The Turangalila-Symphonie is filled with a number of recurring melodies, chords, and rhythms which span all ten movements. Messiaen identifies four of them in the score -- the "Statue Theme", the "Flower Theme", the "Love Theme", and the "Chord Theme". There are also a couple of other recurring ideas which will be discussed here.
The notion of recurring themes also plays a prominent role in his major piano work Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (tr. Twenty Contemplations on the Birth of Jesus), written just a few years earlier. In fact, both works contain a "Love Theme" and a "Chord Theme" which are similar.
This theme is described by the composer as brutal and oppressive. In its original form, it is played by the trombones in 3rds. Messiaen grew up in Grenoble, France and was impressed by the awe-inspiring, imposing, and almost terrifying presence of the towering French Alps. Many of his more terrifying themes are clearly influenced by this environment.
The "Statue Theme" in the most primitive of its many guises (also referred to by the composer in the score as the 1st cyclic theme).
The "Statue Theme" plays a particularly important role in the 5th movement, where it is transformed into a frenetic cosmic dance (shown in my analysis of the 5th movement).
As heard in the 1st movement:
As heard in the 4th movement (looming brass entrance at around 15 seconds into the clip):
As heard in the 5th movement:
As heard in the 7th movement (around 6 seconds into the clip):
As heard in the 8th movement (occurs as a brass canon at around 10 seconds into the clip and then plainly 1 minute in) :
The antithesis/foil of the ominous "Statue Theme". It is quiet and gentle. Messiaen likens it to a blossoming flower. Out of the four cyclic themes identified by the composer, it seems to play a significantly smaller role. The first two measures are played by two clarinets and the third measure is played by flute/bassoon. It appears most frequently in the 8th movement.
The "Flower Theme" (also referred to by the composer in the score as the 2nd cyclic theme).
Messiaen says that this is the most important of the four cyclic themes he identifies. While the theme itself doesn't occur until the slow 6th movement, variations of the theme play significant roles in the 2nd and 4th movements. It is played both quietly (in the 6th movement) and with full-force (in the 8th and 10th movements). Usually accompanied by garish and colorful harmonies.
The full "Love Theme" is heard in the 6th, 8th, and 10th movements (also referred to by the composer in the score as the 3rd cyclic theme).
As heard in the 6th movement:
As heard in the 8th movement as a fragment:
As heard in the 8th movement as an "explosion" (begins at 11 seconds in the clip):
As heard in the 10th movement (begins at 18 seconds in the clip):
A variation of the "Love Theme" heard in the 2nd movement, played by the saccharine sounds of strings and ondes-Martinot.
Another variation of the "Love Theme", played passionately in the second trio of the 4th movement.
This is the most elusive of the four cyclic themes identified, but it is probably the most common. It is a simple chain of four highly dissonant chords, each containing seven pitches.
The "Chord Theme" (also referred to by the composer in the score as the 4th cyclic theme). It is usually (but not always) played by the piano.
The "Chord Theme" seems to form a harmonic basis of the work and likely appears in every movement, but I have only been able to locate it in the 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, and 10th movements.
One of Messiaen's many musical fixations was Indian rhythms (often referred to as "talas", although I admit that I have been using that term too loosely). He collected a series of ancient Indian rhythms and often used them as what he called a "rhythmic pedal" -- that is, a series of repetitions played over other material. Three talas which he seemed to be particularly fond of are the Ragavardhana, the Candrakala, and the Lakskmica. Not only that, but he specifically liked the result when the three were juxtaposed in that order, hence the title of the theme. It occurs in several of his early works, including Quatour pour le Fin du Temps (tr. Quartet for the End of Time), Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus (tr. Twenty Contemplations on the Birth of Jesus), and Visions de l'Amen (tr. Visions of the Amen).
The Ragavardhana-Candrakala-Lakskmica Juxtaposition plays a major role in Messiaen's music.
Like his student, the maverick German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, Messiaen had a strong dislike of steady pulses. This rhythm is used to keep a beat, however unsteady. Within the Turangalila-Symphonie, the theme occurs in the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth movements (and perhaps more that I have yet to find). The Ragavardhana and Lakskmica also appear independently in the first movement (shown in my analysis of the 1st movement).
