrain, Couplet, Refrain, Intro, Coda (OM1)

5) L’amour de Piroutcha

Strophes 1–2 (OM1)

6) Répétition planétaire

Cry, Incantation, Cry, Incantation, Theme and variations, Coda (OM1)

7) Adieu

Period 1, Bells, Period 1, Bells, Period 2, Bells, Period 1, Bells, Period 3, Period 2, Bells in canon, Period 1, Period 4, Coda (OM1)

8) Syllabes

Refrain, Couplet 1, Refrain, Couplet 2, Refrain, Magic syllable, Magic syllable, Coda (OM1)

9) L’escalier redit, gestes du soleil

Strophe 1, Strophe 2, Middle, Strophe 3 (OM1)

10) Amour oiseau d’étoile

Strophe 1, Strophe 1, Strophe 2 (OM1)

11) Katchikatchi les étoiles

Theme and variations, Incantation, Coda (OM1)

12) Dans le noir

Period 1, Canon, Period 1, Canon, Period 2, Canon, Cry, Refrain, Coda (OM1)

Form

115

Turangalîla-symphonie 1) Introduction

Intro, Cadenza, Polyrhythmic gamelan, Intro reprise (GH)

2) Chant d’amour 1

Intro, Refrain, Couplet 1, Refrain, Couplet 2, Refrain, Development, Coda (OM1)

3) Turangalîla 1

Section 1, Section 2, Section 3, Section 4, Section 5, Section 6 (OM2)

4) Chant d’amour 2

Scherzo, Bridge, Refrain/Trio, Second Refrain/ Trio, Combination of trios, Bridge, Scherzo reprise, Cadenza, Coda (OM1)

5) Joie du sang des étoiles

Exposition (refrain and couplet), Development (personnages), Recapitulation, Coda (OM1)

6) Jardin du sommeil d’amour

Period 1 Antecedent, Period 1 Consequent, Period 2, Period 2, Period 1, Period 2 (OM1)

7) Turangalîla 2

Sections 1–8 (OM2)

8) Développement de l‘amour

Intro, Large development, Coda (OM1)

9) Turangalîla 3

Superposition of techniques (GH)

10) Final

Theme 1, Bridge, Theme 2, Development, Theme 1, Theme 2, Theme of Love, Theme of Love, Coda (OM1)

Quatre études de rythme 1) Île de feu 1

Theme, Variation 1, Variation 2, Variation 3,Theme 2, Variation 1 Reprise (OM2)

2) Mode de valeurs et d’intensités

N/A

3) Neumes rythmiques

Triple line, Period 1, Prime number, Period 2, Triple line, Period 3, Prime number, Period 4, Triple line, Period 5, Prime number, Period 6, Triple line, Period 7, Prime number (OM2)

4) Île de feu 2

Theme, Interversions, Variation 1, Interversions, Variation 2, Development, Interversions and theme, Theme, Dance theme, Coda (OM2)

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Messe de la Pentecôte 1) Entrée (Les langues de feu)

Rhythmic variations (GH)

2) Offertoire (Les choses visibles et invisibles)

Sections 1–7, Coda (OM1)

3) Consécration (Le don de sagesse)

Refrain 1, Theme, Refrain 2, Theme, Refrain 1, Theme, Refrain 2, Theme, Refrains 1 and 2, Theme, Refrain 2 (OM1)

4) Communion (Les oiseaux et les sources)

Intro, Theme, Birdsong, Theme, Theme 2, Coda (OM2)

5) Sortie (Le vent de l’esprit)

Sections 1–5 (GH)

Livre d’orgue 1) Reprises par interversion

Sections 1–4 (OM1)

2) Pièce en trio

Rhythmic variations (GH)

3) Les mains de l’abîme

Sections 1–4 (OM1)

4) Chants d’oiseaux

Miçra varna, Section 1, Miçra varna, Section 2, Miçra varna, Section 3, Miçra varna, Section 4 (OM2)

5) Pièce en trio

Interversions (GH)

6) Les yeux dans les roues

Interversions (GH)

Chronochromie 1) Introduction

Melody of timbres, Interversions, Superposition of interversions, Melody of timbres and birdsong, Superposition of interversions reprise, Swedish sea-eagle (GH)

2) Strophe 1

Superposition of interversions (GH)

3) Antistrophe 1

Songthrush/skylark, Ani/atilla, Chorale, Superposition of interversions (GH)

4) Strophe 2

Superposition of interversions (GH)

5) Antistrophe 2

As C3

6) Epôde

Birdsong (GH)

7) Coda

As C1

Form

117

Sept haïkaï 1) Introduction

Superposition of rhythmic techniques (OM1)

2) Le parc de Nara et les lanternes de pierre

Superposition of harmonic and rhythmic techniques (GH)

3) Yamanaka-cadenza

Tutti, Cadenza, Tutti 2, Cadenza 2,Tutti 3, Cadenza 3 (OM1)

4) Gagaku

Period 1, Period 2, Commentary, Period 1 reprise, Period 2 reprise (OM1)

5) Miyajima et le torii dans le mer

Superposition of harmonic techniques (OM1)

6) Les oiseaux de Karuizawa

Intro, Couplet 1, Cadenza 1, Couplet 2, Cadenza 2, Intro (OM1)

7) Coda

As S1

Messiaen does not usually give labels to his formal procedures, but it is possible to detect various patterns in his structures. If every movement of the nine works is categorised within ten hypothetical structural models, the information in Table 9.1 can be further condensed. The ten models are as follows: Non-retrogradable: Contains either a fully non-retrogradable arrangement of sections (often with a coda) or is dominated by a large non-retrogradable element. Alternate: Two or more sections are alternated, usually with only slight variants. Strophic: Follows traditional strophic form, possibly with minor embellishments. Theme (and variations): A fairly loose interpretation of theme and variation form, as themes are not always varied in the established sense. Movements such as ‘Regard du Père’ contain only the repetition of a theme, and variations are omitted. Refrain and couplet: A reasonably strict use of this form, partly influenced by Claude Le Jeune’s Le printemps. Sectional: The simple label ‘section’ is used throughout, or the movement contains sub-divisions governed by imagery. Sonata: The movement is largely based on the sectional layout of traditional sonata form, possibly with small embellishments, and not necessarily with reference to orthodox tonal or thematic schemes. Superposition: A number of (not necessarily related) techniques used simultaneously.

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Single technique/birdsong: The movement is either entirely dominated by one technique, which ends when the process involved is complete, or it consists entirely of birdsong. Two elements: Two strongly identifiable elements are juxtaposed The result of this categorisation is given as Table 9.2 (the numbers relate to the movements as in Table 9.1). Those movements with no obviously discernable form are omitted from Table 9.2. To assess how representative the ten hypothetical structural models are, the structural comments of Reverdy have been tabulated and added to Table 9.2 under the proposed headings, and other important works in Messiaen’s output have been inserted (the nine works analysed in the Traité are highlighted in bold). Although there is admittedly an element of finding the ‘best fit’ in Table 9.2, all of Reverdy’s views on form (with which I broadly concur) taken from works ranging from the 1920s to 1990s, are accommodated quite neatly by the ten proposed models. It may be helpful to elaborate a little on the application of each of the models in turn. The non-retrogradable form movements demonstrate Messiaen’s application to the structural domain of a technique designed for small-scale use. Messiaen exploits the possibilities that non-retrogradability affords on a formal level, and the instances cited in Table 9.2 range from literal palindromes to more complex structures. Number 18 of the Vingt regards is a perfect example of the symmetry produced by this form. Not only are the sections of the piece nonretrogradable, but the final set of chromatic durations is a reverse of the first. A coda is often appended to this type of structure, as in the fifth of the Visions de l’Amen. The most literal of the non-retrogradable structures is observable in the sixth Regard, where a retrograde of the exposition results in total symmetry, to which Messiaen adds a stretto of the fugal material established in this exposition.7 The ‘final section’ of the piece lies outside the strict constructional scheme of the fugal material. Its importance resides more in the reiteration of one of the cyclic themes – the ‘Theme of God’ – within the Vingt regards as a whole. Nonretrogradable form had the most limited life span of all the models. A prime example of alternate form in its basic state is the ninth of the Vingt regards. Here Messiaen is content to interchange the primary theme with only one other element – a rhythmic canon, producing an interlocking structure. However, the number of elements to undergo alternation is not limited to two; the fourth Étude has three, producing a more intricate and pliable result in that the pattern of alternation is more varied: A, B, C, B, D, E, F, A, G, coda

7   The structure of this Regard was surely influenced by Machaut’s Ma fin est mon commencement, in which Messiaen observed literal retrogradation. Messiaen’s comments on Machaut’s piece are found at Tr1/45 and Tr3/180.

Table 9.2  Tabulation of ten hypothetical models derived from the Traité, including the analyses of Reverdy Works, date of completion

Nonretrogradable

Alternate

Strophic

Theme (and vars)

Refrain/ Sectional Couplet

Sonata

Two Superposition Single technique elements / birdsong

Early works Préludes 1929 Fantasie 1932 L’ascension 1933 P. Dukas 1935

4

Quatuor 1941 Visions 1943 2, 5, 6 Liturgies 1944 Regards 1944 6, 13, 16, 18, 19 Harawi 1945 Turangalîla 1948

4 7

6

1

8

2, 3, 5, 7 1 1, 2

3 1

2, 4, 5, 9 2, 12

Works of the 1940s 5, 7, 8 6 3 3 1 3 2 14, 17 1, 7, 12 8, 10, 11, 15 20 3, 5, 9, 10 1, 11 4, 8 6, 10 2 1, 3, 7 5, 8

1

2 4 1 3 6, 7 4

9

'Experimental period' Cantéyodjayâ 1949

1

Études 1950

3

Messe 1950

3

2, 5

1

Livre 1951

4

1, 3

2, 5, 6

1, 4

2 4

Works, date of completion

Nonretrogradable

Alternate

Strophic

Refrain/ Sectional Couplet

Theme (and vars)

Sonata

Two Superposition Single technique elements / birdsong

Birdsong works Réveil 1953

1

Exotiques 1956

1

Catalogue d’oiseaux 1958

5

11, 12

La Fauvette 1970

2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13

1, 7

1 Late period

Chronochromie 1960 Haïkaï 1962

3, 5 3

4 1

Et exspecto 1964

1, 2, 6

Canyons 1974 Éclairs 1991

3, 7

8

10 1, 5, 6, 11

6

1, 2, 5, 7

Cité Celeste 1963 Transfiguration 1969

2, 4

1, 7 6

3

1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 11

12 2, 7, 8, 10

1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 4

3, 9

Form

121

Additional flexibility is achievable when alternate form overlaps the principles of rondo structure, as in the last of the Visions de l’Amen. This piece could be labelled in the following way: A, B, A1, C, A, B1, D, A, C, E

It is probable (in view of his somewhat permissive nomenclature for both rhythm and harmony) that Messiaen would happily regard this structure as an instance of rondo form. The similarities between alternate and rondo forms – sometimes quite sophisticated – are demonstrated by the categorisation of Cantéyodjayâ in Table 9.2 as alternate form, and Reverdy’s assertion that this work has a first rondo with a second contained within.8 However, the style of varied alternation, as seen in the fourth Étude, ‘Île de feu 2’, would seem more apt for this extremely experimental work than the more rigid nature of a rondo as proposed by Reverdy. Messiaen’s most simple strophic designs consist of the concatenation of any number of strophes, as in the fourteenth of the Vingt regards. Such a structure allows the restatement of material with slight variants, as opposed to more formal variations. A more involved strophic structure – present in the third song of Harawi – has the interpolation of a canon within strophic design. It is arguable that this piece might equally well be classified as ‘alternate form’, and there are many such grey areas when considering structure in the music of Messiaen. However, in this instance strophic form is the predominant component, as opposed to the more equally weighted elements in ‘alternate form’. Movements working on the principle of alternation also exhibit a slightly greater degree of flexibility than do strophic forms. Messiaen’s use of strophes elsewhere is a throwback to the ancient proposition of strophe, antistrophe and epode.9 As Table 9.2 reveals, strophic form appears almost exclusively in the works of the 1940s. The only other instance occurs in the fifth piece of Catalogue d’oiseaux, where Sherlaw Johnson proposes a refrain-and-couplet design.10 This is again a matter of opinion, but when comparisons are made with all of the other movements listed in Table 9.2, rather than just within the context of the Catalogue, the strophic model is the more persuasive. In his works of the early 1940s, Messiaen’s reference to themes for the purpose of determining the form of a movement shows considerable consistency of approach. The primary theme of a piece (cyclic themes in the case of the first of the Visions de l’Amen and the first and seventh Regards) is reiterated with small variants – either to the theme itself, or to the surrounding material, or occasionally to the texture as a whole. Such a procedure gives an effect of overall stasis, which fits with the imagery behind the opening pieces of the Visions de l’Amen and Vingt regards. The ‘theme (and variation)’ movements (as I have   Reverdy, L’œuvre pour piano d’Olivier Messiaen, p. 61.   Messiaen discusses the principles behind the ancient Greek ‘chorus’ at Tr/244. 10   Sherlaw Johnson, Messiaen, p. 149. 8 9

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listed them) in the Quatuor pour la fin du temps are discussed by Messiaen in The Technique of My Musical Language.11 When describing the smaller-scale elements of the construction the terms ‘song-sentence’ and ‘binary sentence’ are commonly employed, and the labels ‘commentary’ and variation are seemingly interchangeable. Messiaen’s first notable use of variation form is in the Thème et variations (1932), and, whilst discussing this piece, Sherlaw Johnson highlights the apparent incompatibility between this form and Messiaen’s idiosyncratic approach to harmony.12 The form was subsequently employed in the 11th song of Harawi and twice in the Quatre études. Refrain-and-couplet form features relatively infrequently in the works covered in Table 9.2. Its first appearance, in the sixth movement of the Quatuor, is a relatively straightforward plan, but Messiaen avoids monotony by subjecting the refrain to his device of ‘change of rhythm and register’ towards the conclusion of the piece. In the fourth song of Harawi, the form is combined with nonretrogradability: there is only a single refrain-and-couplet, which is integrated into the palindromic arrangement. The eighth song of the same work and the second movement of the Turangalîla-symphonie have a refrain and couplet scheme reminiscent of rondo form, as both commence with an A, B, A, C, A structure (the Turangalîla movement has an introduction added). These three instances highlight the lack of identity present in refrain and couplet form, and the paucity of its use suggests a possible recognition of its limitations – either as a compositional or analytical tool – on Messiaen’s part. His analyses of works such as Claude le Jeune’s Le printemps would have allowed Messiaen to become fully acquainted with the potential of the form, and it may well be he felt there was little to add.13 Sectionalised form is the most common model employed by Messiaen. It is present in each of his compositional periods and is adaptable to numerous contexts and techniques. This is hardly surprising as this type of form merely denotes a succession of often-unrelated material ‘blocks’. The rules governing its application in Messiaen’s analyses appear to be flexible; he tends either simply to use the label ‘section’ or to join together passages dictated by imagery. Movements that align any number of ‘sections’, such as the seventh of the Turangalîla-symphonie, are primarily governed by one or more techniques. Such neutral labelling fits with the austere character of the pieces themselves (apart from the Turangalîla movements, the others to fall in this category are Messe 2 and 5, Livre 1 and 3). A prime example of imagery dictating the sectionalised form of a movement is found in No. 15 of the Vingt regards. From the theoretical point of view, there is no difference between the use of terms such as ‘The Sleep’, ‘The Garden’ and ‘Section n’. It is rather a question of semantics and Messiaen’s desire to guide the listener and performer(s) through the piece. Sectional form dominates the birdsong works, though, as Sherlaw Johnson and Reverdy both point out, the principles of strophic   Messiaen, The Technique of My Musical Language, pp. 37–8.   Sherlaw Johnson, Messiaen, pp. 29–30. 13   Tr1/183–232. 11

12

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and refrain-and-couplet forms appear at a secondary level within the primary ‘sections’. In essence these pieces conform globally to the sectional aesthetic, with enclosed inherited forms providing a substructure. A similar two-level structuring applies to Messiaen’s sonata forms. He employs a kind of sonata form in one of his technically advanced movements – the fifth of the Turangalîla-symphonie. Sophisticated processes are embedded within the formal scheme, which acts as a framework. The exposition is a self-contained refrainand-couplet design, in the manner of those discussed above. Messiaen uses the development section to take full advantage of his technique of personnages, while remaining true to the principles of the form. The recapitulation functions broadly in a traditional sense, in that the home key and opening material are restated, but with a fragmentation of techniques (predominantly personnages). Messiaen constructs an extraordinary type of sonata form in the final piece of the Vingt regards in which, as he explains, the development precedes the exposition. No further rationale is given for this, but it is possible that such a structure was planned as a reversal of the sonata concept. If so, it is Messiaen’s most extreme manipulation of established forms. It is possible that the form is a result of theological considerations; given its position as the final Regard, Messiaen possibly placed the exposition at the end due to the presence of the ‘Theme of God’. As a result, the entire work starts and finishes with the same theme in the home key, acting as a metaphor for the timelessness of God. The exposition is static (it contains little more than a glorification of the ‘Theme of God’) and representative of the divine, and must be preceded by the dynamic humanism of the development. Superposition form shows another strong link between structure and technique, and it is employed in some of Messiaen’s most complex movements. The form consists entirely of a stratification of procedures – particularly those with the ability to extend over the length of a movement, such as interversions. The movements from Chronochromie listed in Table 9.2 use the superimposed interversions set out in the Traité. More interesting superpositions occur in the Turangalîla-symphonie and Sept haïkaï, in which a variety of rhythmic and harmonic techniques are layered. This manner of constructing a movement strongly places the emphasis on the vertical plane, and therefore any sense of progression is lacking. Verticality allows a contemplation of state at any given instant, as opposed to the evolving nature of other structures. The first and last of the Sept haïkaï are a demonstration of the frequent absence in superposition form of the ‘goal’ present in many other forms. The first movement ends rather arbitrarily, only to be ‘restarted’ six movements later. It is typical for pieces constructed around superposition form to be randomly terminated, rather than when they have achieved their (musical) objective. ‘L’échange’ (the third of the Vingt regards) is a prime example of a piece which ends when an objective has been realised: once the process of asymmetric augmentation has run its course and returned to its original pitches, the piece concludes. Discussing the first movement of the Quatuor, for instance, Paul Griffiths enthusiastically reacts to Messiaen’s musical depiction of eternity and points out that the movement is, in theory, part of a much

