Distorting Time With Birdsong
In
this post we will continue looking at the first movement of Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du Temps 
(1941). Now
that we’ve looked at some of the dynamic and static elements of the first
movement, in this post we’ll look at examples of birdsong motives that Messiaen
uses to distort our perception of time. So not only is the piece about the end
of time in the sense of Christian eschatology (Messiaen was a Roman Catholic),
but the compositional techniques used also bring about the end time in the
sense of our ability to perceive
the passage of time.
(1941). Now
that we’ve looked at some of the dynamic and static elements of the first
movement, in this post we’ll look at examples of birdsong motives that Messiaen
uses to distort our perception of time. So not only is the piece about the end
of time in the sense of Christian eschatology (Messiaen was a Roman Catholic),
but the compositional techniques used also bring about the end time in the
sense of our ability to perceive
the passage of time. Frustration Is the Goal
First,
the syncopation created by the polyrhythm of the first movement hinders our
ability to perceive the passage of time. The variety of rhythmic values in the
cello and piano help frustrate our ability to perceive a clear rhythmic pulse
that is necessary for accurately perceiving the passage of time. Musicologist Clara Huston Bell suggests
that Messiaen fully intended “to abolish the equal and divisive durational time
of traditional [Western] music” and thereby suspend or bring about the end of
perceptible time in music.[i]
of the first movement hinders our
ability to perceive the passage of time. The variety of rhythmic values in the
cello and piano help frustrate our ability to perceive a clear rhythmic pulse
that is necessary for accurately perceiving the passage of time. Musicologist Clara Huston Bell suggests
that Messiaen fully intended “to abolish the equal and divisive durational time
of traditional [Western] music” and thereby suspend or bring about the end of
perceptible time in music.[i]
The Nature and Use of Birdsong
The
use of birdsong motives in the first movement also interferes with the
listener’s perception of time through the syncopation created by their
juxtaposition against concurrent rhythms.
These motives are used extensively in the first movement and recur in
subsequent movements with less prominence. Their inclusion in the first movement, especially in the
clarinet, help maintain the interest of the listener who becomes bored by the
relatively static processes of the piano and cello. (This is not to say, of course, that all audiences would be bored by a static texture. Take the avid fans of minimalists, for example). The birdsong examples do
not represent constant change, however, as they are frequently repeated. Similarities among birdsong examples
include the interval of the tritone, an interval that Messiaen uses extensively
in his music.[ii]
created by their
juxtaposition against concurrent rhythms.
These motives are used extensively in the first movement and recur in
subsequent movements with less prominence. Their inclusion in the first movement, especially in the
clarinet, help maintain the interest of the listener who becomes bored by the
relatively static processes of the piano and cello. (This is not to say, of course, that all audiences would be bored by a static texture. Take the avid fans of minimalists, for example). The birdsong examples do
not represent constant change, however, as they are frequently repeated. Similarities among birdsong examples
include the interval of the tritone, an interval that Messiaen uses extensively
in his music.[ii] Introducing the Avian Violin
The violin birdsong of the
first movement is written primarily in Messiaen’s Mode 3.[iii] While many of the birdsong examples are
repeated verbatim, the violin and clarinet also feature variation in birdsong
and the inclusion of non-birdsong transition material, thus producing change
over time and qualifying the violin and clarinet as dynamic elements of the
first movement.
and clarinet as dynamic elements of the
first movement.For the next post in this series, click here.
[ii] Ibid., 27.
[iii] Ibid., 73.
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