In
this post we again return to a discussion of how Messiaen creates the “end of
time” by confusing our ability to clearly perceive the passage of time as we
listen to his Quatuor pour la fin du Temps.
Using
Barlines
In
the third movement of Quatuor,
Messiaen uses barlines to delimit segments and neutralize accidentals rather
than indicate meter.[1] Sections of the clarinet solo, “Abime
des oiseaux,” may be generalized as belonging to either the slow and melancholy
or birdsong material.
The
Suspension of Time
The
formal structure of this movement may be described as a ternary form with
codetta. Messiaen’s asymmetrical
additive rhythms combined with an extremely slow tempo in the A sections help
to create a sense of the suspension of time by eliminating the possibility of
perceiving a clear rhythmic pulse by which we would gauge how much time has passed.
Structural
Anchors
Yet
despite this suspension of time, three instances of a sustained crescendo on
the sounding pitch E5 serve as structural anchors. These occur at the beginning
of the B section in measure 13, in the middle of the B section at measure 20,
and initiating the codetta in measure 41.
Each occurrence of this prolonged crescendo precedes a sudden tempo
change to a significantly faster tempo and the return to birdsong
material. Melodic pitch content
may be classified as belonging to Messiaen's Mode 2.
To read the next post in this series, click here.
[1] Clara Huston
Bell, Olivier Messiaen (Boston: Twayne
Publishers, 1984), 27.
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