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larger procedure.14 The return to superposition in Messiaen’s late period highlights the validity of the notion of superposition form within both programmatic and non-programmatic contexts. Single technique/birdsong form differs from superposition due to the way in which the procedure concerned usually forms a more satisfyingly self-contained unit. A ‘textbook’ example of the form is found in the third of the Vingt regards: once the asymmetric augmentation completes its course the piece ends. The sixth movement of Chronochromie consists entirely of birdsong which operates in an analogous way to the single technique, as a lack of juxtaposition of material is an inherent characteristic of both. That the movement has acquired an element of notoriety is purely a consequence of Messiaen’s bold decision to employ this single idea.15 The second Étude shares a similarity with the ‘open-ended’ nature of superposition form. Total serialism,16 the only procedure present, does not develop in any sense, and therefore Messiaen had little option but to terminate the piece arbitrarily. On a number of occasions, this type of form serves to showcase the highest point of complexity achievable by Messiaen in certain technical procedures. The juxtaposition of two elements is a feature to which Messiaen turned many times. There are many parallels with the sectionalised form discussed above but there is here a maximum of two elements, as opposed to the theoretically limitless number of ‘sections’. The form with two elements is differentiated from ‘alternate form’ by the more rigid ordering and smaller number of its thematic, harmonic and rhythmic elements. 9.2: Messiaen’s Structural Thinking in Context Comparison can be made both with Messiaen’s declared musical influences and with later composers’ use of form, to ascertain both how his ideas may have been formulated and how others approached this often-problematical domain. In his Since Debussy André Hodeir singles out Messiaen’s view of sonata form for criticism:17 His examination of what might be retained of the sonata form led him to conclude that ‘there is only one aspect of that form which is obsolete: the recapitulation’

  Griffiths, Oliver Messiaen and the Music of Time, p. 94.   Messiaen comments on the unfavourable reaction of the audience at the early

14 15

performances of the movement at Tr3/98. 16   This widely used term is not particularly accurate, as the random nature of the process is at odds with the strict ordering of serialism. ‘Mode de valeurs’ is perhaps better described as modal. 17   André Hodeir, Since Debussy: A View of Contemporary Music, trans. Noel Burch (London, 1961). Hodeir considers the career, early writings and musical language of Messiaen. Intermittently complimentary, this essay nevertheless concludes with a scathing assessment under the heading ‘Messiaen’s Downfall: Form’.

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… [N]o more forceful assertion of the tonal principle was ever devised … A composer who has come to realize that this basic element is ‘obsolete,’ and yet at the same time tries to reinstate concomitant elements (such as the terminal development), is merely endorsing the creation of a bastard form.18

Hodeir does not take into consideration the fact that Messiaen chose to construct a number of alternative versions of sonata form, at least to a certain extent. For example, the fifth movement of the Turangalîla-symphonie (‘Joie du sang des étoiles’) conforms to many of the traditional requirements of sonata form, even aspects of tonal layout (although Messiaen’s musical language precludes the appearance of modulations): an exposition in D major, development in E major, recapitulation in D major and a coda in the same key.19 While it may be argued that this movement does not fulfil the thematic elements of the textbook form, Messiaen still adheres to the tonal plan on which Hodeir places such emphasis. And mention has already been made of the final Regard, which contains a reversal of the standard ordering of the exposition and development. Messiaen was not alone in his ‘creation of a bastard form’, and indeed was certainly not the first to fly in the face of some of the fundamental precepts of traditional sonata form. An examination of the forms employed by one of the composers often analysed in his classes – Alban Berg – provides an alternative viewpoint on the manipulation of sonata structure. Although Berg’s first composition, the Piano Sonata, contains the traditional sectional components of the form, his decision to dispense with the development in works such as the first movement of the Lyric Suite is a more radical departure, only tenuously connected to the tradition of sonatina form. Parameters other than theme and key progressively assume a greater role in articulating large-scale form, and David Headlam has observed the prominent role of tempo in formal design in Berg.20 Douglas Jarman has also commented on Berg’s use of rhythmic elements to define structure, and parallels may be drawn with the identification of form through the use of rhythmic technique in Messiaen.21 Table 9.3 shows a slightly amended version of Jarman’s comments on the Chamber Concerto (the ‘exposition’ label is taken from Mosco Carner22), aligned with a comparably ambitious formal structure in Messiaen’s ‘Joie du sang des étoiles’.

  Hodeir, Since Debussy, p. 115.   It should be noted that Messiaen was often very free with his use of terminology,

18 19

and although the movement is rooted in D major his modal methods substitute for the hierarchy of tonal harmony. 20   David Headlam, The Music of Alban Berg (New Haven, 1996), p. 23. 21   Douglas Jarman, The Music of Alban Berg (London, 1979), pp. 152–3. 22   Mosco Carner, Alban Berg: The Man and the Work (London: Duckworth, 1975), p. 135.

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Table 9.3  Technical procedures as formal determinants in selected movements by Berg and Messiaen Berg: Chamber Concerto ‘Rondo ritmico’ (from Jarman, The Music of Alban Berg, p. 154) Bar numbers

Rhythmic treatment

Formal function

481–534

Hauptrhythmus

Introduction

534–539

Main rhythm

Theme

540–549

Hauptrhythmus (+ Transition fragmentary subsidiary)

550–570

Subsidiary rhythm (+Hauptrhythmus)

Episode

571–590

Main rhythm (+Hauptrhythmus)

Return of Theme

591–601

Main rhythm (modified) Transition

602–629

Subsidiary rhythm (+ modified Hauptrhythmus and main)

631–662

Hauptrhythmus (retrograde and varied)

663–684

Hauptrhythmus (retrograde with main)

685–696

Hauptrhythmus (original and retrograde)

696–709

Juxtaposition of passages from previous movement of Chamber Concerto

710b–737

Main rhythm

Coda

737–785

Hauptrhythmus and main

Stretta

Return of Episode

                  

Exposition

            

Development

Form

127

Messiaen: Turangalîla-symphonie ‘Joie du sang des étoiles’ Page/bar numbers

Rhythmic/harmonic treatment

Formal function

Start–187/9

Presentation of main theme

Exposition

188/1–196/8

Personnages rythmiques, mélodiques and harmoniques Theme of the refrain combined with personnages mélodiques

197/1–199/10 200/1–202/8

Transitional passage

203/1–211/3

Retrograde reprise of the personnages rythmiques, mélodiques and harmoniques

211/4–214/4

Theme of the refrain combined with personnages mélodiques Development of the second couplet

214/5–222/7

                

223/1–234/4

Theme of the refrain combined with personnages mélodiques

Recapitulation

234/5–end

Reprise of elements of the main theme

Coda

Development

Although Messiaen adds harmonic elements to his rhythmic procedures, the relationship between technique and form shows striking similarities. Three of the categories identified in Table 9.2 – sectional, superposition and single technique – generally rely on rhythms or rhythmic procedures to produce the final form. Indeed, in most cases of superposition and single technique, the rhythmic procedure is the form. Messiaen’s experimentation with form is a continuation of the attitudes of many other composers of the first half of the twentieth century. As he explored a wide range of repertoire in his analysis classes in Paris from the early 1940s, elements of those attitudes and the resulting designs must have impacted on his thinking to some degree. Although Messiaen’s writings rarely cover the formal

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aspect of his musical influences, there is substantial evidence of his thoughts in this area with regard to the music of Debussy and Ravel. In La mer, Messiaen identifies both sectional and sonata forms, and, as section 5.1 has demonstrated, his views occasionally disagree with the approach of other analysts (not surprisingly given the intense debate surrounding Debussy’s forms). Debussy’s innovatory ‘dissolution of formal boundaries in favour of a vague openness’23 evidently impacted theoretically on one of his greatest admirers. In many of the hypothetical models in Table 9.2, the formal boundaries reflect Debussy’s fluidity, and from Messiaen’s perspective some of the designs are not always markedly dissimilar. Before leaving Debussy, mention should be made of Roy Howat’s analyses linking form and proportion.24 Howat mentions that Messiaen denied the presence of the Golden Section (GS) in his music to Roger Nichols, but nevertheless claims that: ‘It might make an interesting project to investigate whether Messiaen’s music nonetheless reveals any intuited GS patterns’.25 While such a study would be beyond the scope of the present chapter, neither GS nor other proportional patterns, other than those dictated by techniques, appear to be present in Messiaen’s music. This is not especially startling, as even within more traditional models Messiaen’s formal boundaries are often governed by the playing out of predestined ideas, or by a decision randomly to terminate theoretically infinite notions. Isolated or small-scale proportional patterns may possibly be observed, but such occurrences are more likely to be dictated by chance than by compositional choices. Simon Trezise points out that in the first movement of La mer: ‘the formal pattern that these clearly differentiated sections produce, ABCDE [!] [identical to the ‘sectional form’ in Table 9.2], does not remotely recall a textbook norm.’26 Of course, a number of the models in Table 9.2 are established forms and, despite Messiaen’s manipulations, their general characteristics are retained. Messiaen’s general attitude towards form in Stravinsky is extremely difficult to assess given his reluctance to comment on the subject. In his survey of The Rite of Spring, André Boucourechliev comments on the discontinuity in the work’s design, and the lack of traditional formal elements. He goes on to identify how Stravinsky achieves unity in sectional form through the employment of technical procedures.27 With the exception of tonal melodies, these observations have numerous resonances with the works covered in Table 9.2, irrespective of their formal grouping, and such a refined analyst as Messiaen would surely have been aware of these features in Stravinsky’s work, whether or not they were discussed in his own analytical presentations. Even in Messiaen’s detailed analysis of The Rite of Spring comments on large-scale structure are absent, but for two of the models – alternate and sectional – the Stravinsky of the Symphonies of Wind Instruments     25   26   27   23

24

Trezise, Debussy, ‘La mer’, p. 52. Howat, Debussy in Proportion. Howat, Debussy in Proportion, p. 187. Trezise, Debussy, ‘La mer’, p. 52. André Boucourechliev, Stravinsky (London: 1988), p. 73.

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is the obvious reference point. Much has been made, in Louis Andriessen’s terminology,28 of the ‘montage technique’ of the Stravinsky work, and there are both parallels and important differences when comparisons are made with Messiaen. The Stravinskian elements of lack of development and a paucity of material are directly comparable with the Messiaen ‘alternate’ model. However, Messiaen’s ‘sectional form’ is in general more complex than that of the Symphonies of Wind Instruments thanks to its integration of motivic/rhythmic/harmonic development (albeit not in a strictly traditional sense) and an increased quantity of ideas. The sectional forms employed in Catalogue d’oiseaux (and other works based entirely on birdsong) achieve a sense of growth more through Messiaen’s chronological representation of natural events than through purely musical means. The Messiaen models that most obviously defy direct association with previous composers are those of ‘superposition’ and ‘single technique’. These are admittedly not highly sophisticated terms, but they nevertheless accurately label the movements in question. Both models may have been prompted by the music studied by Messiaen in his classes. The well-known instance of superposition in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (the ‘Procession of the Sage’) has similarities, but on this occasion the superposition is confined to a relatively brief passage and fails to play a large-scale structural role. ‘Single technique’ form may be compared on a conceptual level with devices such as canon and fugue, in that the playing out of a theoretical process is the governing factor, although the subtleties of fugal writing are absent from Messiaen’s rather obviously constructed ‘single technique’ movements. An uneasy relationship between inherited form and innovative technique can still be identified in the work of Messiaen’s own pupils and successors. Of course many twentieth-century composers (particularly those steeped in the French tradition) adapted sonata form for their own purposes, in much the same way as the Romantics had done a century earlier. But it is striking to see such adaptations in the work of avant-gardists such as Boulez. His Second Piano Sonata is a case in point. Its serial basis precludes the kind of tonal plan emphasised by Hodeir. According to Dominique Jameux, the first movement does include an exposition, development and recapitulation, but contains a conflict between serialism and the tonal element of sonata form.29 Boulez may retain the framework of sonata form in the movement, but the thematic and tonal requirements are not fulfilled, and he has a preference for cellular rather than motivic development. Even though a development section is present, Boulez develops new material rather than that of the exposition. There is fluidity in Boulez’s sonata design, and the sonata form landmarks are far from immediately apparent.

  Louis Andriessen and Elmer Schönberger, The Apollonian Clockwork (Oxford, 1989), pp. 160–64. 29   Dominique Jameux, Pierre Boulez, trans. Susan Bradshaw (Cambridge, 1991), p. 241. Charles Rosen also observes sonata elements in the same movement in William Glock (ed.), Pierre Boulez: A Symposium (London, 1986), p. 91. 28

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Boulez appears to be rather ambivalent about Messiaen as a composer, as he has been willing to engage with certain of his works while completely disregarding others, without any obvious rationale. Despite his vehement criticism of Messiaen’s Turangalîla-symphonie, and his apparently scathing assessment of his teacher in general – ‘he does not compose – he juxtaposes’30 – Boulez has expressed his interest in a range of Messiaen’s works from the 1930s to 1980s, both in print and as a conductor.31 Of the works he has conducted and recorded, the majority fall into the ‘sectional form’ category, the most notable exceptions being Sept haïkaï and Des canyons aux étoiles. Although the forms located in Messiaen’s own music are unlikely to have influenced Boulez directly, the insights given by Messiaen into the music of Debussy, Stravinsky and Berg, among others, undoubtedly played a role in prompting Boulez’s formal researches. In particular Messiaen’s analytical classes of the 1940s surely had a bearing on Boulez’s willingness to manipulate sonata form and adapt it for his own purposes. It is interesting to note that Messiaen and Boulez both composed their last works adhering to sonata principles – ‘Joie du sang des étoiles’ and the Second Piano Sonata respectively – in 1948. The appearance in the following year of Messiaen’s ‘Mode de valeurs et d’intensités’ signalled a new direction for both composers, one in which sonata form did not have a role, and this work is significant in Messiaen’s output due to its lack of any discernible form outside its technical process. Hodeir’s withering assessment of Messiaen continues: In this domain [form], Messiaen has proven completely – and, I fear, definitively – impotent. For it soon becomes apparent that the most anachronistic aspect of Messiaen’s music is its ultra-static character.32

This criticism of the ‘ultra-static character’ of Messiaen’s music may be addressed by returning to the fifth movement of the Turangalîla-symphonie. Retention of sonata form elements in this movement allows Messiaen to create a semblance of momentum and a goal-directedness, achieved through a rhythmic and harmonic intensification of material dictated by sonata landmarks – a feature absent in many of his other structures. The combination of structure and technique produces a result far removed from a straightforward sense of stasis (see Table 9.3 for details). However, this movement is not representative of Messiaen’s output as a whole, and rather than rejecting Hodeir’s diagnosis it would perhaps be pertinent to question whether Hodeir is right to view stasis as a fatal defect. A sense of timelessness is   Boulez and Thevenin, Stocktakings From an Apprenticeship, p. 49.   See Boulez’s comments on Messiaen as an analyst in Boulez and Thevenin,

30 31

Stocktakings From an Apprenticeship (pp. 47–50), the fulsome tribute in Orientations (Pierre Boulez and Jean Jacques Nattiez, Orientations, trans. Martin Cooper (London, 1986), pp. 404–420), and his recordings for DG (445827-2, 453478-2), Erato (4509917062) and Montaigne (MO 782131). 32   Hodeir, Since Debussy, p. 114.

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often a declared aim of Messiaen’s work, as it is a musical reflection of the neverending nature of God.33 Even in pieces of a not overtly religious nature, a static element is often retained, and Hodeir possibly did not appreciate the theological connotations of stasis (he chose not to discuss the topic). The ‘two-element’ model identified in Table 9.2 (with its high degree of often undeveloped repetition) is undoubtedly one of Messiaen’s more limited designs. Issues may also be raised with ‘sectional’ form, and indeed this may be viewed as not being a formal category at all. As highlighted in the discussion of the Vingt regards and Turangalîla-symphonie above, sections of material are placed one after another with no obvious rationale. However, Messiaen was not the first to work in this way; the majority of the works of Varèse (whose music Messiaen greatly admired) are composed in a similarly sectional manner.34 Examining a work of Varèse that has only a limited amount of musical contrast, such as Ionisation, Chou Wen-chung takes an analytical approach in which texture and timbre are viewed as the motivating factors in essentially sectional form.35 This would occasionally be pertinent in Messiaen, for example in the first movement of the Turangalîla-symphonie, but sectional divisions in his music are more commonly identifiable by changes of technique or imagery. It is in the music of Iannis Xenakis that this type of sectionalised design based on texture, timbre and instrumentation is more fully exploited. In fact ‘sectional form’ exemplifies the interconnectedness of the hypothetical models. Two of the Vingt regards – numbers 10 and 11 – are in sectional form, but do not suffer from ‘disorder’. They have been placed in this category primarily due to their clearly defined sections, with each revolving around a distinct musical or non-musical concept. It would nevertheless also be plausible to place both pieces in the sonata form category, their internal organisation being as follows: ‘Regard de l’esprit de joie’ Exposition (Theme): 0–60/6 Transition (Theme of joy, Asymmetric augmentation): 60/7–63/10 Development (Hunting theme, Theme of joy, Theme of God, Theme of joy): 63/11–72/7 Recapitulation (Theme): 72/8–75/5 Coda: 75/6–end ‘Première communion de la Vierge’ Exposition (Theme of God, Quote): 0–79/1   This aspect of Messiaen’s work is discussed in Griffiths, Oliver Messiaen and the Music of Time, pp. 15–18. 34   Malcolm Macdonald comments on sectional forms in Varèse: Astronomer in Sound (London, 2003), p. 111. 35   Chou Wen-chung, Ionisation: The Function of Timbre in its Formal and Temporal Organization’, in Sherman Van Solkema (ed.), The New Worlds of Edgard Varèse: A Symposium (New York, 1979), pp. 27–74. 33

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Development (Variation of Theme of God, Harmonisation of D, Heartbeat): 79/2–83/2 Recapitulation (Theme of God): 83/3–83/6 Coda: 83/7–end Although these pieces operate within sonata landmarks, they are more compartmentalised than those placed in the sonata form category in Table 9.2 (for example, they do not have the same sense of continual development as ‘Joie du sang des étoiles’), so that the sectional label remains the more appropriate one. Form as such may have not been one of Messiaen’s principal areas of innovation or investigation, and it is certainly less significant to his aesthetic than the domains of rhythm and harmony. His relative avoidance of the topic makes it an under-explored area of his compositional thinking. However, as Table 9.2 has illustrated, it is possible to reduce the apparent ‘disorder’ of his formal procedures to ten favoured categories. Although there is a speculative element involved in this, these categories assist in producing a more rounded picture of Messiaen the composer, and in assessing the validity of structural criticisms. They also allow his myriad techniques to be viewed in a more orderly light. Messiaen’s handling of form shows his awareness of a variety of frameworks employed by his predecessors and an ability to integrate ‘traditional’ structures into his developing musical language. The marked concentration on his rhythmic and harmonic innovations in the literature to date may indeed mask the fact that his large-scale structural thinking was not comparably radical; but to level the kind of one-sided criticism penned by Hodeir is unjust (and not untypical of his liking for wild generalisation). Far from being Messiaen’s ‘downfall’, his use and manipulation of established structural designs was admirably suited to his artistic purpose, and as orderly as we should expect from such a self-aware ‘eminent technician … erudite and discerning analyst’.36

  Hodeir, Since Debussy, p. 114.

