Semiotics - Abime Des Oiseaux

A Semiotic Investigation of Messiaen's 'Abîme des oiseaux'
Author(s): David Morris

Source: Music Analysis, Vol. 8, No. 1/2 (Mar. - Jul., 1989), pp. 125-158
Published by: Wiley
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DAVID MORRIS
A SEMIOTIC INVESTIGATION OF MESSIAEN'S

'ABIME DES OISEAUX'
INTRODUCTION
This analysis,following theexampleofJean-Jacques Nattiez,in particularhis

study of Varese's Density 21.5,' seeks to find possible poietic evidenceto
support its initial,'neutral'findings.It is usuallydifficultto obtainpoietic
evidence,since mostcomposersare eitherdead or reluctantto disclosetheir
compositionalmethods.Messiaen'scase is different. In 1944he publishedhis
two-volumeTechniquede monlangagemusical(The TechniqueofMy Musical
Language),2in whichhe laid out his methodswithexamplesfromhis works.
The book establishesso manyassociationsof intervals,modes,rhythms and
favouritemotivesthatitshouldbe possibletocorroborate a neutrallyconducted
semioticinvestigation withthecomposer'sown views.We could also use this
evidenceto constitutea seriationprocess,3in whichaspectsof the workand
othersby Messiaen could be comparedto gain an overallperspectiveon his
compositional methods.A completebreakdownofthepieceis givenas Ex. 1.
PART 1 (bs 1-13)
SectionA (bs 1-5)

A glanceat theopeningfivebarswillrevealthata divisionmaybe maderoughly
in themiddle,and thatthesecondhalfis a variedrepeatofthefirst.The exact
point of balance is not so obvious; symmetriesand pivotscloud the issue.
Segmentation can proceedalongvariouspaths.Threeareinvestigatedin Exs 2
and 3:
I. This versionoffersa solutionas to thepointofdivision,at leastin respectof

the openingof each phrase.Units [1] and [4] are identicalin pitchorderand
rhythm;[2] and [3] are the same, and identicalto [5]. Unit [6] would be
rhythmically equivalentto theselastthree,but forthefactthatthefinalE has
tobe includedinthelastunit;alsotheinitialE is herereplacedbyan F, toenable
a sequentialextensionto end the phrase.Rhythmically thissegmentation has
MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2, 1989 125

DAVID MORRIS
Ex. 1
PART 1I
Lent, expressif et triste = 44
II [ ] ]0]
lI [ 1
S[13] [14
f rf 'ART2 I TA
z v
reque = 126 A
p,-.
,,,,,,n .
[2 II
13] [2O] ? []
B
----
I l Ib
[39] [41]43] [45] [4
, ,,
P vif = C6
=~44 ] an pree
[24nt [5
qesq
[60 [61] S F[ 6 [6 3]
Ila
Ia [ 83]
[63
20 [52b] . Q] [53 [54]
ia926 [55] 2 0[57
--[
_
~ ~ J'
M
m
D
ReproducedbypermissionofEditionsDurand S.A., Paris/United

Music PublishersLtd.
126 MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2,1989

MESSIAEN'S 'ABIME DES OISEAUX'
Ex. 1 cont
[64] 65I [66]

pre..vz
flibIc!-lid
[..] [69]
76[[64] [66..
t r ,, [\
A -
-*B1-- A d
Modur= = 92
I --
E
E
r77
[74]'
r 71 [71 l rll. 751[761i 77]
- -
-, .---------_ _
fff
28
(B?~c,
A(B Ir [ ]
fpf
[111 12
PA--
3Lent.ffll-
I1
I
t2 - - -
A[851 1p" 18
81 [891 t
At, I
opi
(7][X]
I I I 1
tse 4
p-------
.-"1
,,,,I F.
,.
,1oet ff4
...
-B--B-----
osl[)] 1 [921 w
1,5 [951cfi [94~1
I L--I
I
42
[9(311971
_19
[991[M
[100
c
11021
I]l []()3]~]
_
[](4]_
()7]
[1(~i~-r 11I [Ilo][1 [1121
[1081
w)!) O
92 D
Modn~rr? !4 ? q-09
4126
Prc?.Ilpie
v?1l
6mm
u-i
od1
Loll
=I
oo
PPP-fS
[Iri [114
[11 1611(117]
-)] [1 [1191
[1181X [1201
1T~pp
;!j (V(110) 64 L
=;tr