As heard in the 4th movement (played clearly by woodblock starting at 4 seconds into the clip):
As heard in the 5th movement (very difficult to pick out, but it played by the cymbal and triangle):
As heard in the 7th movement (again very difficult to pick out among the cacophony, but it is played by the piano where the two hands are in a rhythmic canon):
As heard in the 10th movement (played clearly by woodblock and cymbal from the start):
Before even listening this movement, the title "Joie du Sang des Etoiles" ("Joy of the Blood of the Stars") makes it clear as to what kind of music we are about to hear. In volume II of Messiaen's seven-volume Traite de Rythme, de Couleur, et d'Ornithologie, the composer freely admits is excessive and over-indulgent, yet he argues that this is necessary to convey a sense of unbridled joy and enthusiasm.
Structurally, the movement can be divided into three parts and a coda. Part 1 introduces the main theme, part 2 is a rhythmic development of the "Statue Theme", and part 3 is basically a reappearance of part 1. A piano cadenza (based off of the "Statue Theme", of course) links part 3 and a short coda. Part 2 is the most complex and will be divided into four subsections which we will call 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D.
Blogger hates me and won't show the score right-side up (yes, I tried uploading an upside-down image as well and that didn't work either), but this is the first two pages of part 2A (with my notes). Try right-clicking "view image" to see if it will display properly.
PART 1
The movement opens up immediately with the main theme of the movement, which is to be repeated many times (a music critic I know likes to say "If you hear something you like in this symphony, don't worry -- you'll hear it again!").
At first listen, the melody seems to be a little bit cheesy -- unabashedly tonal in the key of D-flat major, lots of "vulgar" major chords with added 6ths, and an over-the-top orchestration. However, upon closer inspection it becomes clear that the melody is actually a transformation of the "Statue Theme"! By transposing the brutal "Statue Theme" and placing it on a rhythm in 3/16 time, he turns it into a frenetic cosmic dance. The first audio clip below shows how the "Statue Theme" is harmonically transformed (we hear the original theme followed by its transformation). The second clip is as it is heard in the fifth movement. From here on, we will refer to this transformed theme as the "Joyous Theme".
PART 2A (Rehearsal Nos. 14-21)
While part 1 is a lot of fun, part 2 is where things get interesting and where Messiaen uses his arsenal of compositional techniques -- rhythmic characters, retrograde, systematic transposition, non-retrogradable rhythms, and more. Click here for a diagram of the processes in part 2. An audio clip of the beginning of the part is below.
Note: For the diagrams in this
section, one minor (thin) grid line is equal to one sixteenth note.
Since it is in 3/16 time and there are three minor grid lines per major
(thick) grid line, each major grid line represents one measure.
Try and make a few observations on your own before reading any further (part of the fun of this piece is finding new patterns). In particular, what do you notice between the top part (rehearsal numbers 14-21) and the bottom part (rehearsal numbers 25-32)? Look carefully -- paying attention to the violin and ondes-Martinot parts makes it more obvious. Also, can you find any examples of rhythmic characters? Any examples of non-retrogradable rhythms?
Cells 1, 2, & 3: Brass Groups "A", "B", and "C"
Instruments: 4 French horns, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, Chinese cymbal, suspended cymbal, glockenspiel, celesta
Cells 1, 2, and 3 are the heart of this section. This is a rhythmic development of the "Statue Theme" (the original theme, not the transformed theme demonstrated above) using the idea of rhythmic characters. We notice two things immediately. The most obvious is that the cells sound in the same order each time (i.e. first we have the green block, then the blue block, and then the red block). The other thing that we notice is that on each iteration, Messiaen changes the durations of the green and blue blocks (representing cells 1 and 2, respectively). For instance, follow the green blocks and count the length of the black spaces in each one. On its first appearance we have 4-1-4. Next we have 5-2-5, then 6-3-6, etc. The rhythm is expanded by one sixteenth note on each iteration. If we do the same for the blue blocks, we can see that we start at 8-4-8, then go to 7-3-7, then 6-2-6, etc. The red blocks more or less remain constant.
The collective brass parts (left) juxtaposed with their respective rhythmic diagrams (right). Click on image to enlarge.
Part 2A ends after group B cannot possibly be contracted any more (the smallest duration is one sixteenth note) triggering group C to seemingly panic in the form of a long non-retrogradable rhythm, leading into part 2B.
Cells 4 & 5: Woodwinds, Strings, and Piano
Instruments: Piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2nd violins (divisi), violas (divisi), solo piano
Cell 4 is the "Statue Theme" played by a combination of woodwinds and strings. The first two notes are played by piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, and two clarinets. The following two notes are played by divisi 2nd violins and violas. The last three notes are played by 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, and 2 bassoons. On each iteration the set of pitches is transposed down a half-step except for the last two notes, which remain at the same pitches. This is an example of what we will call "systematic transposition".
