Page 284 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained
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NEVER WAS I LISTENED
TO WITH SUCH RAPT
ATTENTION AND
COMPREHENSION
QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME (1940),
OLIVIER MESSIAEN
arly in his career, Olivier “modes of limited transposition,”
IN CONTEXT Messiaen espoused a such as the whole-tone scale, which
E musical style that embraced can only be transposed up a tone
FOCUS sensuality in music, forming a before the same sequence of notes
Spiritual music in the group called La Jeune France recurs. Messiaen had studied at the
20th century
(Young France) with several other Paris Conservatoire with a series of
BEFORE young composers, in opposition to brilliant teachers who inspired him
1938 Devout Catholic Francis the neoclassicism of Stravinsky to explore Greek and Hindu modes,
Poulenc’s Four Penitential and others who looked back to while also instilling in him sound
Motets marks the composer’s 18th-century works for inspiration. principles of harmony, counterpoint,
return to sacred music. While Messiaen’s music was and composition, and encouraging
imbued with references to his his gift for improvisation.
AFTER Roman Catholic faith, his style was
1962 Benjamin Britten’s avant-garde. He experimented both Apocalyptic inspiration
War Requiem combines the with rhythm and what he termed Within a year of the outbreak of
antiwar poems of Wilfred World War II, Messiaen was taken
Owen with the traditional as a prisoner of war and held at a
form of the Requiem Mass. camp in Silesia (now in Poland).
Among his fellow inmates, he found
1971 British composer Sir three professional musicians, a
John Tavener writes Celtic clarinetist, violinist, and cellist,
Requiem, an early example My faith is the grand drama whose talents he could combine
of his many religious works of my life. I’m a believer, so I with his own piano keyboard skills.
embodying a sense of sing words of God … I give Embracing this rare instrumental
timelessness. bird songs to those who combination, Messiaen wrote his
dwell in cities … and Quartet for the End of Time, which
1981 Polish composer Henryk paint colors for those premiered in the camp itself.
Górecki writes Totus Tuus to who see none. The composer’s deep Christian
celebrate Pope John Paul II’s Olivier Messiaen beliefs are clearly indicated in his
third official visit to his extensive Preface to the score,
native Poland. which includes quotations from
the Book of Revelation. Its title
was a homage to the Angel of
the Apocalypse, who raises his
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