36

Chapter 10

Implementation of Analytical Methodology Although the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie affords a tremendous insight into the mechanisms of Messiaen’s music, the challenge presented to the analyst of Messiaen is how to progress beyond this finite resource and focus on any work with the same level of detail. The rhythmic element is by far the most straightforward to assess. If an added value is inserted into a pattern, a series of chromatic durations presented in order, or a rhythmic canon used to support other procedures, their presence is immediately apparent. More complex ideas such as personnages pose a greater challenge, but Messiaen generally adhered to the underlying principles of a technique (expansion, contraction and immobility in this case) so identification is reasonably feasible. However, the harmonic component of the music poses myriad problems. The major difficulty in understanding harmonies is the identification of Messiaen’s own chords, and without a definitive assessment by the composer himself this can be a daunting task. As noted in Chapter 8, pitch-class set labels offer a reasonably rapid means of identification if a chord is utilised in an unaltered way. For example, the first block chord in Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum occurring at 9/5 contains seven pitches giving 7-Z12: A, A#, B, D, E, G, G#

This reveals the chord to be a first chord of contracted resonance B, and reference to Messiaen’s tables in the Traité confirms this to be the seventh chord in the series (1CCR7B). Many harmonies are not as clear-cut as this example, and the analyst is required to investigate alternatives to obtain a result. An example from Réveil des oiseaux will serve as an illustration. At 12/5, there are two 8-6 sets: First set: A#, B, C, C#, D#, E, F, F Second set: A, A#, B, C, E, F, F#, G

The 8-6 set is a subset of 9-5, which indicates a connection with one of the seven-note chords. The first set proves to be a 1CCRA chord with the F added. Messiaen’s tables reveal this to be the tenth chord, so the result is 1CCR10A + F. Other transpositions may be considered but do not function: for example, if 1CCRA + B is tried no matches are possible. This set may also be viewed as a

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2CCRA + 2 chord, and in this case it is 2CCR1B + C# and F. Similarly, the second group is 1CCR4A + B and not a 1CCRA chord + F as again the latter is not a viable option, and 2CCRA + G and B is also possible. Familiarity with the shape and distribution of the chords in the tables also aids the analytical process. A set of 9-9 is located at 4/3 in ‘Le traquet stapazin’ (Catalogue d’oiseaux), which in pitch-class set terms bears no relation to a familiar component of Messiaen’s musical language. However, the fact that it is a 7-20 set with two added notes becomes clear if the distribution of the notes is compared to the table of chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note. The essential identity of the chord has been retained, and it may be recognised as 11D. This is a straightforward example of the importance of combining pitchclass labels with visual recognition, and this method assumes greater importance in more complex instances. The aim of the present chapter is the application of strategies outlined in previous chapters to produce analyses of works not discussed in fine detail by Messiaen. To demonstrate the veracity of this analytical approach, works from varied periods in Messiaen’s career will be examined: Quatuor pour la fin du temps (1940s) Cantéyodjayâ (‘Experimental period’) Réveil des oiseaux and ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ (birdsong) Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum (1960s) 10.1: Quatuor pour la fin du temps The Quatuor pour la fin du temps contains many of Messiaen’s mature harmonic and rhythmic techniques and is an important landmark in the development of his style given the early appearance of specific devices. The language of the quartet is rich and varied; by 1941 many of the ideas formulated during the formative stage of his career were functioning as fully fledged techniques that would remain part of his arsenal throughout a long career. Although Quatuor pour la fin du temps features heavily in The Technique of My Musical Language, a study of the harmonic aspect of the work through the use of pitch-class set analysis will reveal the fine detail of this seminal composition. Harmony If the techniques described in the previous chapter are utilised, the harmonic breakdown of the work shown in Table 10.1 may be obtained.

Implementation of Analytical Methodology

Table 10.1  Harmonic breakdown of Quatuor pour la fin du temps 1/1–3

CTI 5A-D with appoggiaturas

1/3ff.

Modes 2 and 3

7/1–7

1CCR1A+B and 2CCR1A+B

8/1–4

CTI 1A and 1B with appoggiatura and resonance

8/10

CTI 1A–D

9/1ff.

Mode 3

14/6

CTI 10A–D

15/1–12

Mode 2

15/17

CTI 9A arpeggiated

15/19

CTI 9D arpeggiated plus 2 added notes

16/1

Mode 3, CTI 9D, 7-Z36 – all arpeggiated

16/2–3

Mode 2

16/4ff.

Mode 3

16/19–20

Mode 2

17/1ff.

Mode 2 (Pople)*

17/15–16

CTI 11A arpeggiated

18/16–17

CTI 11A and CTI 9A arpeggiated

19/6–8

CTI 11B, 11D, 11A arpeggiated

23/1–4

Mode 3

23/5–6

Mode 2 (full)

24/5

1CCR7A arpeggiated

24/6

CTI 1A arpeggiated

33/7

Mode 2 (full)

34/7–8

Mode 1/3

36/1ff.

Mode 2

37/1–3

1CCR1A+B and 2CCR1A+B (as 7/1–7)

37/5–38/1

Polymodal (Modes 4, 6)

38/2–3

CTI 2A, 4A, 6A, 6D arpeggiated, with added and altered notes

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136 38/6–7

Mode 3 (as 9/1ff.)

39/1ff.

Mode 2 (as 36/1ff.)

40/4–5

2CCR1A+B (as 7/1–2)

40/5–7

Mode 3 (as 9/1ff.)

41/1–2

Mode 4 and 1CCR1A+B (as 7/7)

41/2–4

CTI 1B with appoggiatura (as 8/1–3)

41/4

CTI 1C and 1D

41/5ff.

Mode 3

43/2–3

Mode 2

44/1–4

Polymodality (as 37/5)

44/5

CTI 2A, 4A, 6A, 6D (as 38/2–3)

45/8ff.

Mode 3

47/1–49/2

Various major chords plus Mode 2

49/3–4

2CCR1A+B (as 7/1–2)

50/1ff.

Modes 2 and 3 (Pople)

*  Any information in this table taken from Anthony Pople’s Messiaen: Quatour pour la fin du temps (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998) is labelled.

The opening bars on the piano are germane: a chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note is presented in a complete form. It is the fifth chord from Messiaen’s table that progresses from its initial to concluding forms (A–D) and the example here reinforces the origins of the technique, namely as a series of resolved chords over a repeated bass note. The inclusion of harmonic resolution was an inherent part of the origins of this device, but as Messiaen’s career progressed this aspect was discarded in favour of the simplified form described in Appendix 1, A.2.9. Given the lack of evidence in the writings of Messiaen regarding details of the construction of his table of chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note (apart from the assertion that the idea stems from a dominant 9th chord1), the series of chords at 8/10 may lay claim to be the first complete citation of the origins of the technique in one of Messiaen’s major works. The chords selected here are 1A–D: the first series of the table in the seventh volume of the Traité. Comparison between these two instances of CTI chords and later examples in other works underlines how more fragmented the technique was to become. The ideas of resolution and employing the whole series in one passage gave way to more isolated harmonies   Tr3/86.

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drawn from various points in the complete table as given in the Traité and Appendix 1. The same technique also takes another form later in the quartet when, as Anthony Pople observes, CTI chords are presented in arpeggiated versions.2 The horizontal distribution of a vertical aggregate is not the most common usage of techniques in subsequent works, but it does bear the hallmarks of the modes of limited transposition that are regularly dispersed in such a manner. The chords of contracted resonance also make an early appearance in Messiaen’s music. The arpeggiated version at 24/5 (A, C, G, E, D, B, A) is almost hidden amongst the fast-moving unison of ‘Danse de la fureur, pour les sept trompettes’. This is the first chord of contracted resonance 7A (see Appendix 1, A.2.3), but whether it can be perceived as such is highly questionable. Uses of harmonic techniques such as this relate to the problem of perception of non-retrogradable rhythms and the Bergsonian theories of the human ability to be simultaneously aware of the past, present and future. Nevertheless, it is a prime example of the hidden constitutional subtleties in Messiaen that can easily be overlooked. The more prominent use of CCRs first materialises at 7/1–7 and becomes a kind of leitmotif in the work. The modes are (unsurprisingly given their dominance at this time) a prevalent feature of the quartet. Modes 2, 3 and 4 function both harmonically and melodically (these would remain the prevailing choices for the remainder of Messiaen’s career). There is less need for the pitch-class approach when analysing modal passages, as anyone familiar with such writing will recognise these harmonies both visually and aurally: piano chords especially have a certain distinctive texture and distribution of notes. The relative dearth of transpositions of the modes in relation to other devices also lessens the range of possibilities requiring consideration. Rhythm The works of the 1940s (until the start of the ‘Experimental period’) share many rhythmic features. The Quatuor has many of the characteristic devices of this decade: rhythmic pedals, non-retrogradable rhythms and typical combinations of Hindu Deçi-tâlas. Study of Messiaen’s analyses of contemporary works reveals how the rhythmic aspect of a work was constructed during this period, and all of the features in the quartet are present in subsequent works of the decade. As discussed in Chapter 6, the period up to the completion of the Turangalîlasymphonie in 1948 sees an increasingly developed exploration of the rhythmic domain, and the Quatuor pour la fin du temps stands at the start of this process. Messiaen mostly explains the rhythmic content in his unusually technical preface, and the identification of these techniques poses no new challenges.

  Pople, Quatour, p. 45.

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10.2: Cantéyodjayâ It is possible to apply such analytical methods to works whose technical basis is more complex and disparate. Cantéyodjayâ has less harmonic stability than many works, and its ever-changing structure poses greater interpretative challenges. Notwithstanding its experimental nature, Cantéyodjayâ employs most of Messiaen’s chordal resources in combination with passages of a much freer nature. Messiaen himself was less forthcoming about the inner workings of Cantéyodjayâ than many of his other works. What he might have said is that the composition marks an abrupt change of direction; the extravagance of his writing in the 1940s is dramatically jettisoned, and a more economical keyboard style appears. And soon after Cantéyodjayâ he would turn to the virtuosic birdsonginspired music of the 1950s. The piece is perhaps best known for its inclusion – for the first time in Messiaen’s music – of the notion of total serialism, and it may therefore be viewed as a precursor of the ‘Experimental period’ of 1949–51. But it is also a summary of his technical innovations to that date and a demonstration of Messiaen’s ability to compose an entirely satisfying (and pianistically rewarding) piece from an unprecedented amount of disparate elements. Cantéyodjayâ is thus strikingly transitional. Table 10.2 highlights the thematic, harmonic and rhythmic features of Cantéyodjayâ and their derivation from other Messiaen works (noting also Messe de la Pentecôte, a later composition which quotes from Cantéyodjayâ).3 The blank rows in the table indicate material with no apparent connection to Messiaen’s previous music. Only 53 bars out of the total of 347 fall into this category, which highlights the remarkably small amount of new ideas in Cantéyodjayâ. The following abbreviations are employed: LH/RH: Left/right hand 1/2CCR: First/second chord of contracted resonance T of C: ‘Theme of chords’4 CTI: Chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note 3/1–5: Page/bar numbers in published score. Where bold, this indicates the Cantéyodjayâ theme

  For discussions of the formal outline of Cantéyodjayâ see: Michèle Reverdy, L’œuvre pour piano d’Olivier Messiaen, pp. 60–65, Jonathan Cross, The Stravinsky Legacy (Cambridge, 1998), pp. 47–8, and my comments on them below. 4   The ‘Theme of chords’ is one of the cyclic themes employed in the Turangalîlasymphonie. It should not be confused with the theme of the same name in the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. 3

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Table 10.2  Thematic, harmonic and rhythmic allusions in Cantéyodjayâ Page/bar number 3/1–5 3/6–7 3/8–10 4/1–5 4/6–11 4/12 4/13 4/14–5/3 5/4–8 5/9–10 5/11–14

Theme

Harmony

11/9–12 11/13 11/14–15 11/16 12/1–2 12/3–5 12/6–13/3

Other

Turangalîla 265/1–3 Turangalîla 218/3–219/1 Rhythmic additions Added values Turangalîla 381/5 Turangalîla T of C Cinq rechants 2/9–3/2, 36/3–4

Lakskmîça (L.H.)

6/1–7/9 7/10–11 8/1–10/5 10/6–7 10/8 10/9–11/3 11/4 11/5–8

Rhythm

Total serialism

1CCR 7 Turangalîla 39/2–4 (+ resonance) Turning chord 8 Turning chord 8 Harawi 68/3 (+ resonance) Turangalîla 277/4–6 Turning chord 8 Hindu rhythms (Cinq rechants (Cinq rechants 39/6–41/3) 2/6–8), 10, 2CCR 7, 1CCR 1

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Page/bar number

Theme

13/4–14/7

Cinq rechants 22/1–2 (R.H.)

14/8–11 14/12–14 15/1–3 15/4–7

Cinq rechants 19/3–4

15/8–16/7 16/8–17/2 17/3–17

As 13/15–14/7

18/14–15

Turangalîla 39/2–3 (+ resonance)

19/1–3 19/4–5 19/6–10

21/8–9 21/10 21/11–22/1 22/2–5 22/6–8

Other

Chromatic durations in retrograde canon

Messe de la Pentecôte 17/4–6

Rhythmic Turangalîla T retrograde of C Vingt regards 44/8, 26/11, CTI 1A-C Chromatic durations

Turning chord 8 Derived from Cinq rechants 22/1–2 motif Turangalîla 62/2 Turning chord 8 Serialism: P, I, R, P6 Interversions* Canon (Cinq rechants 26/1–27/3)

19/11–20/6 20/7–12 20/13–21/6 21/7

Rhythm

Cadenza

18/1–13

18/16–19 18/20–21

Harmony

Turangalîla 99/1 (L.H.)

Harawi 44/13– 45/2 Turangalîla T of C Cadenza

Implementation of Analytical Methodology Page/bar number

Theme

Harmony

22/9–23/3

Cadenza Chromatic open fan (Cinq rechants 25/1–3)

25/1–6 25/7–26/5

27/9 27/10–11

Other

Rhythmic additions

23/4–24/4 24/5–27

26/6–8 26/9–27/4 27/5–8

Rhythm

141

Turangalîla T of C

Cinq rechants 2/9–3/2, 36/3–4 Mode 2 open fan

*  Messiaen devised various systems for the permutation of duration and pitch (see Tr3/321–3). On this occasion, melodic interversion is used; in other words, the order of a given sequence of four pitches is systematically permutated until the original sequence is regained.