The "Statue Theme" undergoing systematic transposition in cell 4. Click on image to enlarge.
Cell 5 is the "Statue Theme" played by the solo piano and runs just one sixteenth note behind cell 4 (this can clearly be seen on the diagram -- look at the purple and yellow blocks). On each iteration the set of pitches is transposed up a half-step except for the first two notes, which remain at the same pitches.
The "Statue Theme" undergoing a different systematic transposition in cell 5, lagging one sixteenth note behind cell 4. Click on image to enlarge.
Cells 6 & 7: Solo violin and ondes-Martinot
Instruments: 1st violin solo, ondes-Martinot
In an unusual orchestration decision, Messiaen has a single violinist playing its own line among a densely-scored section. He pairs it with the ondes-Martinot and the two instruments toss a series of trills and glissandos back-and-forth (actually, the violin has discrete notes -- not glissandos -- but they serve the same purpose as the glissandos in the ondes-Martinot).
While there isn't much to discuss here, it does provide a framework for the entire section. Furthermore, it makes it a little bit clearer that parts 2A and 2C are nearly mirror images of each other.
PART 2B (Rehearsal Nos. 21-25)
In part 2B (referred to in the diagram as "first glimpse of main theme") we hear a return of the "Joyous Theme" accompanied by what appears to be chaos in the extreme upper and lower registers of the orchestra.
The "Statue Theme" is played frenetically in repeated groups of seven 16th-notes at a dynamic of forte (fortissimo for the solo piano). Upon each repetition, the two outermost-notes on each end are transposed down a half-step (leaving the central three notes untransposed). On the sixth repetition, the entire cycle begins again with all of the notes (including the central three notes) transposed up a half-step.
The first six repetitions of the "Statue Theme" in cell 1, showing a systematic transposition. After repeating itself five times, the cycle starts again with all of the notes transposed up a half-step. Click on image to enlarge.
In case you are still having trouble believing that this is actually the same "stone-cold" theme that first appeared in the 1st movement, try listening to this slowed-down audio clip to convince yourself:
The orchestration is particularly clever in that Messiaen uses the upper and lower registral extremes of the orchestra. The use of high instruments (piccolo, flutes, celesta, glockenspiel, right-hand piano) contributes to a "glitter" effect, whereas the use of low instruments (bass clarinet, bassoons, left-hand piano, cellos, basses) gives the heavy feeling of frenetic, joyous stomping.
Cell 2: The Joyous Theme
Instruments: 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba, ondes-Martinot, violins, violas
Cell 2 re-introduces the main "Joyous Theme" of the 5th movement. Another interesting effect is obtained here. While Messiaen has the accompanying "Statue" theme in group 1 playing forte/fortissimo, he instructs the main theme in group 2 to play piano up until the 17th measure of the section, giving a feeling of order emerging from chaos. This section is particularly interesting because the composer has the original "Statue Theme" playing in cell 1 at the same time that the transformed theme is being played in cell 2.
The return of the "Joyous Theme" in the context of E major. Click on image to enlarge.
Cell 3: The Râgavardhana-Candrakalâ-Lakskmîça Juxtaposition
The Râgavardhana-Candrakalâ-Lakskmîça juxtaposition, notated in the context of 3/16 time. Click on image to enlarge.
PART 2C (Rehearsal Nos. 25-32)
Part 2C is mostly the retrograde (i.e. "reverse") of part 2A, although it is transposed up 1/2-step. However, you refer to the diagram of part 2 it can be seen that Messiaen adds a second layer in the brass section which plays exactly what was played in part 2A. This is going on as the original layer is playing its retrograde.
Parts of the score eight measures before part 2B and eight measures after part 2B, clearly showing that part 2C is the retrograde of part 2A (though it is transposed up 1/2-step). Click on image to enlarge.
The idea of literally retrograding a score is not a new idea that Messiaen invented, even though it fits perfectly into his style of composition. A famous example of this occurs in the central section of Alban Berg's Chamber Concerto for Violin, Piano, and 13 Wind Instruments (1923). In the slow 2nd movement, he puts the ensemble in reverse. Berg even instructed the publisher of the concerto to arrange the pages around this section so that the central axis runs through the center of the page, thus clearly displaying the compositional device!
PART 2D (Rehearsal Nos. 32-38)
This is more or less the same as part 2B except it is in a different key and it is transposed mid-way through. All three of the layers of part 2B are present here. This leads into a transition to part 3.
