OLIVIER MESSIAEN

HIS MUSICAL LANGUAGE AND ,

LA NATIVITE DU SEIGNEUR

MUSICAL EXAMPLES AND STRUCTURAL DIAGRAMS FOR

A PRESENTATION TO THE ORGAN CLASS OF

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

14 NOVEMBER 1978

by

Thomas J. Mathiesen

Ill

Example 1. 11 0ieu parmi nous, .. m. 4.

Example 2. 11 Combat de la Mort et de la Vie 11

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Example 3. Modes of Limited Transposition. I -=c

\J mode 2

- 2 -

Example 3 cont 1 d.

mode 4

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~~ & 0 a

.. _mode 6 mode 7

u fi1j ;j}. ;;iII.. Po ijo ~a ijo i(, a lz: ij 0 g a : II

Example 4. Mode 2, chord row.

- 3 -

Example 6. "La Vierge et l'_Enfant," mm. 16-18.

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Example 7. 11 Les Bergers, 11 section themes.

A section

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Example 8. 11 Le Verbe, 11 mm. 1-2 and mm. 8-11.

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Example 9. "Le Verbe, 11 mm. 26-27.

Example 10. "Le Verbe, 11 mm. 31-32;

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Example 11. "Les Enfants de Dieu," mm. 1-2.

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Example 12. "Les Enfants de Dieu," mm. 27-28.

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· Example 13. "Les Enfants de Dieu," mm. 39-40.

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Example 14. 11 les Anges, 11 mm. 1-3.

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Example 15. 11 les Anges, 11 mm. 36-37.

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Example 16. 11 Les Anges, 11 mm. 42-45.

-- - ----- ------------.

- 10 -

Example 17. "Les Anges," m. 49.

Example 18. "Jesus accepte la souffrance," mm. 1-2 .

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Example 19. "Les f~ages," mm. 1-2.

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Example 20. 11 Dieu parmi nous, 11 mm. 1-8.

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Example 21. 11 Di eu parmi no us, 11 mm. 31-32.

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Example 22. 11 Dieu parmi nous, 11 mm. 59-62.

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Structural patterns in La Nativit~ du Seigneur

I. A section: aabb 1 a 1 a 1 b1 +8 free bars (ABA)

I I. A section: 2+2+2+2+1 +1 (ABC) B section: chant des oiseaux C section: ,aabcsp.ab,d (bracket represents peda 1)

IV. C section: abbcdc 1 d 1 b111 amen 11

V. A section: 2+2+3+2+2+3+2+2+2+6 B section: 2+2+2+2+2+2 C section: 5+6

(ABC)

(ABC)

~----------~~ ~. --------~ ~----------~

VII. A section: 2+3+2+4+2+1 B section: 1+1+2+1+2 A section: 2+3+6

VIII. A section: 2+2+4+17 A1 section: 2+2+4+18+6(coda)

IX. A section 1-30 B section 31-58 C section 59-103

(ABA)

(AA I)

(ABC)

IIIII

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CHAPTE.H

CHAPTEH

CHAPTER

CHAPTEH

CHAPTEH

CHAPTER

CHAPTER

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION TO THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION.

PREF.t!CE .•••............•.••..

I. - THE CJJARU OF IMPOSSIBILITIES AND THE RE:LATION OF TilE: DIFFE:RE:NT SUBJECT MATTERS.

II. - RAGAV.t1RDII.'1NA,HlNDU RHYTHM. 1) .1meirical.Music . . . . . . • . . • 2) Ragavardllana . . • • . . . . • . •

III. -RHYTHMS WITH ADDED VALUES. 1) Added Value . . • . • . ~ . . . 2) Use of the Added Value . ....• 3) Rhythmic Preparations and De.~cents. 4) Relation to Added Noles. . . . . .