The allusions detailed in Table 10.2 may be discussed under six main headings, in the spirit of Messiaen’s clear demarcation of parameters in his own writings: melody, harmony, adaptation of material and concepts, rhythm, other concepts, and large-scale organisation. Melody Self-quotation is a conspicuous component of Messiaen’s creative process in general, and it primarily takes the form of short (1–3 bar) melodic phrases and small-scale harmonic progressions. Occasionally, Messiaen acknowledges his borrowing in the score: the quotation of the 1935 organ work ‘La vierge et l’enfant’ (which resurfaces a number of times throughout his career) in the 11th of the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus is a case in point. However, the score of Cantéyodjayâ gives no indication of any borrowings. In Cantéyodjayâ the level of Messiaen’s recycling of ideas surpasses that in any of his other works, to such an extent that little completely original material is in evidence. All of the themes listed in Table 10.2 are taken from the ‘Tristan trilogy’: Harawi (1945), Turangalîla-symphonie (1948) and Cinq rechants (1949). The reproduced Turangalîla melodies originally appeared, with only one exception, on the orchestral strings or the solo piano. The first such example, at 3/8–10, replicates a Turangalîla violin figuration which, at first glance, plays a secondary

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role in the orchestral texture (the brass having the primary theme). However, part of the melody is a clear derivation from the contour of the main cyclic theme of Turangalîla: the ‘Statue theme’,5 and it therefore assumes greater significance. Despite this affinity, in Cantéyodjayâ Messiaen does not employ any of the melodic Turangalîla cyclic themes in their original, unaltered state. This passage highlights a feature that is present regardless of derivation: the melodies are always in the identical transposition (but not necessarily in the same register). It is probable that Messiaen consciously avoided reprising the more prominent and melodically distinctive themes of Turangalîla, so as not to draw too much attention to his methodology. The idea reproduced at 11/5–8 (and elsewhere in the piece) bears this out: instead of choosing the ‘first element’ of the second movement’s refrain (Turangalîla, 39/2–4), Messiaen instead selects its subsidiary theme, and turns it (via enharmonic equivalences and an irrational rhythm) into a recurring motif of Cantéyodjayâ. Again, the melodic shape of the ‘statue theme’ lies at its heart. The motifs formerly heard in Turangalîla on the piano all surface in Cantéyodjayâ untouched. It would seem that Messiaen felt little need for embellishment, as such ideas appear only once in fleeting, small-scale references. Beyond the identity of timbre, his reasoning behind the choice of piano motifs is far from clear, and the fragment at 19/3 is particularly perplexing. Two chords are selected from within a 12-chord progression in the second movement of Turangalîla, and inserted between other notable features (of which more below). Perhaps according to Messiaen’s idiosyncratic and inscrutable logic they make perfect sense, but no obvious structural or programmatic rationale presents itself. However, the two chords appear within a passage built on a fragmentation of melodic ideas and harmonic concepts, which is sandwiched between the rigorous devices of a retrograde canon of chromatic durations, serialism and interversions. This type of writing may represent Messiaen’s attempt to introduce a playful element, through a breakdown of the implacable technical sections that make up the bulk of Cantéyodjayâ. Parallels may also be drawn with the use of ‘free’ cadenzas to break up technical processes, particularly in the second half of the piece, as shown in Table 10.2. In Cantéyodjayâ at 5/11–14 Messiaen subtly adapts the first idea taken from the Cinq rechants (2/9–3/2: ‘l’explorateur Orphée trouve son cœur dans la mort’): the final two notes are raised by a semitone, dynamic variation is introduced, and an ‘added value’ (the dot applied to the initial note) is inserted. However, the main interest of this short passage is Messiaen’s decision to combine this melody with another Cinq rechants motif (36/3–4: ‘tes yeux voyagent’) that enters at 5/12 in the left hand. Even with the simultaneous deployment of unrelated motifs, however, the passage is still remarkably devoid of rhythmic interest. Another merger takes place at 13/4–14/7 in Cantéyodjayâ – this time between a borrowed motif (Cinq rechants 22/1–2: ‘pieuvre de lumière blesse’) and an established 5   For the composer’s own explanation of the cyclic themes in the Turangalîlasymphonie see Tr2/159–60.

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rhythmic device. Messiaen constructs a retrograde canon of chromatic durations (a procedure first seen in the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus), and a prominent Cinq rechants melody (performed in that work by the second and third sopranos) is integrated into the upper part of the canon. The melody resumes an octave lower at each repetition, before being curtailed by the completion of the canon. The lower part of the canon has a climbing chromatic idea unrelated to this melody. This passage is a succinct illustration of the transitional nature of Cantéyodjayâ: the expressive vocal melody combines with an austere rhythmic device typical of the ‘Experimental period’ approach. The most disguised of Messiaen’s thematic borrowings occurs after the first presentation of the ‘Cantéyodjayâ’ motif (3/6–7). The source is the seventh movement of the Turangalîla-symphonie (265/1–3), where the melody is dispersed across the orchestra in an attempt to create a ‘Klangfarbenmelodie’ effect, accompanied by multifarious figurations. In Cantéyodjayâ, Messiaen strips the melody of its accompaniment. Example 10.1 illustrates the melody: Example 10.1  Theme located at Cantéyodjayâ 3/6–7, derived from the Turangalîla-symphonie 265/1–3

The outline of the cyclic ‘Statue theme’ is once more observable here. Messiaen must surely have been aware of this connection, but whether he considered it as a unifying factor within the whole of Cantéyodjayâ is unclear. As themes are employed in such a way in Messiaen’s other works, it would seem highly likely that the ‘statue theme’ plays a similar role on this occasion. Harmony The harmonic aspect of Cantéyodjayâ typifies Messiaen’s change of direction. His works of the 1940s are dominated by the modes of limited transposition, but these rarely appear in Cantéyodjayâ (their only prominent use is in the final two bars). Instead, Messiaen chooses to reprise harmonic progressions of previous works and rely on procedures developed subsequent to his modes. The first instance of harmonic importation occurs at 5/4, where the Turangalîla-symphonie’s ‘Theme of chords’ is presented unadorned, before being extended with other established harmonies. The early appearance of this theme, following so soon after the melodies

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with allusions to the ‘statue theme’, confirms the prominence of Turangalîla in Messiaen’s borrowings. The passage at 17/3–17 has the thickest textures of the work, and combines both the old and new. From a rhythmic point of view, the section is a straightforward retrograde, but Messiaen chose not to retrograde his harmonies simultaneously and strictly. Chords taken from Turangalîla and the Vingt regards sur l’EnfantJésus (significantly dating from before the ‘Tristan trilogy’) form the major part of the progression.6 While the ‘Theme of chords’ from Turangalîla is splintered, a succession of paired chords seen in the Vingt regards (44/8) is presented intact at 17/6–7. Somewhat perversely, Messiaen retrogrades the Vingt regards progression in the forward part of the Cantéyodjayâ canon, and the quotation in its original direction appears in the rhythmic retrograde. An analogous example occurs at 21/11–22/1, the source being a harmonic ‘marche’ from Harawi. Soon after the Vingt regards harmonies are presented, Messiaen presents one of his then most recent innovations: a chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note. In Cantéyodjayâ, Chords 1A–C coincide with the rhythmic retrogradation at 17/11–12, and on this occasion the essence of the procedure is weakened – from the perceptual rather than the conceptual point of view – by the changes of register. The full series of the first chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note is illustrated in Appendix 1, A.2.9. Messiaen employs the chords merely as a harmonic resource with little regard for their true function (in his terms), as the omission of Chord D prevents a completion of the technique. A notion more suited for use as isolated harmonies is that of the chord of contracted resonance, as each ‘chord’ contains two aggregates, the first being an appoggiatura to the second. The lack of a need to complete a procedure of the type found in the chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note renders this technique more appropriate for Messiaen’s typical chordal outbursts. As discussed in previous chapters, there are two chords of contracted resonance (both of which can be transposed onto each scale degree – labelled 1 to 12). The first chord of contracted resonance No. 7, as seen at 11/4, is the transposition with an A bass note. In Messiaen’s table the following chords ascend by a semitone, so that here we see the first chord of contracted resonance at its seventh transposition.7 A recurring harmonic element of Cantéyodjayâ is the eighth of Messiaen’s turning chords. As with the chords of contracted resonance, turning chords are a series of pitch-aggregates – in this case three per ‘chord’ – which can be placed on any scale degree, producing 12 ‘chords’ in total. The turning chords were a relatively new component of Messiaen’s harmonic language around the time of Cantéyodjayâ’s composition, but the most prolonged instance of the technique in the piece is in fact an amalgamation of two passages (the harmonic element of one and 6   Pace Paul Griffiths, who excludes the Vingt regards from the category of works referenced in Cantéyodjayâ; Griffiths, Oliver Messiaen and the Music of Time, p. 145. 7   The tables of the chords of contracted resonance are given and the concept explained in Tr7/149–64.

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the rhythm of the other) in the Cinq rechants (composed just prior to Cantéyodjayâ in 1948). In the Cinq rechants (2/6–8), and consequently in Cantéyodjayâ (12/6ff.), the uppermost notes of the second and third chords are changed to G.8 Messiaen regularly employed upper or lower pedals at raucous moments in his music of the 1940s, so this slight adaptation of the original turning chord is not especially surprising. However, the technique (and in particular turning chord 8) may be observed in an unchanged state in Chronochromie (1960) and Sept haïkaï (1962).9 The idea is extended in Cantéyodjayâ through the introduction of turning chord 10 at 12/8, and chords of contracted resonance at 13/1. The rhythm based on Hindu Deçî-tâlas, with its distinctive low percussive interjections, is a quotation (both rhythmically and texturally) of the section in the Cinq rechants at 39/6–41/3. Adaptation of Material and Concepts In Cantéyodjayâ there are numerous links to Messiaen’s other works. Such occurrences may be illustrated through reference to the passages at 20/7–12 and 24/5–27. Parallels may be drawn between the Cinq rechants and both the canon and expanding ‘chromatic open fan’ (a label Messiaen would have surely employed) in Cantéyodjayâ. The canonic writing in the Cinq rechants, involving all of the 12 vocalists, is the most elaborate in Messiaen’s music until that point. It is a 12-part canon with the six uppermost voices stating the melody at descending intervals of a tone, before the procedure is reprised (an octave lower) by the remaining singers. The Cantéyodjayâ canon comprises six voices (a reprise akin to that of the 12-voice canon in Cinq rechants would be beyond the boundaries of realisation by a solo pianist), but the entries are more overlapped and there is less rigidity regarding pitch relationship. This passage also has textural and pianistic affinities with the imposing fugue of ‘Par Lui tout a été fait’ from Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. The climax of Cantéyodjayâ (25/1–26/5) is prepared by an expanding ‘chromatic open fan’, which is an extension of the procedure introduced at 25/1–3 in the Cinq rechants. While such fans can be observed in Messiaen’s writing of the 1940s (the final section of ‘Regard des anges’ from the Vingt regards is an obvious example), the ‘expanding’ nature of this fan, combined with its insistent chromaticism, texture and concurrent increasing dynamic, leaves little doubt as to its model. Rhythm According to Michèle Reverdy, Cantéyodjayâ should be studied essentially from a rhythmic perspective, ‘because it is a true rhythmic “catalogue”’.10 On the contrary, the rhythmic aspect of the work is less arresting in comparison to the elements highlighted above. Not only do the rhythmic devices in Cantéyodjayâ 8

  For details see section 7.11.   For details see Tr3/79–103 and Tr5ii/449–580. 10   Reverdy, L’œuvre pour piano d’Olivier Messiaen, p. 61. 9

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fail to surpass those seen in previous works, but also they may all be observed in the last major solo piano work composed prior to Cantéyodjayâ – Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus. Messiaen reprises his chosen rhythmic procedures without any attempt at alteration or combination. Other Features Perhaps the most famous section in Cantéyodjayâ is that based on the notion of total serialism – the application of serial laws to pitch, duration and dynamics. It acted as a precursor for the technique employed in the piano study ‘Mode de valeurs et d’intensités’. The essential components of total serialism appear in Cantéyodjayâ, and the only extension of any significance in ‘Mode de valeurs’ is the integration of the parameter of attack into the concept. Messiaen’s procedure is essentially random from the point of view of ordering, although Paul Griffiths has observed possible small-scale ordered sequences.11 Much has been written on this concept, and its impact on Messiaen’s pupils (particularly Boulez and Stockhausen), so any further comment here would be superfluous. As noted in Chapter 8, strict serialism does not appear in Messiaen’s work before Cantéyodjayâ, but it does feature in his compositions of the early 1950s.12 Livre d’orgue contains examples of (not especially sophisticated) serial writing, and Messiaen usually combines serial procedures with his own previously established technical ideas. He professed his admiration for the Second Viennese School (particularly Webern), and his thoughts on the topic, including an explanation of the laws of serialism, are set out in the Traité.13 The five bars of Cantéyodjayâ at 19/6–10 are more significant for the insight they afford into Messiaen’s engagement with fundamental serial principles, rather than for their role in this particular piece. The importance of the section lies in Messiaen’s use of strict serialism, and, notwithstanding his comments to Samuel, in a possible reference to Schoenberg. The serialism at 19/6–10 is detailed in Table 10.3. Table 10.3  Serialism in Cantéyodjayâ at 19/6–10 19/6

P-0

19/7

I-0

19/8 (plus F# of 19/9)

R-1

19/9–10

P-6

11

  Griffiths, Oliver Messiaen and the Music of Time, pp. 145–7.   Allen Forte’s article ‘Olivier Messiaen as Serialist’, Music Analysis, 21/1 (2002) discusses the important features of the early 1950s, but does not mention the serialism in Cantéyodjayâ. 13  Tr7/45–6. 12

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As the table shows, Messiaen states the prime form of his 12-note row at the outset, before presenting its inversion, retrograde and prime form at the sixth scale degree. The relatively rigorous nature of this serial writing is extremely unusual in Messiaen’s output, and had certainly not appeared prior to Cantéyodjayâ. The passage is even more intriguing when comparisons are made with Schoenberg’s Suite for Piano op. 25. As the first all-12-note work, Schoenberg’s op. 25 has been much pored over, and its opening bars were well known in Parisian musical circles by the time of Cantéyodjayâ’s composition. They are discussed in detail by Messiaen’s ‘rival’ René Leibowitz in the latter’s Introduction à la musique de douze sons of 1949 – a product of the pioneering classes given by the author in Paris during the preceding decade (attended by Boulez amongst others).14 The most striking similarities between Cantéyodjayâ and Schoenberg’s Suite for Piano are the appearance of the row forms P-0 and P-6, the initial use of the pitch classes E and F, and the pervasive intervals of the semitone, tritone and minor 3rd. It is impossible to verify whether the apparent connection was conscious on Messiaen’s part, but the compositions and theories of Schoenberg (and the Second Viennese School as a whole) featured regularly in Messiaen’s analysis classes at the Paris Conservatoire, and Messiaen was fully cognisant of the intricacies of serial working.15 Large-Scale Organisation The reasoning behind the structural disposition and function of elements in Messiaen’s music is in general an extremely challenging issue, and by no means confined to Cantéyodjayâ. Unless employing structural designs with clearly defined features, such as sonata form (in a highly schematic guise), Messiaen’s thinking is difficult to comprehend. Even his many writings and interviews shed very little light on the arrangement of material within a composition (other than when dictated by programmatic impulses). Both Reverdy and Jonathan Cross have addressed the organisation of material in Cantéyodjayâ.16 They largely agree, as Messiaen’s own labels in the score are the basis of their discussion, but such an approach has limitations. Reverdy views the work as one rondo within another, while Cross provides a tabulation of the work and observes:

  René Leibowitz, Introduction à la musique de douze sons: les Variations pour orchestre, op.31 d’Arnold Schoenberg (Paris, 1949), pp. 88–90. 15   For details of the works discussed in Messiaen’s classes see: Jean Boivin, La classe de Messiaen (Paris, 1995). 16   Reverdy, L’œuvre pour piano d’Olivier Messiaen, p. 61; Cross, The Stravinsky Legacy, pp. 47–8. 14

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Cantéyodjayâ has an unusual structure made up of both fixed and free repetitions … The overall structure, while determined by cyclic verse-refrain repetitions, seems amorphous and inconclusive.17

An over-reliance on Messiaen’s whimsical and impenetrable labels lies at the heart of their discussions, and a failure to account for all of the material in the work, and the relationship between the labelled sections, weakens their results. In many cases the omitted sections are technically significant, and this highlights the shortcomings of Reverdy’s overall rondo design. Once all of Cantéyodjayâ’s material is taken into account (as in Table 10.2), the work presents itself as an alternation of myriad ideas that cannot be conveniently pigeonholed as a rondo (even allowing for the rather permissive attitude towards traditional terminology required when dealing with Messiaen). While Reverdy’s ‘first rondo’ [0–10/8] does admittedly adhere to rondo principles, the second, larger ‘rondo’ [10/9–27/11] shows precious few traces of the form (Cross’s table succinctly highlights this18). The problem of relying on Messiaen’s score labels may be demonstrated by comparing them with the musical material they represent. For example, at its first appearance at 5/4, Râgarhanakî consists of the ‘Theme of chords’ allied to a simple rhythmic procedure. It is reprised at 25/8 with the addition of a low percussive interjection. However, Potançiagourou at 22/2 is essentially the same idea of the ‘Theme of chords’ plus an interjection. This introduces an element of overall unity, but an analysis based on Messiaen’s labels enforces division rather than association: if the passages at 3/6 and 4/6 are both to be labelled ‘B’ (cf. Cross’s Fig. 2.3) due to their textural relationship (despite the lack of any thematic or technical affiliation), then the above-mentioned passages built on the ‘Theme of chords’ must be regarded in the same way due to their stronger similarities, despite Messiaen’s divergent quasi-Sanskrit labels. In many ways, Cantéyodjayâ is Messiaen’s most misunderstood and least appreciated work. An unwarranted focus on its rhythmic features – none of them unprecedented in his output – has diverted attention from the more fascinating elements of the work, and it is mystifying that Messiaen felt that ‘the interest of this work lies in its rhythmic novelties’,19 since there are none. His decision to omit Cantéyodjayâ from his Traité leaves a noteworthy gap in his analyses (of works dating from 1943 to 1962). While it may be argued that the Cinq rechants (the other significant work from this period not to feature) are also not discussed in any depth, Messiaen does at least make the influence of Claude Le Jeune’s Le printemps on that work clear, and once the Cinq rechants are considered in the light of Messiaen’s analysis of Le printemps20 a similar treatment of his own a cappella masterpiece would be superfluous. However, Cantéyodjayâ is far     19   20   17 18

Cross, The Stravinsky Legacy, pp. 47–8. Ibid., p. 48. Booklet note to Erato OME 1. Tr1/183–232.