PART 3
Part 3 is a return of the "Joyous Theme" as it was played in part 1. After being repeated twice, we hear two ecstatic swoops from the ondes-Martinot which leads into a short (yet impressive) impressive piano cadenza. The movement ends with a return of the "Statue Theme" and a massive chord -- D-flat major with an added sixth.
These saccharine indulgences in which Messiaen partakes makes it a little clearer as to why his student Pierre Boulez once called the symphony "brothel music". Of course, one can't help but wonder what kind of brothels Boulez frequented (though I think it is best not to dwell on it, don't you?).
The first movement can be divided into two sections that are linked by a piano cadenza. The first part introduces some of the main ideas of the symphony and the second part is a complex juxtaposition of cells which repeat in a ruthless, mechanical fashion. While the first part is important because of the presentation of two cyclic themes, this post is mostly concerned with the construction of the second part.
PART 1
Messiaen claims that the symphony is "a love song and a hymn to joy", but it certainly doesn't seem like that based off of the opening of the work! After a brief introduction, we hear the first of the four cyclic themes identified by the composer -- the stone-cold "Statue Theme", which is usually played by the brass. It is accompanied by a shriek from the strings and a piano trill in the upper register that brings to mind bones rattling in a crypt:
We also hear the contrasting "Flower Theme" played gently by two clarinets.
A virtuosic piano cadenza leads into part 2.
PART 2
Pierre Boulez once said in a video interview that French composers don't know how to develop music like German composers, so they simply repeat the same thing. Messiaen takes this to the extreme in part 2 of the introduction. In order to better understand exactly what is going on here, I made several diagrams showing the juxtaposition of cells, or "talas". Click here to see a visualization of this entire section (make sure to zoom in!). Here is what it sounds like:
Pretty crazy, huh? It is important to understand that this section is just a series of different talas repeated. In a way, Messiaen is acting like a watchmaker. He carefully crafts each cell, puts them together, and lets them run on their own. Let's look at each of the different talas that contribute to this "machine-gone-haywire" sound.
Note: For the diagrams in this section, one minor (thin) grid line is equal to one sixteenth note. Since it is in 2/4 time and there are eight minor grid lines per major (thick) grid line, each major grid line represents one measure.
My copy of the score (with annotations I made for preparing this little write-up) showing the first two pages of part 2 of the first movement. Click on image to enlarge.
Cell 1: Woodwinds
Instruments: 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets in Bb, 1 bass clarinet in Bb
The rhythm of cell 1 is the Hindu rhythm cycle Lakskmica (each small green block is one rhythm cycle), played with a cycle of 14 dense chords based off of mode 6.4 (each large red block is one chord cycle).
Cell 1, played by woodwinds with dense chords. Click on image to enlarge.
A chord cycle of 14 chords (numbered in diagram) is placed on the rhythm cycle of 4 notes (also numbered in diagram). Notice what happens on the 4th green block -- the chord cycle begins again, but this time it starts on the 3rd note of the rhythm cycle. This is because 14 cannot be divided by 4 without a remainder. After the chord cycle repeats a second time, we can see that the next note (not shown). This happens after 7 complete rhythm cycles and 2 complete chord cycles -- 28 notes total. This isn't surprising because 28 is the least common multiple of 4 and 14.
The rhythm of cell 2 is the Hindu rhythm cycle Ragavardhana (each small blue block is one rhythm cycle), played with a cycle of 13 chords based off of mode 4.4 (each large red block is one chord cycle).
Cell 2, played by strings with dense chords. Click on image to enlarge.
This is pretty much the same story as cell 1, except the least common multiple is larger so it takes the chord and rhythm cycles longer to re-synchronize.
Cell 3: Side Drum
In this cell, Messiaen uses his love of non-retrogradable rhythms. Simply put, a non-retrogradable rhythm is a rhythm which reads the same left-to-right as it does. This is the rhythmic equivalent of palindromic words such as "wow", or phrases such as "Rise to vote, sir." He creates a rhythmic cell constructed by the juxtaposition of four non-retrogradable sub-cells. Each of the four sub-cells has a center (a "nucleus") which is accented (played louder than the other notes).
The four sub-cells used to construct cell 3. Notice how each sub-cell can be symmetrically divided about a central axis. Click on image to enlarge.
Cell 3, which is just the four sub-cells from above juxtaposed. Click on image to enlarge.
