Olivier Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time, Movement 5
- Demi Nicks
- May 29, 2016
- 3 min read
I begin my blog by sharing one of my absolute favorite pieces of classical music— “Louange à l'Éternité de Jésus” (“Praise to the Eternity of Jesus”), the fifth movement of Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time). Messiaen (1908-1992) was a French composer, organist, and teacher. His musical training began at an early age and he was able to enter the Paris Conservatoire in 1919 where he studied until 1930. Noted influences included composers Debussy, Stravinsky, and Bartók. Though diatonic chords were a part of his harmonic vocabulary, their use in conjunction with his modes of limited transposition weakened or removed function and created a characteristic modal language he remained true to. Messiaen was a devout Catholic and declared the purpose of his music was to manifest the doctrines of the Christian faith. He also had a strong interest in ornithology. He traveled the world to transcribe and collect the songs of birds in nature. These birdsongs were adapted for musical use, another distinctive trait of his compositions. Quartet for the End of Time, arguably Messiaen’s most significant work, was completed from 1940 to 1941. The origins of the composition itself are a storybook tale. After being called for military service at the start of World War II, Messiaen was captured and taken to a prisoner-of-war camp. A music-loving guard supplied him with paper, pencils, erasers, and an empty barrack to work without disturbance. This guard also later forged documents enabling Messiaen’s return to France. On a freezing winter night in 1941, using inferior instruments, the eight movement masterpiece was premiered at the POW camp. While Messiaen played piano, three other inmates played violin, cello, and clarinet for an audience of soldiers, guards, and other prisoners. As the title suggests, the work depicts content from the Book of Revelation, a telling of the “end of time.” A sense of timelessness is evoked by his modal harmonic vocabulary and rhythmic techniques (irregular rhythms, added value, and symmetrical/non-retrogradable rhythms, etc.). The fifth movement I am sharing here achieves this especially with its slow tempo and steady, rhythmic pedal accompaniment in the piano beneath a rhythmically irregular and free melody provided by the cello. The mix of diatonic and octatonic elements allows for a multitude of possibilities concerning color and creates a sense of instability as the music moves in and out of "tonal function." In my opinion, this fifth movement is a perfect example of musical tension and release occurring in all the right places. After his release from the POW camp, Messiaen was appointed to teach at the Conservatoire and wrote a book about his compositional methods titled, “Technique de mon langage musical” (Technique of my musical language). Compositional techniques I have discussed here and others are explained in this valuable and fascinating treatise. There is always a vast amount of information to cover for any piece or composer. It’s hard to choose what to leave out! But, I hope this blog post serves as a sufficient intro to those unfamiliar with Messiaen and his Quartet or maybe an interesting tidbit or take to those already familiar with this piece.
References: Paul Griffiths. "Messiaen, Olivier." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 29 May. 2016. <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/18497>. Ross, Alex. "Revelations- The Story behind Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time."" New Yorker 22 Mar. 2004: n. pag. The New Yorker. 22 Mar. 2004. Web. 29 May 2016. <http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/03/22/revelations-2>.
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