IV: - AUG11JENTE:D OR DIMINISIIE:D RHYTHMS AND TA.BLE: OF

7

13

14 u u

16 16 16 .17 17

THESE RHYTH1'.tS. . . . . . . . 18. 1) Augmented or Diminished Rhytluns . .•..• , . . . . . . . . . 18 2) Addition and Withdrawal of the Dot. . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . 18 3) A Table of Some Forms of Augmentation or Diminution of a Rhytlun. 18 4) Inexact Augmentations: . . . . . . 19

V. - NONRETROGRADABLE RHYTHMS. 20 1) Retrograde Rhytluns . . . . . . . . 20 2) Nonretrogradable Rhytluns. . . . . . . 20 3) Relation of Nonretrogradable Rhytluns and Modes of' Limited Tran.~-

positions . . . . . :·· . . ·, . . . . . . . · • . . . . . . . . . 21

VI.- POLYRHYTHM AND RHYTHMIC PEDALS . .... · ..... 1) Superposition of Rhythms of Unequal Length . •.......... 2) Superposition of a Rhythm upon Its Different Forms of Augmentation

and Diminution . . . . . . . . . . • . . . 3) Superposition of a Rhythm upon Its .Retrograde. 4) Rhytlunic Canons. . . . . . . • • • 5) Canon by the Addition of the Dot . . • 6) Canon of Nonretrogradable Rhytluns .. 7) Rhytlunic Pedal. • • • • •

VII. - RHl'THMIC NOTATIONS. 1) First Notation. • 2) Second Notation. ·. 3) Third Notation . • • 4) Fourth Notation. 5) Some Metrical Rhytluns •

22 22

23 23 24 25 26 26

28 28 28 29 30

-10-

SHAf'TE!t VIII. - MELODY AND MELODIC CONTOURS. 31 31 31 32 33 J.j

1) Intervals . • • . 2) 1\1 elodic Contours. .~) Folk Songs. . 4) Plainchant. . • 5) Hindu Ragas.

CHAPTER IX. -BIRD SONG ..

CHAPTER X. -- MELODIC DEVELOPMENT. 35 35 35 36

CHAPTER

CHAPTEH

1) Elimination • . . . 2) lntervrrsion of Notes 3) Change of Register.

XI.-- SONG-SENTENCE, BINARY AND TERNARY SENTENCES. 1) Song-Sentence . 2) Commentary. . . 3) Binary Sentence . ,/.) Ternary Sentence. 5) List of Melodic Periods.

XII. -FUGUE, SONATA, PLAINCHr1NT FORMS. 1) Fugue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2) Sonaia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3) Development of Three Themes, Preparing a Fina. lssued from the First. 4) Variations of the First Theme, Separated by Developments of the Second. 5) Plainchant Forms . . . 6) Psalmody and Vocalise. 7) lCyrie . . 8) Sequence . . . . . . .

37 37 38 3S 38 39

40 40 .JO

41 42

44 45 .J5 46

CHAPTER XHl. - HARA.fONY, DEBUSSY, ADDED NOTES. 47 47 47 48 48

1) Added Notes . ....•........ 2) Added Sixth and 1ldded Augmented Fourth. 3) Relation of Added Noles and Added Values. 4) Use of 1ldded Notes. . . . . . . . .· . . :

CHAPTER XIV. - SPECIAL CHORDS, CLUSTERS OF CHORDS, AND A LIST OF

CHAPTER

CONNECTJONS OF CHORDS . .50 J) The Chord on the Dominant. 50 2) The Chord of Resonance. 50

3) The Chord in Fourths. 50 4) Eflecls of Resonance . . 51 5) Clusters of Chords. . . 51 6) A Look at Other Styles. 52 7) Natural Harmony ... 8) . .4 List of Connections of Chords.

XV. -ENLARGEMENT OF FOREIGN NOTES, UPBEATS AND TER-

52 53

1HINt1TJONS. . . . 55 1) The Pedal Group. . . • . 55 2) The Passing Group. . . . 56 3) The Embellishment Group. 56 4) Upbeats and Terminations. 'sa

CHAPTER XVI.

-11-

- ~.1WOES OF LIMITED TRANSPOSITIONS. 1) 1'1ttory o{ lhe Modes of Limited Transpositions. 2) First .\lode of Limited Transpositions. . 3) Srrond Mode of I...imilerl Transpositions. 4) Third Mode of I~imited Transpositions. 6) Modes :l, ,$, 6, and 7. 6) Relation of 1\Jodes of Limiifd Trampo.sitions and Nonrclrogradable

Rhythms • • . •.