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more labyrinthine, and the composer’s detailed thoughts on it would have been extremely illuminating. A caveat must be inserted here. Even the more comprehensive of Messiaen’s analyses (such as those of the Turangalîla-symphonie and the Sept haïkaï) leave a plethora of unanswered questions, and some works are given somewhat fitful coverage. Messiaen was always happy to demonstrate the technology behind a piece, but he was not so forthcoming when explaining the rationale for deploying that technology. The issue of self-quotation has been addressed by many authors with reference to numerous composers, but no parallels may be found between Messiaen and the work of other composers. Whether self-quotation is a reworking of youthful ideas, as in Berg, or a method of symbolising biographical events or feelings, as in Richard Strauss, any deep similarities with Messiaen’s self-quotation are non-existent. In the seven volumes of his Traité Messiaen points out a self-reference countless times, but a rationale is never supplied. If there was such a rationale behind his choice of quotations and he decided not to reveal it, this would be strangely at odds with his approach throughout his two treatises whose complete candour is such a refreshing trait. It would seem that juxtaposition is the prime motivation behind the ordering of material in Cantéyodjayâ. Whether a quotation comes from the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus or the Cinq rechants is seemingly of little importance, so long as small-scale contrast is achieved (parallels may be drawn with Messiaen’s arrangement of various types of birdsong in his music of the 1950s). As highlighted above, the very thing that Cantéyodjayâ lacks is ‘rhythmic novelties’, and the only real significance of its rhythmic devices is the way in which they ally with aesthetically dissimilar melodic or harmonic ideas. The lack of advancement beyond the rhythmic language of the Vingt regards is surely in part due to the physical limitations of a single performer, and also to the fact that Messiaen’s rhythmic innovation had already reached its peak in the Turangalîlasymphonie of 1948. The harmonic thinking of Cantéyodjayâ succinctly demonstrates the ushering in of a new direction in Messiaen’s career. The abandonment of the uniquely modal framework on which his compositions to that date had been built could hardly have been more dramatic, and the ramifications of this decision are observable in the decade following Cantéyodjayâ and beyond. All of the idiosyncratic harmonic devices proposed in Messiaen’s theoretical writings are already present in Cantéyodjayâ, with the single exception of the rarely employed chords of total chromaticism (which do not materialise until the late 1960s). Messiaen’s ‘collage’21 may seem a disparate collection of ideas and motifs, but the rigorous approach to composition seen elsewhere in his output is still present, albeit perhaps to a lesser degree. In Cantéyodjayâ Messiaen gave himself licence for experimentation and for the introduction of a previously uncharacteristic freedom, whilst retaining the core technical features of his language. In this respect   Griffiths, Oliver Messiaen and the Music of Time, p. 148.

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the piece occupies a position as a pivot in Messiaen’s career, leading from the monumental achievements of the 1940s to the ‘Experimental period’ (1949–51) through to the works of the 1960s. 10.3: Réveil des oiseaux Réveil des oiseaux is a product of the increasingly assiduous research undertaken by Messiaen under the guidance of ornithologist acquaintances. While birdsong had been a recurring feature of the compositions up to the late 1940s, it is more of an impression up to this point rather than an accurate transcription. By the early 1950s, birdsong becomes an integral component of compositions and in the case of Réveil des oiseaux it is the only element. Messiaen revealed in conversation with Claude Samuel his ability to identify many species of European bird by their individual song.22 For any listener who believes birdsong to be fundamentally one homogeneous entity and doubts the varied nature of songs in Messiaen’s work, the composer’s passion and enthusiasm backed up by his aural acuity should suffice to convince them otherwise. Melody, Rhythm and Form In stark contrast to Cantéyodjayâ, the formal, rhythmic and melodic aspects of Réveil des oiseaux are dictated by nature, and Messiaen’s decision-making input is minimal. For example, the structure is governed by the passing hours of the day (this was to become a staple element of the period dominated by birdsong) and the work proceeds according to habits of the featured birds. It is possible to propose a formal outline, but this would reveal very little, as it would be entirely based on the changes of bird and the times of day. Similarly, the sole melodic content of the work is the array of birdsong, and Messiaen’s choices were again governed by nature. A lack of rhythmic procedures is indicative of the clear change of direction after the experimentation of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The emphasis on technical research is emphatically discarded and the natural rhythms of the birds take the place of Messiaen’s highly developed concepts. Given the attainment of a rhythmic pinnacle by the time of the Turangalîla-symphonie, a reliance on the innate rhythms of the birds is perhaps a logical next step. Harmony Due to the highly focused nature of their source material, works based primarily on birdsong tend to employ fewer harmonic resources. This is especially the case with orchestral pieces of the 1950s in which Messiaen creates complex strands of songs. As has been noted in the discussion of La fauvette des jardins in section   Messiaen and Samuel, Music and Color, pp. 86–7.

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4.1, chords form an integral part of the texture when birdsong is translated to the piano but the increased intricacy offered by orchestral players results in fewer block chords. The harmonic resources in a work such as Réveil des oiseaux are consequently more slender, but they nevertheless exhibit a kinship with other compositions, as illustrated by Table 10.4. Table 10.4  Harmonic features of Réveil des oiseaux 3/13–14

9-5

4/9–11

8-6(12) (1CCRA+1)

5/1–2

11-1

11/10–11

Total chromaticism

12/3

8-6(12) (1CCRA+1)

12/5–13/4

8-6(12) (1CCRA+1)

18/2–19/1

8-6(12) (1CCRA+1)

19/2–28/2

8-6(12) (1CCRA+1) Mode 3

29/1–30/2

8-6(12) (1CCRA+1)

32/1–2

Mode 3

33/1–41/2

8-6(12) (1CCRA+1) Mode 3

47/1

8-6(12) (1CCRA+1)

47/2–49/1

9-8

54/3–55/2

8-6(12) (1CCRA+1) Mode 3

The 9-5 set appears early on as a trilled string chord and one of its subsets – 8-6 – dominates the work. On every occasion the manifestation of 8-6 can be expressed as a first chord of contracted resonance with an added note. The chords performed by the oboes, clarinets, trumpets, violins and violas starting at 12/5 are, as discussed above, 8-6 giving the Messiaen chord 1CCR10A with F. A continuation of this methodology reveals the emergence of a consistent pattern in the texture of this passage: the added note is always the uppermost note of the violas. An ability to identify chords with their added notes is a vital element of Messiaen analysis given his fondness for this device, and allows the analyst to be a step closer to fully understanding any given work. Réveil des oiseaux is entirely typical of the orchestral pieces whose only focus is birdsong. The paucity of harmonic material is a natural result of the shift

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towards intricacy and fidelity to the natural world. It is, in many ways, an extreme approach towards composition, and one which would be repeated only on certain occasions in Messiaen’s orchestral music (such as the sixth tableau of St François d’Assise). The application of the pitch-class set-based analytical method reveals an underlying unity evident in the harmonies and demonstrates that the imprint of Messiaen’s language is present even in works so lacking in chordal structures. 10.4: ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ (Catalogue d’oiseaux) Messiaen’s harmonies are integrated more fully into a piece such as ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ than Réveil des oiseaux, as birdsong and chords intertwine rather than dividing into primary and supporting roles. Representations of the birds and landscape are, for the most part, based on the harmonic resources encountered thus far. The opening section (en montant vers le glacier de la Meidje) deploys the two types of 12-1 set: the first bar of the work has no repetitions until the full chromatic total has been encountered, and this is succeeded by a 12-1 set with repeats: Set 1 (1/1–2): E, F#, B, B, A, F, A, E, G, D, D, C Set 2 (1/2–3): A, E, A, B, B, F, E, F#, G, D, A, A, C, D, E

The entire section (1/1–2/10) continues along the same lines. Representation of similarly stark features (chaos de blocs écroulés du Clapier Saint Christophe) at 4/10 favours the 12-note row, and the start of the passage has four-note chords grouped into threes to give 12-1. These examples show Messiaen using the chromatic total in a quasi-serial way, but his use of the same set as a resource from which to draw freely may be observed in certain of his transcriptions of flight. This methodology has already been noted with reference to ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ in Chapter 8.1, and the ascents of the golden eagle at 2/20 and 7/7 as well as the flight of the choughs at 4/8 also have all 12 pitches in an unordered sequence with numerous repetitions. However, later flights of the chough utilise 12-note rows. At 8/13, an initial figure with repeated notes is followed by four 12-1 sets without any pitch repetition. The sets are divided between the two hands. Messiaen varies the distribution in the next flight at 9/17 by allocating a row (or 11-1 set) to each hand, so that rows start and end concurrently, as shown by Table 10.5. Table 10.5  12- and 11-note rows at 8/13 and 9/17 in ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ 8/13: RH LH

12-1

12-1

12-1

12-1

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9/17: RH LH

12-1 12-1

12-1 12-1

11-1 12-1

11-1 11-1

12-1 12-1

12-1 12-1

Both passages are clearly modelled on serial working, and while the rows at 8/13 are without technical blemish the 9/17 instances have typical Messiaen alterations – the 11-1 sets destroy the theoretical purity. This would be the case if analysis of these bars was conducted within the standard strict serial aesthetic. However, the 11-note sets should be viewed within the more liberal parameters required for Messiaen analysis. Given his often-relaxed attitude towards established theories, these 11-1 sets could very plausibly be viewed as a complete row with a note missing. Such a viewpoint is unsatisfactory for standard analytical approaches, but the key to understanding Messiaen’s music is a comprehension of his thought-processes and attitudes. Given the evidence of his numerous comments on situations with similar technical discrepancies, he would quite happily perceive the entire section at 9/17 as serial (although whether he would be content to admit to it is another matter).23 There is one compositional element whose presence in birdsong hinders or impedes accurate analysis: Messiaen’s invention of ‘badly doubling’ a melodic line. As pointed out in section 4.1, if a song is ‘badly doubled’ there is an absence of strict (or even fairly strict) methodology. Pitch choice plays a secondary role to effect in such passages, and replication of timbre is the priority. The application of analytical methods on these occasions proves a futile task; the resultant harmonies are entirely random. ‘Le chocard des Alpes’ illustrates the careful choices required to interpret and analyse a Messiaen birdsong work. The 12-note passages are relatively straightforward to comprehend, but smothering the score under a uniform approach to analysis would be inappropriate and the results would bear no relation to a Messiaen analysis. The presence of ‘badly doubled’ passages demonstrates the need for an appreciation of when to analyse in detail and when knowledge of the composer’s manner of working points to a preferable alternative assessment: if a bird’s song is treated this way Messiaen is working intervallically rather than harmonically. 10.5: Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum At the time of the composition of Et exspecto, Messiaen had passed through arguably the two most distinctive periods of his career: the period of experimentation starting in the late 1940s and the birdsong-based works of the 1950s. While innovations such as total serialism are set aside, the technical language in Et exspecto builds on the continual developments seen until the time of its composition in 1964. 23   It is interesting that Michèle Reverdy believes there to be an absence of serialism in the piece (L’œuvre pour piano d’Olivier Messiaen, p. 73).

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It is the harmonies that offer the analytical challenge and if the methods outlined in previous chapters are applied the summary in Table 10.6 may be proposed. Table 10.6  Harmonic summary of Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum 8/1–9/4

11-1

9/5–12/8

1CCR, CTI, E major

13/1–15/2

Total chromaticism

17/3

Mode 3

19/3–22/2

Modes

24/3–28/2

Modes

29/3–7

Mode 4

32/1–4

CCR, CTI, TC (all altered)

32/4–33/7

Mode 4

34/1–9

Modes

35/10–12

TC+1 added note

37/1–40/3

CCR, TC Mode 3, mode 4 11-1 Total chromaticism

41/1–4

TC+1 added note

44/4–13

Mode 4

45/1–46/2

Mode 4 with resonance

46/3–52/3

CCR, TC, CTI

52/7–11

Mode 4

53/1–64/3

CTI, CCR, TC

65/1–75/4

Mode 4 CCR, CTI

81/1–91/3

CCR, TC, CTI

This summary will form the basis of the following more detailed analysis. 1: ‘Des profondeurs de l’abîme, je crie vers toi, Seigneur: Seigneur, écoute ma voix !’ 8–9/4: Monodic theme The monodic melody in the style of plainchant employs an 11-note set: the chord of total chromaticism minus D#. The theme’s three phrases divide as follows: first phrase 8/1–5, first phrase repeated 8/6–10, second phrase 9/1–4.

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9/5–9: First phrase of opening theme The theme restarts harmonised by the first chord of contracted resonance (all in the B form), chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note and a typical major chord with an added 6th. The first phrase (9/5–9) unfolds as shown in Table 10.7. Table 10.7  Chordal analysis of 9/5–9/9 of Et exspecto Bar

9/5

9/6

9/7

9/8

9/9

Chord 1CCR7B 1CCR1B, CTI 7C CTI 9A, 1CCR12B CTI 12C E major +6 +F +C

The orchestration of these bars reveals an interesting relationship with the source tables in the seventh volume of the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie. The CCRs and CTIs all retain their bass notes (the bass has the opening theme), which is significant given the central role of the bass note in the latter technique (at least in theoretical terms). The chords appear here as isolated colorations of the melodic line with no connection to their technical function as expounded by Messiaen (see the ‘Lake music’ in La fauvette des jardins for CTI chords functioning in their complete form). Both the chords of contracted resonance and chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note would appear to have been chosen with their root in mind. The phrase terminates with an altered E major plus added sixth. The E major chord has a B as its bass note that would suggest a second inversion, but whether Messiaen viewed his harmonies in these terms is debatable.24 His relaxed attitude to traditional harmonic rules and terminology would point towards less significance in the bass note than might normally be inferred. 10/1–6: Monodic theme The third phrase of the movement returns to the theme in its unharmonised state. 11/1–12/5: Continuation of theme A new melodic phrase retains the choice of chordal resource: first chord of contracted resonance (again all B), chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note and the same altered E major chord as before. All bass notes in this section are as in Messiaen’s tables, while E major again appears in its second inversion (Table 10.8 below).

24   The chord in 9/9 could be viewed as CTI4D without the F, but this would mean the CTI chord would not correspond with the pattern of bass notes being retained. The bass note of CTI4D is E and that of the chord in 9/9 is B.

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Table 10.8  Chordal analysis of 11/1–12/5 of Et exspecto Bar

11/1

Chord 1CCR8B, CTI 10B, 1CCR5B Bar

12/1

Chord 1CCR7B

11/2

11/3

11/4

11/5

1CCR1B, CTI 3B

CTI 7C, CTI 1D

CTI 4C, CTI 5C, CTI 10B

E major +6 +F# +C, 1CCR1B

12/2

12/3

12/4

E major +6 +F# +C, CTI 12C

CTI 1D

E major +6 +F# +C, CTI 3B CTI 9A

12/5

The correlation between root notes and chord selection in such a comparatively extended passage would hint at a logical colouring of a predetermined melodic progression. 12/6–8: Monodic theme The theme concludes with a brief three-bar phrase. 13/1–15/2: Total chromaticism Eight chords of total chromaticism end the movement. Messiaen dilutes the purity of his concept by repeating numerous pitches (see Chapter 8 for a discussion of the differences between total chromaticism and 12-note rows), although this is understandable from a conceptual perspective given his aversion to the sterility of the pure chromatic set used in a serial way. This disparity between theory and practice is not atypical, and occurs in most (if not all) elements of the application of the composer’s musical language. 2: ‘Le Christ, ressuscité des morts, ne meurt plus; la mort n’a plus sur lui d’empire’ 17/1–2: Introduction The movement commences with a striking two-bar motif redolent of the religious symbolism prevalent throughout Messiaen’s work. 17/3–7: Mode 31 chord The chord gradually dissipates to leave the single pitch of E. 18: Monodic theme The woodwind announce a monody in the style of plainchant. 19/1–22/3: Percussion and modes of limited transposition A new idea on the percussion is harmonised by various modes of limited transposition on the woodwind. Modes 3, 4 and 6 are dominant.

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23: Monodic theme Interjections on the gongs now punctuate the theme from earlier in the movement. 24/1–28/3: Percussion and modes of limited transposition The percussion, harmonised by various modes of limited transposition, continue. 29/1–2: Motif similar to 17/1–2 The rhythm of the earlier idea is retained while the texture and pitches are altered. 29/3–7: Mode 4 A varied reprise of 17/3–7; this time a mode 4 chord is used (which is also complete mode 5). 30: Monodic theme The monodic theme concludes the movement. 3: ‘L’heure vient où les morts entendront la voix du Fils de Dieu…’ 32/1–33/7: First symbol of the voice of the Son of God The third movement introduces further harmonic variety and complexity. The voice is represented by the uirapuru (an Amazonian bird with a distinctive song) whose harmonisation employs all of Messiaen’s concepts apart from the chord of total chromaticism: first and second chords of contracted resonance, chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note, turning chords and modes of limited transposition. All chords (except 1CCR1B) are altered, and only CTI 4A shares its bass note with Messiaen’s table. The tendency here is to omit notes, and this method is less common than Messiaen’s preference to add notes to an existing chord. The only mode to appear in this initial statement is mode 4. 33/8: Second symbol of the voice of the Son of God A bar of silence represents the second symbol. 34/1–9: First symbol of the voice of the Son of God continues The song is now harmonised by a range of modes (modes 3 and 4 dominate). 35/1–9: Second symbol of the voice of the Son of God The second symbol is again represented by silence followed by eight notes of the bells. 35/10–12: Block chord A gradual crescendo uses turning chord 12B with G added, while the percussion and brass add a steady rhythmic pulsation.

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36: Monodic theme A monodic theme emerges for the first time in this movement. Messiaen again chooses a melody inspired by plainchant. 37/1–38/8: Song of the uirapuru continues The song is harmonised by first and second chords of contracted resonance, turning chords, mode 3 and (unlike the first appearance of the bird) chords of total chromaticism. The latter technique appears in its 12-1 and 11-1 (missing D) forms. 38/9: Second symbol of the voice of the Son of God represented by silence A further bar of silence denotes the voice. 39/1–40/4: Song of the uirapuru continues The bird’s harmonisation consists of chords of total chromaticism, turning chords (complete and altered versions) and mode 4. 40/5–13: Silence and bells A return of the bar of silence followed by eight notes of the bells. 41/1–4: Turning chord 12B with G added The chord of 35/10–12 returns. 42/1: Silence and monodic theme A bar of silence precipitates the final return of the monody. 42/8–10: Percussion A blow of the gongs and tam-tams terminates the movement. 4: ‘Ils ressusciteront, glorieux, avec un nom nouveau – dans le concert joyeux des étoiles et les acclamations des fils du ciel’ 44/1–3: The call of the Trinity, solemn moment of resurrection and distant song of the stars Three pianissimo blows of the tam-tam represent the call of the Trinity. 44/4–13: Introit of Easter The Introit, which falls within Messiaen’s mode 4, is performed entirely by the three cencerros and bells. 45/1–46/2: Alleluia of Easter The mode 4 idea continues now combined with the Alleluia of Easter. The trumpets have the main melody while the woodwind accompany with resonance.

