Messiaen

• Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was a French composer, organist, and teacher
• Messiaen was not associated with Les Six, but was inspired by Debussy and the pre-Les Six tradition
• Messiaen had synaesthesia, which influenced his compositions
• Messiaen taught at the Schola Cantorum and the École Normale de Musique before and after World War II
• Messiaen aimed to break down the tyranny of the bar-line in his compositions
• Quartet for the End of Time (QftEoT) was composed in 1941 while Messiaen was a prisoner of war at Stalag VIIIA
• QftEoT was composed for a quartet of violin, clarinet, cello, and piano
• The first performance of QftEoT took place in the prisoner of war camp on January 15th, 1941
• The first movement of QftEoT is "Liturgie de cristal" and features bird sounds represented by clarinet and violin, and heaven represented by piano and cello
• The second movement is "Vocalise for the angel who announces the end of Time" and is closely related to the seventh movement
• The third movement is "Abîme des oiseaux" for solo clarinet, representing the abyss of time and the desire for freedom and salvation
• The fourth movement is "Intermède" for violin, clarinet, and cello, providing a contrast with more light-hearted and regular rhythms
• The fifth movement is "Praise to the eternity of Jesus" for cello and piano, magnifying the eternity of the Word
• The sixth movement is "Dance of fury, for the seven trumpets" and is rhythmically the most characteristic piece of the series
• The seventh movement is "Cluster of rainbows, for the angel who announces the end of Time" and is a development of the second movement
• The eighth movement is "Praise to the immortality of Jesus" for violin and piano, addressing Jesus the man and the Word made flesh