58 58 59 59 60 61

62

CHAPTER XVII. - AIODULATJONS OF THESE ,\!ODES AND THEIR RELA1'ION TO TilE MAJOR TONctl.ITY. . . 64 1) Relation to the Major Tonality . . . . . 64 2) .Afodulation of a Mode to Itself. . . • . 65 3) Modulation of a .~.Hode to Another Mode. 65

CHAPTER XVIII. -RELATION OF THESE MODES TO MODAl., ATONAL, POI ... Y-TONAL, .1ND QUARTER-TONE l'.JUSIC. 67

CHAPTER XIX. - POLY MODALITY. . • • 68 1) Two Superposed .l't1 odes • 68 2) Three Modes Superposed 69 3) Polymodal Modulation . • 69

I CATALOGUE OF WORKS. • . • • • • • • 71

I •

CHAPTER I

The Charm of Impossibilities and the Relation of the Different Subject Matters

Knowing that music is a language, we shall seek at first to make . melody " speak. " The melody is the point of departure. May it remain

sovereign I And whatever may be the complexities of our rhythms and our

harmonies, they shall not draw it along in their wake, but, on the contrary, shall

obey it as faithful servants; the harmony especially shall always remain the

" true, " which exists in a latent state in the melody, has always been the out­

come of it. We shall not reject the old rules of harmony and of form; let us

remember them constantly, whether to observe them, or to augment them, or to

add to them some others still older (those of plainchant and Hindu rhythmics) or

more recent (those suggested by Debussy and all contemporary music). One

point will attract our attention at the outset : the charm of impossibilities. It is

a glistening music we seek, giving to the aural sense voluptuously refined plea­

sures. At the same time, this music should be able to express some noble senti­

ments (and especially the most noble of all, the religious sentiments exalted by

the theology and the truths of our Catholic faith). This charm, at once volup­

tuous and contemplative, resides particularly in certain mathematical impossi­

bilities of the modal and rhythmic domains. Modes which cannot be transposed

beyond a certain number of transpositions, because one always falls again into

the same notes; rhythms which cannot be used in retrograde, because in such a

case one finds the same order of values again - these are two striking impossi­

~ilities. We shall study them at the end of Chapter V (" Nonretrogradable

Rhythms") and in Chapter XVI ("Modes of Limited Transpositions"). Immedia­

tely one notices the analogy of these two impossibilities and how they complement

one another. the rhythms realizing in the horizontal direction (retrogradation)

what the modes realize in the vertical direction. (transposition). After this first

relation, there is another between values added to rhythms and notes added to

chords (Chapter III : " Rhythms with Added Values "; Chapter XIII : " Har­

lUOny, Debussy, Added Notes "). Finally, we superpose our rhythms (Chap­

ter VI : " Polyrhythm and Rhythmic Pedals "); we also superpose our modes

(Chapter XIX : " Polymodality ").

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Ce morceau utilise un mode de ~auteurs (36 sons), de valeurs (24 dun~es), d'attaques ( 12 atta­

ques), et d'intensites (7 nuances). 11 est entierement ecrit dans le mode.

Attaques: > 1 ' 2 3 4

.---....... 5

> ::> > .---....... y • - ••• 6 7 8 9 10 11

(avec l'attaque normale, sans signe, cela fait 12 .)

Intensites: ppp pp p mf I If fff 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Sons: Le mode se partage en 3 Divisions ou ensembles melodiques de 12 sons, s'etendant cha­

cun sur plusieurs octaves, et croises entre eux. To us les sons de meme nom son t differents

comme hauteur, comme valeur, et comme intensite.

Valeurs:

Division I: durees chromatiques de 1 ~ a 12 ~ (~ I~ I ~. I~

a 12 ~ ( ~ , I P ;, I P . · I r Division II: durees chromatiques de 1

~ Division III: durees chromatiques de 1 p a 12 ~ ( p I r I r. II

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Au total 24 durees: ~ I ~ I p · I ~ 1 2 3 4

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0 -t 1 ° 1· I 0

•

13 u 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Voici le mode: 8--------

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(Ia Division I est utili see dans la portee superieure du Piano)

(la Division II est utilisee dans la portee me diane du Piano)

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ff Iff '-.__/ 8-----~ (Ia Division III est utilisee dans la portee inferieure du Piano) Iff