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46/3–47/5: Continuation of the Alleluia The harmonic style changes abruptly with Messiaen employing a range of techniques: first chord of contracted resonance, chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note and turning chords. The harmonic resources change rapidly (almost one chord per note), and at 47/1 turning chord 1 is presented in its complete form (A–C). The vast majority of these chords have the bass note indicated in Messiaen’s tables. 47/6–8: Three blows of the tam-tam 48/1–52/3: Calandra lark The song of the calandra lark, chosen to symbolise joy, employs the same selection of concepts as the second part of the Alleluia: first chord of contracted resonance, chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note and turning chords. These are presented in both altered and unaltered states, although the modifications are not especially radical: a note is either added or replaced by an alternative note. There is evidence in this section of Messiaen’s stricter adherence to the layout of his own tables, as chords are arranged in pairs: CTI 12A and B at 48/5–6 and 48/8–9, and CTI 5A and B at 49/6. This section contains a rare example in this work of chordal ordering respecting the design enunciated in the Traité. 52/4–6: Three blows of the tam-tam The dynamic of the blows increases to fortissimo. 52/7–11: Introit of Easter in mode 4 The Introit resumes and the seven bars starting at 53/1 recapitulate those at 46/3. 53/1–57/3: Continuation of the Alleluia The opening bars of 46/3 are repeated and the section subsequently continues in the same harmonic style. 57/4–6: Three blows of the tam-tam 58/1–64/3: Calandra lark The calandra lark continues its song with the harmonic techniques utilised at 48/1ff. 64/4–6: Three blows of the tam-tam The dynamic increases further to fff. 65/1–75/5: Combination of Introit, Alleluia and theme from 9/5 The Introit in mode 4 returns, now combined with the Alleluia once more harmonised by various chords (turning chords etc.). At 66/5, the theme of the first movement is added; the harmonies are as at 9/5. A new idea based on the

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Simhavikrama Hindu rhythm is introduced by the gongs, supplementing the return of the cencerros and bells. 76: Three blows of the tam-tam The three blows are accompanied by the gongs. 77–8: Series of block chords 5: ‘Et j’entendis la voix d’une foule immense…’ 80: Monodic theme The plainchant-style theme is performed by the brass and percussion and the gongs add a steady pulsating accompaniment. 81–82: The monodic theme harmonised First and second chords of contracted resonance and turning chords harmonise the theme. Three of the chords are altered, and none of the bass notes are as found in the chord tables. 83: Monodic theme returns The theme from 80/1 reappears. 84–85: Harmonised theme Chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note are used along with turning chords. 86: Monodic theme The monodic theme returns for its final appearance. 87/1–end: Theme harmonised by chords seen earlier in the movement This survey of Et exspecto is different in style when compared to the preceding analyses, as the express intention is assessing whether such an analysis can be prepared along the lines of those included in the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie. One of the most striking aspects of the work from an analytical perspective is the great disparity between harmonic and rhythmic content. For a self-confessed ‘rhythmician’, the lack of rhythmic complexity in Et exspecto is noticeable, but Messiaen makes use of a wide range of his harmonic resources: chords of contracted resonance, chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note, turning chords, chords of total chromaticism and the modes of limited transposition. Despite any criticism levelled at the layout and occasionally sporadic content of Messiaen’s own analyses, they provide invaluable guides to the works in question. All of the analyses in this chapter are an attempt to locate and understand Messiaen’s techniques in works not surveyed in the Traité, and their fundamental

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purpose is to explore whether the composer’s own analyses can be viewed as a model for further exploration of his entire output. While no analyst could presume to be in a position to equal the studies of the nine works in the Traité, the application of a thorough understanding of such a unique musical language and its creator’s methodology will lead to new insights into any chosen work.

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Chapter 11

Conclusion The main focus of attention in recent studies has been the influence on Messiaen from non-musical spheres such as religion and birdsong, which have greatly enriched understanding of his deep engagement with his chosen sources. An equivalent comprehension of the inner workings of Messiaen’s musical techniques is indispensable for a rounded picture of the composer. However, over-reliance on Messiaen’s own comments on his music (whether included in his writings or passed on verbally to his pupils) is one of the primary drawbacks to independent assessment of his work. The seemingly impenetrable nature of its construction results in a dependence on authoritative statements regarding technical matters, and an analyst can easily feel shackled to the composer’s writings. The fundamental reason for this situation is an idiosyncratic language, which may in theory appear to be strictly defined, but which in practice is manipulated in such a way that boundaries between techniques become blurred. Messiaen’s musical language is an intriguing mixture of development and stasis, and the emergence of new ideas occurred at different rates in the various parameters. As has been noted in Chapter 5, the range of composers in which Messiaen interested himself was remarkable, but their direct impact on his musical language is concentrated in specific ideas and attitudes towards the process of composition. Debussy and Stravinsky stand as the two great influences, but it would be too simplistic to bracket both names together on an equal footing. Messiaen was of the firm opinion that the Stravinsky of the 1910s and 1920s was the only period of significant interest, while his compatriot was admired wholeheartedly and played a role throughout his compositional and teaching careers. Special attention has been paid in Chapters 7, 8 and 10 to harmony as this poses by far the greatest challenge to the analyst. The rhythmic aspect of Messiaen’s music, while certainly complex, is comprehensively explained in the two treatises, and the analyses in the Traité de rythme, de couleur et d’ornithologie illustrate all possibilities of usage while demonstrating concepts in context. Messiaen clearly defines his ideas and the interrelationships between them. As a consequence, it is possible to replicate his approach and logic in other works and achieve results akin to his. Rhythmic procedures are often a self-contained unfolding of a predetermined pattern, and Messiaen usually adheres to the principle of an idea, apart from the instances where a technique is interrupted for structural reasons. For example, the gradual working-out of a concept such as a rhythmic canon can be prematurely terminated due to its functioning as a support for a primary idea whose own process has concluded.

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However, harmony is a different matter. In general, Messiaen’s chords exhibit far freer construction than his rhythms, and a firm grasp on their formation often at first proves elusive. Harmonic structures, such as harmonic pedals, may be located with relative ease, but correctly identifying conceptually unconnected constituent elements is problematic. Technical evolution presents new hurdles as techniques begin to fragment and undergo metamorphosis. The need for judgement is far more pertinent to the harmonic domain than the rhythmic, as an analyst is called upon to make sense of a disconcertingly diffuse array of notes and tie them to specific techniques. A central premise of the present volume is the vital role played by the element of interpretation. The labelling of the chords given in Messiaen’s Traité in pitch-class set terms is only a starting point. The application of pitch-class set labels brings an element of certainty to harmonic identification, and if a chord cannot be classified according to the definitions given in Appendix 1 it can be assumed that the range of possibilities is too great or that Messiaen is composing in a free manner. If the ‘rogue’ pitch-class set does not conform to any of the options, manipulation of the aggregate with the aim of investigating how it relates to an altered chord can be efficiently and accurately pursued through the use of this analytical device. This methodology allows the identification of (for most situations) one or possibly two potential matches. Reinforcement of the validity of this approach is exemplified by situations highlighted in the survey of Réveil des oiseaux, where possible answers may be ruled out and a single option identified. It is, of course, crucial that harmonies can be labelled with precision; a range of options would not advance matters greatly, and analyses in the style of Messiaen could only be a theoretical possibility. In his surveys of his own works in the Traité, Messiaen is (for the most part) precise with his descriptions. He clearly states when chords are of a certain type and avoids giving the option of designating them as one species or another (if this is theoretically possible). As comments at the start of Chapter 8 illustrated, pitch-class set theory is not the only way forward and needs to be employed in moderation. It has established a foothold in recent Messiaen literature but the overriding focus has been the identification of chords with pitch-class labels, and the crucial question of how to interpret ‘non-standard’ harmonies needs to be brought to the fore. A fragmented picture of Messiaen’s harmonic working does not resolve the issue of attaining comprehensive analyses of sufficient depth to stand alongside those left by the composer. Examination of a work or particular movement leaves many questions unanswered, and an all-embracing approach to Messiaen’s language is required. Further developments in Messiaen analysis therefore lie in an amalgam of strategies favouring no single methodology. A deep understanding of his musical language as detailed in Appendix 1 is quite obviously indispensible, but a familiarity with the way in which these techniques are deployed is just as crucial. The focus of Chapters 6 and 7 is the period between the early 1940s and the 1960s, as Messiaen’s language developed and reached its maturity during this time. A thorough understanding of this central period in Messiaen’s career equips

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165

the analyst with the necessary tools to study in detail works from the surrounding periods. Chapters 6 and 7 are rooted in the Messiaen style of analysis based on the evidence of his writings, and the introduction of ‘outside’ methods in Chapter 8 leads to an enrichment of an analyst’s armoury that must be used in tandem with knowledge of methodologies exhibited in the Traité. The studies in Chapter 10 are a demonstration of the practical application of analytical strategies. Works were chosen to test whether selections from the different periods in Messiaen’s career could be examined with equal success. The fact that such varied works as Quatuor pour la fin du temps, Cantéyodjayâ and Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum can be successfully analysed, given their disparate technical and aesthetic make-up, contributes to a validation of the methodology. As is often the case, there are exceptions. Had it not been included in the Traité, ‘Mode de valeurs et d’intensités’ would have revealed itself to be beyond similar analysis; Messiaen illustrates that once the foundations of the concept are understood there is little else to add. The same also applies to other pieces constructed from one technical idea, such as ‘L’échange’ (Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus). The absence of any substantive rhythmic, melodic or harmonic material precludes detailed study. Many other compositions were assessed whilst preparing the analyses of Chapter 10 and it is clear that all works (apart from the exceptions highlighted above) could be treated in the same manner.

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Appendix 1

Technical Inventory Messiaen does not provide detailed explanations in the Traité de rythme, de couleur, et d’ornithologie of all of the significant musical techniques employed in his mature compositions, as he did in his earlier The Technique of My Musical Language. As the latter work dates from 1944, there are many refinements and new techniques to be discussed before an assessment of the development and evolution of this unique approach to composition is conceivable. This appendix accordingly aims to update Messiaen’s earlier treatise by providing a comprehensive guide to his concepts, adding musical examples only where the technique is not self-explanatory. A.1: Rhythm A.1.1: Rhythmic pedal A rhythm repeated as an ostinato in any register and on any number of instruments. Cf. TML/26–7. A.1.2: Rhythmic canon Two or more concurrent rhythmic pedals, each being separated by a chosen duration. Cf. TML/24–5 A.1.3: Non-retrogradable rhythm A rhythm that remains the same whether read forwards or backwards. Cf. TML/20–1. A.1.4: Anacrusis, accent, termination An accent prepared by an upbeat and resolved by a termination. Cf. TML/56–7. A.1.5: Chromatic durations Chromatic durations apply semitone pitch relationships to the domain of rhythm. For durations to be chromatic, they must increase or decrease by step, as for example in Example A.1.1

1   Example A.1 is precisely ‘chromatic’, but Messiaen occasionally deviates from strict chromaticism.

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Example A.1  Example of chromatic durations

A.1.6: Interversions2 The process of permutating a series of durations presents a practical problem, as Messiaen readily admits. A sequence containing two durations only has two possible permutations, but when further durations are added to the sequence the resulting number of possible permutations rises exponentially (Messiaen provides a list showing that a series of 12 durations has over 479 million interversions).3 This problem of unmanageable quantities of results is resolved through the use of ‘symmetrical permutations’, which involves the interversion of interversions. Another label given to this process is ‘limited symmetrical re-interversions’. Messiaen gives a single example of three durations:4 1, 2, 3 This sequence is interverted ‘from the centre to the extremes’, giving the following: 2, 1, 3 If this new order is also read ‘from the centre to the extremes’: 1, 2, 3 the original ordering is re-established. This process (Messiaen uses the term ‘reinterversion’) has thus reduced the number of possible permutations of three durations to two. The method of producing interversions by reading from the centre to the extremes is just one of several devised by Messiaen (each explanation takes a scale of 16 chromatic durations as the basis):5 • Interversion with values increasing/decreasing by two: the 16 values are divided into an ascending and a descending group. The first progresses from 1 to 15 using only odd numbers, then the second group moves from 16 to 2 via the even numbers:

2   Messiaen discusses simple melodic interversions in The Technique of My Musical Language, p. 35. 3  Tr3/7. 4  Tr3/11–12. 5  Tr3/321–3.

Appendix 1: Technical Inventory

169

1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 • Interversion with values increasing/decreasing by three: the 16 values are split into three groups – ascending, descending, ascending. All the values within the groups ascend or descend by three: 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 The value of 1 is omitted, and Messiaen does not give a cogent reason as to why. • Interversion with values increasing by four: the division is into four groups, which all ascend, and the distance between ascending values is four: 1, 5, 9, 13, 2, 6, 10, 14, 3, 7, 11, 15, 4, 8, 12, 16 • Interversion with values increasing/decreasing by five: the five groups contained within this process alternate between ascending and descending values: 6, 11, 16, 15, 10, 5, 2, 7, 12, 14, 9, 4, 3, 8, 13 The value of 1 is again excluded. • Interversion in open scissors: the final value of 16 is omitted, and the central value therefore becomes 8. The values of 1–7 and 9–15 are arranged around the central value in the following way: 8, 7, 9, 6, 10, 5, 11, 4, 12, 3, 13, 2, 14, 1, 15 • Interversion in closed scissors: again the final value of 16 is omitted, and the remaining values are arranged as follows: 15, 1, 14, 2, 13, 3, 12, 4, 11, 5, 10, 6, 9, 7, 8 The differentiation between ‘open’ and ‘closed’ scissors seems whimsical, as the two result in the same sequence apart from the retrograde ordering of values. • Interversion in a double line: the series of 16 values is arranged into two interlocking groups of eight: 1,

2, 9,

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

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• Interversion in a triple line: the value of 16 is omitted and the remaining 15 are divided into three interlocking groups of five: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 7, 8, 9, 10 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 6,

• Interversion in three closed fans: as in the previous type of interversion, the value of 16 is omitted and the remaining 15 are divided into three groups of five. On this occasion the groups of five are arranged in a ‘closed fan’ formation: 1, 5, 2, 4, 3, 6, 10, 7, 9, 8, 11, 15, 12, 14, 13 • ‘Symmetrical reinterversions’: Messiaen established a table of interversions to serve as a resource for his compositional process. A sequence of 32 chromatic durations (progressing from a demisemiquaver to a semibreve) is taken as the series on which the table will be constructed.6 The first interversion of this sequence is obtained by reading it in the following arbitrarily chosen order: 3, 28, 5, 30, 7, 32, 26, 2, 25, 1, 8, 24, 9, 23, 16, 17, 18, 22, 21, 19, 20, 4, 31, 6, 29, 10, 27, 11, 15, 14, 12, 13 The resultant series (Interversion 1) is then labelled from 1–32. If Interversion 1 is then read in the order outlined above, Interversion 2 is obtained. This process continues until 36 interversions are achieved.7 An additional table is provided in the Traité in which the 36 interversions are superimposed in groups of three: for example, Interversions 1, 2, 3, then 4, 5, 6 and so on.8 When Messiaen uses these interversions in his work (Chronochromie, Sept haïkaï) to allow the creation of a movement around a structured framework with an element of randomness, they are clearly labelled in the score. A.1.7: Rhythmic metamorphosis The notion of metamorphosing from one duration to another is, for Messiaen, a rhythmic application of the extended harmonic modulations of composers such as Ligeti.9 Messiaen applies the process observed in Ligeti to the rhythmic plane, to achieve an analogous result. 6

    8   9   7

Tr3/12–15. For the full table see Tr3/16–38. Tr3/39–66. For Messiaen’s explanation of the technique see Tr5ii/454.

Appendix 1: Technical Inventory

171

A.1.8: Development by elimination10 The primary significance of this technique, as Messiaen revealed to Claude Samuel, is as a precursor of personnages rythmiques.11 He demonstrated in the Traité how ‘development by elimination’ works in the first movement of Beethoven’s fifth symphony.12 In the exposition and first section of the development Messiaen notes that the famous four-note opening motif is varied in length:13 la cellule est traitée comme un être vivant. Elle devient thème, elle devient trait, elle se multiplie (doublée, triplée). Elle redevient elle-même. Elle est amputée d’une valeur. Tout cela était très nouveau à l’époque classique. [the cell is treated as a living being. It becomes a theme, it becomes a figure, it multiplies itself (doubled, tripled). It returns to its original form. It is shortened by a value. All this was very new in the Classical period.]14

However, Messiaen finds the second part of the development the most intriguing, finding in it a ‘thematic death and resurrection’ which is achieved by the gradual elimination of a cell:15 • The cell makes its first appearance at bar 179 on the violins. • At bar 187 it is repeated a 5th lower. • The first elimination occurs at bar 195 on the woodwind, where the last value is shed. • Five bars later the quavers are eliminated. • Finally the cell is reduced to a single value. The procedure can be summed up as Example A.2. Example A.2  Summary of the development by elimination

10

  Messiaen mentions this technique very briefly in TML/35.   Claude Samuel, Permanances d’Olivier Messiaen: dialogues et commentaires (Arles, 1999), p. 105. 12   Tr2/401–404. 13   Tr2/402. 14   Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England. 15   Tr2/402. 11

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The example shows that the elimination is based around the first minim in the initial rhythm. It also attests to the continuing ‘death’ of the cell, which will then be ‘resurrected’ in bars 240 to 252. An eight-fold repetition of the primary cell is then succeeded by a reiteration of the first two bars of the symphony; the cell (or personnage) is ‘alive’ again. The ‘resurrection’ of the cell can be summarised as in Example A.3. This is the termination of the development by elimination. Example A.3  The ‘resurrection’ of the cell

A.1.9: Personnages rythmiques16 Personnages rythmiques is an extension of the principles established in development by elimination, but has its roots, according to Messiaen, in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Messiaen’s own explanation of personnages rythmiques draws on theatrical analogies by comparing the technique to three characters on the stage, two of whom have a symbiotic relationship of action and reaction while the third observes dispassionately.17 As a succinct demonstration of the technique, one might propose three personnages with a starting value of four crotchets each (Example A.4). Personnage A will be the increasing cell, Personnage B decreasing and Personnage C the immobile observer. The second appearance of the personnages would accordingly be as given in Example A.5. Personnage A has increased to five crotchets and B has decreased to three, while C has remained the same. Example A.4  Three personnages rythmiques

Example A.5  Second appearance of the personnages rythmiques

16

  The origins of this technique are discussed in: Raffaele Pozzi, ‘Note sulla genesi dei “personnagi ritmici” nell’opera di Olivier Messiaen’, in Rossana Dalmonte and Mario Baroni (eds), L’analisi musicale: Atti del convegno di Reggio Emilia, 16–19 marzo 1989 (Milan, 1991), pp. 207–220. 17   Messiaen’s explanation of the concept is given at Tr2/112.

