Unpublished assignment of Messiaen studies.
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pp. 5-8
“It is a glistening music we seek, giving to the aural sense voluptuously refined pleasures.”[i] On one hand, Messiaen’s notion about music were rather similar to Debussy’s: “fantasy of the senses” or the Gallic old ideal of art, which was “ to charm, to entertain, and to serve”[ii]. The sense of voluptuously refined pleasure can be produced by the charm of impossibilities - in Messiaen’s phrase - “this charm, at once voluptuous and contemplative, resides particularly in certain mathematical impossibilities of the modal and rhythmic domains”[iii].
On the other hand, he also required the music to be an expression of some noble sentiments. “At the same time, this music should be able to express some noble sentiments (and especially the most noble of all, the religious sentiments exalted by the theology and the truths of our Catholic faith).”[iv] Messiaen’s sentiment with respect to his music was represented clearly and firmly in his writing. For him, a true music is:
…a true music, that is to say, spiritual, a music which may be an act of faith; a music which may touch upon all subjects without ceasing to touch upon God; an original music, in short, whose language may open a few doors, take down some yet distant stars,… to express with a lasting power our darkness struggling with the Holy Spirit, to raise upon the mountain the doors of our prison of flesh, to give to our century the spring water for which it thirsts, there shall have to be a great artist who will be both a great artisan, and a great Christian.[v]
It was rather uncommon[vi] the sentiment Messiaen had of being an artist and musician, but it was very characteristic of him and probably the least argued point. Nevertheless, the sentiment is the supremacy over all the following techniques. All the languages, techniques, and whatever are combined, will have to follow this sentiment, because the sentiment is the end, and the technique is merely the means.
Realizing Messiaen’s concept of music was very different from the one Schoenberg had: “There is only one greatest goal toward which the artist strives: to express himself.”[vii]. Furthermore, the similarities between Messiaen and Cage’s philosophies could not be dismissed.
The emphasis in European art since the Renaissance had been on the individuality of the creator. A number of twentieth-century artists – Stravinsky, for one – had already espoused the view that the continual striving for self-expression and originality at all costs was ultimately inimical to art, since it subjugated the artist to his own egoism. As an adherent of both Zen and Hindu philosophy, Cage could not but frown on the ‘cult of personality’ so indigenous to our Western, highly competitive society. “ ‘Art’ and ‘music,’ when anthropocentric (involved in self-expression) seem trivial,” he declared, ‘and lacking in urgency to me.’ He was tuning back to the medieval conception of a depersonalized anonymous art in which the individual work existed apart from its creator…[viii]
Even more interesting, it said “…traditional in India, that the purpose of music is ‘to quiet the mind, thus making it susceptible to divine influences.’ ”.[ix] There, the greatest spirit either could be interpreted as the ‘theology and the truths of our Catholic faith’ or the ‘divine influences’, was taking the highest authority in the concept.[1]
Apart from his religion, there were reflections of other influences, such as the humility and impartiality[x] from history study, the sensibility and passion of literature from his parents[xi], the synesthetic[xii] ability[2], and the blessing of not[xiii] having perfect pitch[3].
Starting the practice example, the sentiment would be set not exactly follow Messiaen’s concept due to the beliefs and the inspiration from the religion are not quite the same. Nonetheless, it would not against it. Assuming the sentiment of this practice is ‘music is to be the act of transferring the energy between impulse and repose forms’ based on the concept of ‘conservation of energy’. There then would be an established supremacy over the following techniques in this practice, like there was a one in his music.
[1] The concept of music is also similar to the Chinese philosophy about music, too. “According to Confucius, great music is in harmony with universe, restoring order to the physical world through that harmony.”
Gordon Epperson, “Music, Art of.” The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th ed. Warren E. Preece (London: Encyclopædia Britannica, 1978), XII, pp. 662-663.
[2] For Messiaen’s, it is seeing colour when heard a sound (not the other way around).
[3] In that case, he was able to be fully awake to hear the richness produced by the overtones of the foundation note when he heard a sound.
[i] Olivier Messiaen, Technique de mon Langage Musical, trans. John Stterfield (Paris: Leduc, 1944), p. 13.
[ii] Joseph Machlis, Introduction to Contemporary Music, 2nd ed. (New York: Norton, 1979), p. 87.
[iii] Olivier Messiaen, Technique de mon Langage Musical, trans. John Stterfield (Paris: Leduc, 1944), p. 13.
[iv] Olivier Messiaen, Technique de mon Langage Musical, trans. John Stterfield (Paris: Leduc, 1944), p. 13.
[v] Olivier Messiaen, Technique de mon Langage Musical, trans. John Stterfield (Paris: Leduc, 1944), p. 8.
[vi] Joseph Machlis, Introduction to Contemporary Music, 2nd ed. (New York: Norton, 1979), p. 469.
[vii] Joseph Machlis, Introduction to Contemporary Music, 2nd ed. (New York: Norton, 1979), p. 137.
[viii] Joseph Machlis, Introduction to Contemporary Music, 2nd ed. (New York: Norton, 1979), p. 500 -501.
[ix] Joseph Machlis, Introduction to Contemporary Music, 2nd ed. (New York: Norton, 1979), p. 501.
[x] Olivier Messiaen, Technique de mon Langage Musical, trans. John Stterfield (Paris: Leduc, 1944), p. 8.
[xi] Paul Griffiths, Olivier Messiaen and the Music of Time, (London: Faber, 1989), pp. 19-21.
[xii] Paul Griffiths, “Catalogue de Couleurs: Notes on Messiaen’s tone colours on his 70th birthday,” Musical Time, (London: Musical time, 1978), CXIX, p. 1035.
[xiii] Peter Hill, “Piano Music I,” The Messiaen Companion, ed. Peter Hill (London: Faber, 1994), pp. 73-76.
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