Cell 4: Chinese Cymbal
Historically, composers have often used percussion to keep a steady beat. Perhaps in a more "classical" symphony a percussionist would be instructed to strike the cymbal at regular intervals -- say, every 12 sixteenth notes.
This happens rarely in Messiaen's music. In this section, the Chinese cymbal initially plays a value of 17 sixteenth notes. Instead of continuing to play at this interval throughout the section, he diminishes the value of each note by one sixteenth note each time it sounds. Thus, the next note has a duration of 16 sixteenth notes, followed by 15 sixteenth notes, etc. The value is reduced until the note has a duration of 7 sixteenth notes. At this point he begins to augment each value (adding one sixteenth note) until the original duration of 17 sixteenth notes is reached. He continues to go back and forth between 17 sixteenth notes and 7 sixteenth notes throughout the entire section. Formally, he refers to this as a scale of chromatic durations.
A diagram showing the expansion and contraction of the Chinese cymbal part. Click on image to enlarge.
Like his French predecessor Claude Debussy, Messiaen was intrigued by the exotic, metallic sounds of Indonesian Gamelan ensembles. While Debussy generally limited himself to using their harmonies, Messiaen goes further and actually mimics the timbre of the ensemble. Celesta, glockenspiel, vibraphone, and right-hand solo piano play in unison to seemingly create a sound that is as "metallic" as possible. He does choose to keep a steady tempo here by using eighth notes in the bassoons, left-hand solo piano, cellos, and basses. Furthermore, he adds a quiet yet unnerving "rumbling" in the extreme lower register of the ondes-Martinot.
The melody and accompaniment in cell 5 (the top staff is in treble clef and the bottom staff is in bass clef). A single cycle (shown above) consists of 5 eighth notes.
This cell is very different from what we have seen so far because it is repeated and halted unpredictably. There doesn't seem to be any formulaic idea behind it.
Cell 6: Brass and Piano
Instruments: 4 French horns, piccolo trumpet in D, 3 trumpets in C, cornet, 2 trombones, maracas, woodblock, tubular bells, solo piano
Consisting of sudden brass interjections followed by descents on unusual scales, it appears that the purpose of cell 6 is to abruptly halt cell 5. This cell contains 4 main elements -- a sharp brass chord (accompanied by woodblock), a series of sixteenth notes with the same chord on solo piano with a crescendo (accompanied by maracas), an intriguingly-harmonized descending scale in the brass (accompanied by tubular bells and one woodblock strike), and the same descending scale in the solo piano (accompanied by tubular bells and two woodblock strikes).
Brass interjections:
Piano/maracas sixteenth notes:
The scale and harmonies are all based on mode 3.1 (click here for more information on how these harmonies are constructed).
The descending scale played by the brass and solo piano.
Although the basic elements remain the same throughout the section, each time it appears the elements seem to occur a different number of times or switch order (i.e. notice how there are only two sharp brass chords on its first appearance, whereas there are three on its second).
This series of repetitions comes to an abrupt halt and a short coda brings back the "Statue Theme" amidst terrifying, clashing dissonances. The movement ends with a dramatic sweep from the ondes-Martinot's highest register to its lowest, four cymbal strikes, and a loud bass drum thud.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to try and post my (very) informal analyses for Olivier Messiaen's wild and eccentric Turangalila-Symphonie of 1949. For those unfamiliar with the work, it is a major symphony commissioned by Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Serge Koussevitzky (who also commissioned Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3 a few years prior). Koussevitzky essentially gave the young Messiaen a musical blank check and told him that the new piece could be as long as he wanted it to be, for whatever instrumental forces he wanted, and he could take as long as he needed to finish it.
Messiaen certainly took advantage of all of this. The end result was a massive, sprawling, and complex symphony scored for large orchestra (with expanded percussion section), virtuoso piano, and ondes-Martinot. He claimed to have put all of his musical research in the piece and it combines aspects of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Hindu rhythms (often referred to as "talas"), and the "metallic" sounds of the Indonesian gamelan orchestra.
Despite the fact that the symphony was premiered with mixed reviews, it remains a Post-WWII there are two main groups of composers. People like Pierre Boulez
were strongly concerned with patterns and formulae in music, whereas
people like Ralph Vaughan-Williams were continuing to write purely based on
musical instinct. Messiaen manages to do both successfully, yet he is
criticized scathingly by both sides (Boulez famously called this piece
"brothel music"). The intricate patterns in this piece combined with the
sheer thrill of its sound makes it something special.