Appendix 1: Technical Inventory

173

A.2: Harmony A.2.1: Harmonic pedal Equivalent of a rhythmic pedal; that is, a series of harmonies repeated as an ostinato. Cf. TML/55. A.2.2: Modes of limited transposition A series of seven modes which can only be transposed a limited number of times until the interval pattern returns to its original pitches. Mode 1 is better known as the whole-tone scale, mode 2 is the octatonic scale, familiar from the music of Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky and others (cf. TML/58–63) and modes 5 and 7 were largely avoided.18 The transpositions of modes 2, 3, 4 and 6 are shown in Table A.1. Table A.1  Complete transpositions of Modes 2, 3, 4 and 6 (see Tr7/110) Mode 21

A

22

A#

23

C

A#

A

B

C# C#

D# D

E E

F# F F

G G

G#

B

C

D

D#

B

C

D

D#

E

B

C

C#

D#

E

F

C

C#

D

E

F

F#

C#

D

F

F#

G

C#

D

F

F#

G

G#

C#

D

D#

F#

G

G#

C#

D

D#

E

G

G#

D

D#

E

F

D#

E

F

F#

E

F

F#

F#

G#

Mode 31

A#

32

A

33

A

A#

3

A

A#

4

B

D#

F#

G

G#

G

G# G#

Mode 41

B

C

42

A

43

A

A#

4

4

A

A#

B

4

5

A

A#

B

C

4

6

A#

B

C

18

C

C#

  Yvonne Loriod discusses Messiaen’s use of modes at Tr7/107.

G# G

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

174 Mode 61

A#

62

A

63 6

B

C

B

C

C#

C

C#

D

C#

D

D#

D

D#

E

D#

E

A# A

4

B

6

A

A#

6

A

A#

5 6

D

C B

E

F F

D# E

C#

F#

G#

F#

G

F#

G

G#

G

G#

F F# F

G# G

A.2.3: Chords of inferior/superior (contracted) resonance These are one of the most common features in Messiaen’s music and are easily integrated into passages to provide support for the primary element. However, they are not easy to explain, not least because Messiaen uses ‘chord’ in two ways, the less familiar being to label a progression of two chords. There are two types of resonance: 1. Chords added above (superior) or below (inferior) an event 2. A ‘contraction’ of ‘resonant’ chords into close position These two categories may appear as part of a single process. There are two categories of chords of contracted resonance, and both have their origin in the Quatuor pour la fin du temps.19 The first is based on the piano harmonies found at the end of 37/2. A ‘dominant 9th’ chord (according to Messiaen at Tr7/158 – in reality a dominant 13th inverted) is preceded by a quintuple appoggiatura, and a two-note lower resonance follows. These registers are contracted into a two-chord progression and subsequently transposed down an octave, to form the composite ‘chord’ on which the Table A.2 is built. See Example 7.2 for the seventh transposition of the first chord of contracted resonance in Cantéyodjayâ; the remaining 11 ‘chords’ are obtained by transposing the chords chromatically a semitone each time (Table A.2). Table A.2  First chord of contracted resonance (see Tr7/150) 1CCRA (7-Z36) 1 2

A

C# A

D

D#

E

D

D

E

F# F

G G

G

19   In ‘Rediscovering Messiaen’s Invented Chords’, Wai-ling Cheong states: ‘It seems likely that the 1st and 2nd CCR have their origin in Quatuor, though they are used profusely only in Visions’ (p. 95).

Appendix 1: Technical Inventory 3

A

4

A

5

B C

A# A

D#

B

E

F

F#

E

F

F#

G

F

F

G

G

F

G

G

G

G#

C

A

7

A

A#

8

A

A#

B

9

A

A#

B

C

A

B

C

C

B

C

C

D

C#

D

D#

C#

D

D#

E

F

D

D

E

F

F

D

E

F

F

G

E

F

F#

G

G#

F

F#

G

G#

F#

G

G#

G

G

11

C C

12

D

G#

6

10

B

175

C# C#

C

D# D D

E F

D# D

G#

E E

F F F

G F#

G#

1CCRB (7-Z12) 1 2

A# A

3

B A

4

C B

C#

5

A

6

A

A#

7

A

A

B

8

A

A

B

C

9

A

A#

B

C

C#

A#

B

C

C#

D

B

C

C

D

D

C

C

D

D

10 11 12

A

C

D C#

D# D

G#

E D

F E

G F#

F

G F

E

G G

The second chord of contracted resonance is based on harmonies found on the piano at 37/1 in the Quatuor pour la fin du temps. The chord is again built on a two-chord progression with lower resonance and then contracted. Here, both chords are raised an octave and the inferior resonance is contracted and raised. The two-chord sequence is again placed on every semitone of the 12-note chromatic series (Table A.3).

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176

Table A.3  Second chord of contracted resonance (see Tr7/162) 2CCRA (6-Z19) 1

A

2

A

3

B A#

4

A

5

A

C

A#

C

B

D# D C

6

C B

8

A#

9

A

10

A

C C B

A#

B

C#

E D

D

F

G G

F#

G#

G

F

F

E

D#

D

C

C

F E

D

G# G

F

D#

B

F

D

C#

F#

E

D

C

A

11 12

E

A

7

F

C#

G#

G

F#

F

E

G G

D#

D

F#

G#

G

2CCRB (6-Z43) 1

A

B B

2

A

A

3

A

A#

4

A

7

A

8

A

9 10

C# B

A A

D

D

F F

E

G# G#

F

G

G

F

F

G

E

F

F

D#

E

F

D

D#

E

C

D

D

C

C

D

C

C

C#

C

D# D

C C

B A#

A B

E

G

B

11 12

D D

C

5 6

C

G# G F

F E

F

G#

G

F

G G

Appendix 1: Technical Inventory

177

A.2.4: Chords of a dominant appoggiatura The harmonies shown in Example A.6 succinctly demonstrate Messiaen’s chord of a dominant appoggiatura.20 Example A.6  Chord of a dominant appoggiatura (Reproduced by kind permission of Editions Alphonse Leduc, Paris/United Music Publishers Ltd, England)

The aggregate chord is a dominant 13th with a double appoggiatura (A#, D#). The chord of a dominant appoggiatura was the germ idea for the chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note, which were to become a staple element of Messiaen’s harmonic resources. A.2.5: Closed/open fan Fan-like movement is an extremely common device, and is applicable to a variety of textures ranging from single-note lines to block chords. Whether a fan is ‘open’ or ‘closed’ depends on the direction of its two strands. Figure A.1 illustrates the difference.

Figure A.1  Directions of open and closed fans A.2.6: Asymmetric augmentation Asymmetric augmentation is in effect a melodic counterpart of personnages rythmiques. The technique commences with a statement of a melodic line, which can be of any length. This line is then repeated a number of times. At each repetition individual notes, or small groups of notes, will either rise, fall or remain unchanged. A ‘textbook’ example of the process is observable in ‘L’échange’ from 20

  Tr3/258.

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

178

the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, where it runs throughout the piece and is the technical embodiment of the metaphysical concept of the Holy Trinity. A.2.7: Change of rhythm and register Messiaen briefly discussed ‘Change of register’ in The Technique of My Musical Language,21 and ‘Change of rhythm’ involves the repetition of a melodic or harmonic element allied to a new rhythm. An example of change of rhythm and register appears in the initial fugal section of ‘Par Lui tout a été fait’ from the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus (cf. 25/3ff.). A.2.8: Rocket-like groups (groupes fusées) This descriptive term refers to series of ascending or descending grace notes terminating on a longer value. Such groups are again a common feature of Messiaen’s piano writing. A.2.9: Chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note The chord on which this technique is constructed is, according to Messiaen, a dominant 9th with the tonic in the place of the 3rd (the F# substitutes for an E#) over which a two-note appoggiatura (C, G) is added.22 Messiaen obtains three inversions of a chord of a ‘dominant 9th with the tonic in the place of the 3rd’ which are then transposed onto the same bass note, to form the chord of transposed inversion on the same bass note (by which Messiaen means the composite of the four chords – A, B, C and D). The fifth chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note is used prominently as the ‘Lake music’ in La fauvette des jardins (see Example 4.4). The remaining 11 chords are obtained by chromatic transposition (Table A.4). Table A.4  Chord of transposed inversion on the same bass note (see Tr7/136) CTIA (7-20) 1

B

C

C#

C

C

D

C

D

D

D

D

E

D#

E

F

E

F

F#

F

F

G

F

G

D#

2

A

3

A

A

4

A

A

B

A#

B

C

B

C

C#

C

C

D

C

D

5 6 7

A

8

A 21

   

22

TML/36. Tr7/137.

F# E

D

G

G#

G

G

F

G F G G# G

Appendix 1: Technical Inventory 9

A

10

A

A

11

A

A

B

A

B

A

B

A#

B

C

B

C

C#

C

C

D

C

D

D

D

D

E

D

E

F

E

F

F

F

F

G

F

G

G

G

G#

12

B

D

179

C

D

E

D

E

F

E

F

F

F

F

F

F

F

F#

G

F#

G

G#

G

G

C C

D

G

G G

G

CTIB (7-20) 1

A

2 3

C

E D D#

4

A

5

A

A

6

A

A

B

A

B

C

B

C

C

C

C

D

C

D

D

D

D#

E

D#

E

7 8 9

A

10

A

11

A

12

A

B C

A#

E F

G F G G

F

G#

CTIC (7-20) 1

A

C

D

F

D

D

E

D

E

F

E

F

F

F

F

G

F

G

G

G

G

2

A

3

A

A

4

A

A

B

A

B

C

B

C

C

C

C

D

C#

D

D#

D

D#

E

D#

E

F

E

F

F

F

F

5

B

D

6

C C D

7

A

8

A

A#

9

A

A#

B

A#

B

C

B

C

C

C

C

10 11 12

A

D

D

G

G

G

G G

E F

G# F# G G G

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

180

CTID (7-20) 1

A

A

2

A

A

B

A

B

C

B

C

C

C

C#

D

C#

D

D#

D

D

E

D

E

F

E

F

F

F

F

G

F

G

G

G

G

3 4 5

C

A

6

A#

7

A

8

A

A

9

A

A

B

A

B

C

B

C

C

C

C

10

B

11 12

D

D

D

D

E

D

E

F

E

F

F

F

F#

G

F#

G

G#

G

G

C

A

C

F

D D D

G F G G

G

E

A.2.10: Resonance of timbres This is a little-used term referring to the combination of different registers to provide a resonance effect. A.2.11: Turning chords Messiaen compares the process of obtaining turning chords to light shining on an octahedron of iridescent glass (each chord is apparently built from eight notes reflecting the number of faces on the octahedron). The harmonic origin of the chords is unclear, as is the logic of their ‘turning’. Messiaen asserts that as the notes ‘turn’ an overall colour can be perceived, and therefore each ‘chord’ (or rather, composite of chords) of his table has a ‘global coloured effect’. The favoured transposition is Chord 8 with a characteristic alteration of the upper note of Chord B as used in Cantéyodjayâ (see the first and second staves of Example 7.6), and the other 11 ‘chords’ are obtained via a chromatic transposition (Table A.5). Table A.5  Turning chords (see Tr7/166) TCA (8-5) 1

A

A

B

2

A

A#

B

3

A

A#

4

A

5

A

C C

B

C

B

C

D

D

C#

D

D#

C#

D

E

C# E

G G

G#

F#

G

G#

F

F#

G

G#

F

F

G

G

Appendix 1: Technical Inventory 6

A

7

A

8

A

A

B

10 11 12

A

D

E

F

F

D

D#

E

F

F#

C#

D

D#

E

F

C

C#

D

D#

E

D

A#

9

181

B

C

C

D

A

B

C

C

D

A#

B

C

C#

A#

B

C

C#

D D

D#

G G# G

G#

F#

G

G#

G

F

F

E

F

F

E

F

TCB (8-4) 1 2

A

A

B

C

C

3

A

A

B

C

C

4

A

A#

B

C

5

A

A#

B

6

A

A

7

A

D# D C

9

B

10 A

12

A

C

E

D

G

G#

F#

G

G#

F

F

G

G

F

F

G

G

D

E

F

F

G

G

G

D

D

E

F

F

D

D

E

F

F

C

C

D

D

E

F

B

C

C

D

D

E

A

B

C

C

D

E

C

E

B

A

G

E

D

C

F

G#

G

F

C

A

11

F F E

C

8

G

D#

G

TCC (8-14) 1 2

A

A

B

3

A

A

B

4

A

A

5

A

6

D

D

C

D

D

C

C

D

B

C

C

C

A

B

7

A

A

B

8

A

A#

9

A B

11 12

A# A

B

G F

E D

C# D C#

D

C

C#

D

C

C#

D

G

F

G G

G

F

G

G G

F

F

G

E

F

F

G

D#

E

F

F#

F

D C

10

F

D#

E

D#

E

D# E

G# G

G# G#

F#

G

F

F#

G

F

F#

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

182

A.2.12: Chord of total chromaticism This chord simply involves the simultaneous employment of the 12 notes of the chromatic scale. Messiaen finds such a chord in the last movement (Allegro assai) of Mozart’s Symphony in G minor K.550 (this is not entirely accurate, as although all 12 notes are present they do not form a chord in the traditional sense). As with some of Messiaen’s other techniques, it is debatable whether the chord was influenced by Mozart, or if such statements are merely retrospective. Each chord of total chromaticism has an initial eight-note chord, followed by the four notes required to complete the chromatic total.23 A.2.13: Personnages mélodiques and harmoniques Messiaen applied the concept of personnages rythmiques to the melodic and harmonic domains to produce personnages mélodiques and harmoniques. The strong affinity between personnages mélodiques and asymmetric augmentation is evident in the shared principle of melodic increase, decrease and immobility.

23

 

Messiaen provides a full table at Tr7/188.

Appendix 2

Selected Work List Early Period Le banquet céleste, organ (1928) Préludes, piano (1929) Diptyque, organ (1930) La mort du nombre, soprano, tenor, violin and piano (1930) Les offrandes oubliées, orchestra (1930) Trois mélodies, song cycle (1930) Le tombeau resplendissant, orchestra (1931) Apparition de l’église éternelle, organ (1932) Fantaisie burlesque, piano (1932) Hymne au Saint-Sacrement, orchestra (1932) Thème et variations, violin and piano (1932) L’ascension, orchestra (1932–34) L’ascension, organ (1933–34) La nativité du Seigneur, organ (1935) Pièce (pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas), piano (1935) Vocalise-étude, soprano and piano (1935) Poèmes pour Mi, soprano and piano (1936), orchestra (1937) O sacrum convivium!, choir (1937) Fêtes des belles eaux, six ondes martenots (1937) Chants de Terre et de Ciel, soprano and piano (1938) Les corps glorieux, organ (1939) 1940s Quatuor pour la fin du temps, violin, cello, clarinet, piano (1940–41) Rondeau, piano (1943) Visions de l’Amen, two pianos (1943) Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, women’s voices, piano solo, ondes martenot, orchestra (1943–44) Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, piano (1944) Harawi, soprano and piano (1945) Turangalîla-symphonie, piano solo, ondes martenot, orchestra (1946–48) Cinq rechants, 12 solo voices (1948)

184

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Experimental Period Cantéyodjayâ, piano (1948) Quatre études de rythme, piano (1949–50) Messe de la Pentecôte, organ (1950) Le merle noir, flute and piano (1951) Livre d’orgue, organ (1951) Birdsong Réveil des oiseaux, piano and orchestra (1953) Oiseaux exotiques, piano and orchestra (1955–56) Catalogue d’oiseaux, piano (1956–58) 1960s Chronochromie, orchestra (1959–60) Verset pour la fête de la dédicace, organ (1960) Sept haïkaï, piano and orchestra (1962) Couleurs de la cité céleste, piano and orchestra (1963) Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, orchestra (1964) La transfiguration de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ, choir, soloists and orchestra (1965–69) Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte Trinité, organ (1969) La fauvette des jardins, piano (1970) Late Period Des canyons aux étoiles…, piano, solo horn, solo glockenspiel, solo xylorimba and orchestra (1971–74) Saint François d’Assise, opera (1975–83) Livre du Saint Sacrement, organ (1984) Petites esquisses d’oiseaux, piano (1985) Un vitrail et des oiseaux, piano and ensemble (1986) La ville d’en-haut, piano and ensemble (1987) Éclairs sur l’au-delà…, orchestra (1987–91) Un sourire, orchestra (1989) Pièce (pour piano et quatuor à cordes), (1991)

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Index

Entries in bold refer to explanations of techniques. accentuation, 7, 20–22; see also Vincent d’Indy; Masculine and feminine rhythms; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart added sixth, 6, 33, 155 added notes, 6, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35–36, 51, 84–5, 98, 99, 100, 105, 106, 108, 134, 135, 151, 154, 155, 157, 158, 178 addition of a dot, 69, 79, 83 distribution in a range of works, 80–81 additions to the left and right of a central rhythm, 71, 79, 80–81 anacrusis, accent, termination, 23n22, 72, 167 ‘Angels’, see Rainer Maria Rilke antecedent and consequent, 80, 115a presence in Debussy’s La mer, 47 Apel, Wili (Gregorian Chant) concordance with Messiaen’s writings on plainchant, 14, 16–18 Aquinas, Saint Thomas (Summa Theologica) influence on Messiaen’s perception of time, 37 arsis and thesis, 23n22 arsis only in ‘Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux’ (Visions de l’Amen), 72 comparison with d’Indy’s light and heavy beats, 20 influence of Mocquereau and Gajard, 19 asymmetric augmentation, 89, 113, 123, 124, 131, 177, 182 link to personnages mélodiques, 94 ‘badly doubling’, 31, 153

Berg, Alban influence on Messiaen’s attitude towards sonata form, 125 use of technical procedures as formal determinants, 126 Bergson, Henri, 9, 38, 137 ‘real’ time (durée) and ‘structured’ time, 39 Time and Free Will, 38n13 Bertrand, Aloysius (Gaspard de la nuit), 42, 43 birdsong, 6, 7, 27–36, 86, 111, 113–16, 129, 149 coverage in the Traité de rythme, de couleur et d’ornithologie, 11, 28 combination with harmonic techniques in La fauvette des jardins, 29ff. interpreting passages in ‘Le Chocard des Alpes’ (Catalogue d’oiseaux), 104, 152–3 role in dominating the formal, rhythmic and melodic aspects of Réveil des oiseaux, 150 sectional form, 122 single technique/birdsong form, 118–20, 124 use of total chromaticism, 103 Boulez, Pierre, 146 opinion of Messiaen as a composer, 130 Second Piano Sonata, relationship between technique and form, 129 ‘Stravinsky remains’, 59 Cantéyodjayâ, 85 analysis, 138–50

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chord of contracted resonance, 87, 144, 145 chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note, 90, 144 chromatic durations, 74 fan, 88 form, 121 melodic interversions, 74 modes of limited transposition, 141, 143 retrograde canon of chromatic durations, 142, 143 serialism, 104 total chromaticism, 103 turning chords, 91, 144 Cardine, Dom Eugène (Gregorian Semiology), 14–18 Carrel, Dr Alexis (L’homme, cet inconnu) concept of ‘superimposed time’, 40 Catalogue d’oiseaux 1. ‘Le chocard des alpes’ analysis, 152 total chromaticism, 101, 104 4. ‘Le traquet stapazin’ chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note, 134 total chromaticism, 103 5. ‘La chouette hulotte’ strophic form, 121 sectional forms, 129 change of rhythm and register, 80, 89, 122, 178 chord of a dominant appoggiatura, 87, 177 chord of contracted resonance, 29, 30, 32, 33, 86–7, 97, 98, 100, 106, 108, 133, 137, 174–5 chord of total chromaticism, 30, 31, 93, 100, 101–105, 149, 182 chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note, 87, 90–91, 92, 98, 100, 106, 109, 134, 177, 178 chromatic durations, 71, 72–4, 78, 118, 133, 140, 142, 143, 167, 170 Chronochromie, 10, 28 chords of transposed inversions on the same bass note, 91 interversions, 74, 75, 170 irrational rhythms, 81

rocket-like groups, 90 single technique form, 124 superposition form, 123 turning chords, 92, 145 Cinq Rechants re-use of material in Cantéyodjayâ, 139–41, 142–3, 145, 148, 149 turning chords, 91 ‘colonnes d’air en résonances mobiles’, see turning chords Couleurs de la cité celeste, 12 Courant, Maurice (‘Chine et Corée’: chapter in Encyclopédie de la musique et dictionnaire du conservatoire), 26 Debussy, Claude, 2, 8, 23 influence on Messiaen’s musical language, 45ff. La mer, 45–50 comparison of Messiaen’s analysis with other studies, 48 ‘La terrasse des audiences au claire de lune’ presence of musical techniques later integrated into Messiaen’s musical language, 50–53 Messiaen’s writings on the composer in his Traité de rythme, de couleur et d’ornithologie, 11 Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune examination of Messiaen’s views on the correlation between the works of Debussy and Mallarmé, 54–9 influence on certain of Messiaen’s formal designs, 128 Deçî-tâlas, see Hindu rhythms development by elimination, 10, 76, 77n3, 171 durée, see Bergson, Henri Einstein, Albert (Special and General Theory of Relativity), 38 Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum analysis, 153–60 chord of contracted resonance, 133, 155, 157–60

Index chord of total chromaticism, 154, 156–8, 160 chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note, 155, 157, 159, 160 modes of limited transposition, 154, 156–60 turning chords, 157–60 ‘Experimental period’, 74, 104, 137, 138, 143, 150 fan (open/closed), 88–9, 141, 145, 170, 177 Fauvette des jardins, La analysis, 29–36 chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note, 155 feminine and masculine groups, 21–3 Gajard, Dom Joseph, 13 Notions sur la rythmique grégorienne, 19 Girdlestone, Cuthbert (W.A. Mozart et ses concertos pour piano), 7 Greek metres, 8, 9, 12, 24 Amphimacer, 67, 68, 81 Epitrites, 80, 81 presence in a range of works, 80–81 Harawi, 10, 80, 106 3. ‘Montagnes,’ strophic form, 121 4. ‘Doundou tchil,’ refrain-and-couplet form, 122 8. ‘Syllabes,’ refrain-and-couplet form, 122 11. ‘Katchikatchi les étoiles,’ theme and variation form, 122 chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note, 90 harmonic and rhythmic pedals, 83 inferior contracted resonance, 86 personnages rythmiques, 76 re-use of material in Cantéyodjayâ, 139–40, 141, 144, rhythmic canon, 69–70 harmonic pedal, 83–4, 173 Hiley, David (Western plainchant; a handbook), 14–18 Hindu rhythms, 5, 8, 9, 24, 139

201

Candrakalâ, 68, 69, 70, 71, 80, 81 Caturthaka, 77 Dhenkî, 67, 68, 70, 80, 81 Lakskmîça, 68, 69, 70, 71, 80, 81, 83, 139 Miçra varna, 75, 76, 81, 116 Nihçankalîla, 77 Pârvatîlocana, 81 Râgavardhana, 68, 69, 70, 71, 80, 81, 83 Sarasvatîkanthâbharana, 81 Simhavikrama, 75, 76, 81, 160 Tritîya, 77 Vijaya, 71, 80, 81 Hodeir, André (Since Debussy), 124, 125, 129, 130, 131, 132 Howat, Roy (Debussy in Proportion), 48–50, 128 Indy, Vincent d’ (Cours de composition musicale) influence of the theory of accentuation; see also arsis and thesis, 20–22 inexact augmentation, 80, 81 interversions, 5, 74, 75, 77, 89, 91, 92, 104, 115, 116, 123, 140, 142, 168–70 irrational rhythms, 8, 68, 81, 142 isorhythms, 83 Klangfarbenmelodie, 143 Koster, W.J.W. (Traité de métrique greque), 24–5 Lavignac, Albert (Encyclopédie de la musique et dictionnaire du conservatoire), 24n26, 26; see also Maurice Courant ‘Law of attack-duration relationship’, 40 Le Guennant, Auguste, 10 Précis de rythmique grégorienne, d’après les principes de Solesmes, 17–18 Le Jeune, Claude Le printemps, 117, 122, 148 Ligeti, Gyorgy influence on rhythmic metamorphosis, 170 Livre d’orgue, 10, 81

202

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

chromatic durations, 74 interversions, 74–5 personnages rythmiques, 76–7 rhythmic canon, 71 serialism, 104, 146 Loriod, Yvonne, 7, 10, 88n5, 173n18 role in preparing Messiaen’s writings for publication, 7–8, 12 Machaut, Guillaume de influence on notion of retrogradation within formal structure, 71, 118n7 Mallarmé, Stéphane, 42, 43 Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (Messiaen’s views on Debussy’s setting of the poem), 54–9 masculine groups, see feminine and masculine groups Messe de la Pentecôte, 10, 81, 138 chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note, 90 interversions, 74, 75 material shared with Cantéyodjayâ, 140 personnages rythmiques, 76, 77 sectionalised form, 122 Messiaen, Olivier works, see individual entries writings, 1 Analyses des œuvres pour piano de Maurice Ravel, 12 Conférence de Bruxelles, 6 Conférence de Kyoto, 7 Lecture at Notre-Dame, 6 Les 22 concertos pour piano de Mozart, 7, 10, 23 The Technique of My Musical Language, 1, 2, 3, 5–6, 9, 11, 30, 51, 52, 79, 111, 122, 134, 167, 168n2, 178 Traité de rythme, de couleur et d’ornithologie, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7–12, 13, 19, 24, 27, 28, 29, 34, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43–4, 45, 50, 59, 74, 75, 76, 92, 97, 98, 99, 106, 111, 112, 118, 123, 133, 136, 137, 146, 148, 149, 155, 159, 160, 161, 163, 164, 165, 167, 170, 171

Vingt leçons d’harmonie, 6 Mocquereau, Dom André, 10 Le nombre musical grégorien, 13–20 modes of limited transposition, 5, 6n1, 51, 52, 83, 84–5, 98, 100, 102, 106, 109, 135–6, 137, 143, 151, 154, 156, 157, 173–6 Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus, 13 accentuation, 20, 21, 22; see also Vincent d’Indy feminine groups, 23 Messiaen’s writings in the Traité de rythme, de couleur et d’ornithologie, 10 Symphony in G minor K.550, 182 neumes, see plainchant Nietzsche, Friedrich, 40–41 non-retrogradable rhythms, 5, 9, 10, 68, 69, 79, 81, 137, 167 evolution in a range of works, 71–2 integration with personnages rythmiques, 64, 79 link to philosophical concepts, 40, 137 presence within rhythmic canons, 70 presence within rhythmic pedals, 67 transfer of the principle to the formal domain, 117, 118 ostinato, 68, 74, 81, 83, 84, 167, 173 palindromic rhythms, see nonretrogradable rhythms permutations, 10, 74, 141, 168 personnages, 6, 9, 10, 68, 69, 80, 123, 133, 172, 177, 182 evolution, 76–9, 171 mergers with other techniques, 71, 75 origin in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, 59–64 simultaneous employment of personnages rythmiques, mélodiques and harmoniques, 93–5, 127 Peterson, Roger Tory A Field Guide to the Birds, 27 A Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe, 27

Index pitch-class sets use to identify Messiaen’s harmonies, 102 7–20 (chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note), 98, 109, 134, 178–80 7–Z36, 7–Z12, 6–Z19, 6–Z43 (chords of contracted resonance), 98, 108, 133, 135, 174, 175 8–5, 8–4, 8–14 (turning chords), 98, 106, 108, 180, 181 8–6, 8–8, 8–13, 8–Z15, 8–16, 8–18, 8–Z29, 97–8, 101, 106–107, 133, 151 8–28, 9–12, 8–9, 8–25 (modes of limited transposition), 98, 109 11–1, 10–1, 9–1 (chromatic subsets), 100, 105, 151, 152, 153, 154, 158 12–1 (total chromaticism), 98, 101, 106, 152, 158 12–1 (total chromaticism with no repeats), 104, 152–3 plainchant coverage in Messiaen’s writings, 1, 6, 7, 10, 13–20; see also Dom André Mocquereau; Dom Joseph Gajard use in Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuourum, 154, 156, 158, 160 Poe, Edgar Allan (The Pit and the Pendulum), 42 Quatre études de rythme, 10, 81 1. ‘Île de feu 1’ anacrusis, accent, termination, 72 chromatic durations, 74 non-retrogradable rhythms, 71 2. ‘Mode de valeurs et d’intensités’, 124n16, 130, 146, 165 3. ‘Neumes rythmiques’ interversions, 75 resonance, 87 4. ‘Île de feu 2’, 75, 121 interversions, 74 theme and variation form, 115, 122 Quatuor pour la fin du temps, 111 analysis, 134–7

203 chords of contracted resonance, 135, 137 chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note, 135–6 modes of limited transposition, 135–7 origin of chords of inferior/superior (contracted) resonance, 174–5 refrain-and-couplet form, 122 rhythmic pedal, 137 superposition form, 123 theme and variation form, 121–2

Ravel, Maurice, 12, 51, 128 resonance, see chord of contracted resonance resonance of timbres, 91, 180 retrogradation (form), 70, 71, 79, 80, 118n7, 127 Réveil des oiseaux, 133, 164, analysis, 150–52 chord of contracted resonance, 151 chord of total chromaticism, 151 modes of limited transposition, 151 Reverdy, Michèle, 111, 153n23 analysis of Messiaen’s forms, 119–22 views on Cantéyodjayâ, 138n3, 145, 147, 148 rhythmic canon, 69–71, 74, 83, 89, 118, 133, 163, 167 rhythmic metamorphosis, 75–6, 170 rhythmic pedal, 67–9, 71, 167 Riemann, Hugo, 20 Rilke, Rainer Maria (Duino Elegies), 41–2 rocket-like groups, 90, 178 Saint François d’Assise Tableau VI: ‘Le prêche aux oiseaux,’ 28, 29, 152 Schoenberg, Arnold, 104, 146 Suite for Piano op.25, 147 Sept haïkaï, 11, 81, 170; see also rhythmic metamorphosis interversions, 74–5, 170 rhythmic canon, 71 superposition form, 123 turning chords, 92, 145 serialism, 104, 124n16, 129, 140, 142, 146–7

204

Messiaen’s Musical Techniques: The Composer’s View and Beyond

Stravinsky, Igor, 2, 94, 163, 173 influence on Messiaen’s formal designs, 128–9 influence on Messiaen’s musical language, 45ff. The Rite of Spring, 8, 9, 40, 59–64, 172 Symphonies of Wind Instruments, 128 symmetrical permutations, see interversions Technique of My Musical Language, The, see Olivier Messiaen Theme of chords, 97, 101, 106, 143, 144, 148 Theme of God, 85, 118, 123, 131–2, 139–41 total chromaticism, see chord of total chromaticism ‘total serialism’, 101, 104, 105, 124, 138, 139, 146, 153 Traité de rythme, de couleur et d’ornithologie, see Olivier Messiaen Transfiguration de Notre-Seigeur JésusChrist, La, 12, 27, 28 Trezise, Simon (Debussy: La mer), 48–50, 128 Trois petites liturgies de la Présence Divine, 12 1. ‘Antienne de la conversation intérieure,’ harmonic pedal, 83 turning chords, 91 Turangalîla-symphonie, 9, 40, 42, 64, 81, 97, 101, 104, 130, 131, 149 1. ‘Introduction,’ chromatic durations, 72 harmonic pedal, 83 2. ‘Chant d’amour 1,’ fan, 88 refrain-and-couplet form, 122 3. ‘Turangalîla 1,’ chromatic durations, 73 personnages rythmiques, 78 4. ‘Chant d’amour 2,’ anacrusis, accent, termination, 72 5. ‘Joie du sang des étoiles,’

personnages, 79, 93–5 sonata form, 123, 125, 127, 130 7. ‘Turangalîla 2,’ chromatic durations, 73–4 personnages rythmiques, 79 rocket-like groups, 90 sectionalised form, 122 10. ‘Final,’ development by elimination, 76 form, 115 re-use of material in Cantéyodjayâ, 139–44 rhythmic pedal, 69 rhythmic canon, 71 superposition form, 123 ‘Theme of chords,’ 106, 138n4 turning chords, 33, 91–2, 100, 104, 106, 108, 180–81 twelve-note row, see serialism Un vitrail et des oiseaux, 28 Varèse, Edgard, 131 Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, 10, 51, 52, 53, 79, 80, 85, 90, 91, 140, 143, 144, 146, 149 1. ‘Regard du Père’ theme and variation form, 121 3. ‘L’échange’ 165 asymmetric augmentation, 89, 94, 178 single technique form, 124 6. ‘Par Lui tout a été fait’ 145 change of rhythm and register, 89, 178 non-retrogradable form, 118 rhythmic canon, 70 7. ‘Regard de la Croix’ anacrusis, accent, termination, 72 9. ‘Regard du Temps’ alternate form, 118 closed/open fan, 89 rhythmic canon, 70 10. ‘Regard de l’Esprit de joie’ similarity between sectional and sonata forms, 131 11. ‘Première communion de la Vierge’

Index chromatic durations, 73n2 melodic borrowing, 141 similarity between sectional and sonata forms, 131 12. ‘La parole toute puissante’ rhythmic pedal, 69 14. ‘Regard des Anges’ fans, 145 strophic form, 121 15. ‘Le baiser de l’Enfant-Jésus’ sectionalised form, 122 16. ‘Regard des Prophètes, des Bergers et des Mages’ chromatic durations, 72 17. ‘Regard du Silence’ harmonic pedal, 83 18. ‘Regard de l’Onction terrible’ non-retrogradable form, 118 20. ‘Regard de l’Eglise d’amour’ sonata form, 123 Visions de l’Amen, 10, 80, 91, 99, 112, 121 1. ‘Amen de la création’ irrational rhythms, 68 rhythmic pedal, 67

205 2. ‘Amen des étoiles, de la planète à l’anneau’ harmonic and rhythmic pedals, 83 3. ‘Amen de l’agonie de Jésus’ anacrusis, accent, termination, 72 5. ‘Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux’ chord of a dominant appoggiatura, 87 non-retrogradable form, 118 rhythmic canon, 70 6. ‘Amen du Jugement’ total chromaticism, 101 7. ‘Amen de la Consummation’ alternate form, 121 rhythmic canon, 71 presence of modes of limited transposition, 84–5

Wagner, Richard, masculine and feminine groups (Götterdämmerung), 22–3 Wenk, Arthur (Debussy and the Poets), 54–8