DAVID MORRIS
muchto offer.Melodically,however,whatat firstsightseemsan idealsolution

does not take accountof the phrasingmarks:in performancethe firstAb is
clearlyseparatedfromtheopeningE.
II. Here theidentity between[1] and [4] is lost.Rhythmically units[2] and [5]
are identical,as are [3] and [6]; theformerpair are also identicalas to pitch.
Units[4] and [7] arenowcloser,solvingtheproblemofthefinallongE. Several
unitsbeginwitha I. We mustconsider(especiallyin thelightofMessiaen's
own thoughts,later)whetheror not theseare anacruses;ifso, theywould be
betteroffendinga unit,notstarting it.
III. The subdivisionof[l] into[la] and [Ib] allowsus tolink[Ib] with[4], thus
resolving theoriginalproblemofdividingthetwosimilarphrases.In contrast to
segmentation I, we are no longerleftwithan unwieldysixthunit;here[3] and
[6] are equivalent,as are [2] and [5], all fourof theseunitsexhibiting a long-
short-long character.The isolationof [lb] (and [4]) will proveadvantageous
later,whenwe considertheend ofb. 11, and indeedthelastfournotesofthe
piece. Further,thisdivisionwillbe affirmed bypoieticconsiderations whenwe
cometo Messiaen'sown thoughts.These unitssubdividefurther to isolatethe
tritone,an importantintervalthroughoutand one of special significance to
Messiaen.Problemswiththissegmentation includebeginningthesectionwith
a singlenote.NattiezquotesJeanMolino'sviewson this;thelatterrejectsthe
designation ofa singlenoteas a unit,ithavingno associationwithothernotesto
use as an identifiable characteristicthroughout an analysis.4Nevertheless, this
segmentation is chosen for inclusionin Ex. 1.
Ex. 2
211 [3 [4] [5 6]
[1 [2 [3 [4] 51 7[61 J71
[la] ,[lb] , [3] [4] [51 [61
A od
The function oftheopeningE, andindeedofthepitchclassE throughout the

is
piece, ambiguous. It seemsnot to be part ofthefirst and
phrase, yetit is the
firstnoteofthepiece! The ambiguity is increasedwhenwe considerthesecond
longE, in b.3: is thistheendofthefirstphrase,thebeginningofthesecond,or
both?How do thesefunctions alterwhenwe cometo thethirdlongE, in b.5,

and recognisetheobviousandintendedsymmetry, a property

deartoMessiaen?
At othercrucialplacesin thepiece,too,longEs appear.Is b. 13 thestartofthe
middlesectionofthepiece or theend ofthefirst(or,again,both)?Its function
at b.13 mustbe thesameas at b.20; but whatofb.41? The pitchclassseemsto
introducenew sections,like the two halvesofPart2 and thecoda (see Ex. I
above). Areitsthreeoccurrencesas semibrevesrelatedto itsthreeoccurrences
in the firstfivebars? Or is this simplya coincidence,based on Messiaen's
predilectionforprimenumbers?5 SincethethreesemibreveEs arealwaystobe
playedLent, the secondmay act as a reference
backtoPart1 and an anticipation
ofPart3.
SectionB (bs 6-10)

This sectionposes fewerproblemsthan the first.There are few choicesin
segmentation, and thatsuggestedhereoffersa logicalsyntagmatic flow,both
withinitselfand takentogether withthefirstsection(and indeedwiththepiece
as a whole). Units[7] and [10] displayrhythmic equivalence;[7] also relatesto
thefallingtritones in [1] and [4], as wellas totheascendingtritone in [8]. [8] and
[9] both beginon a Cb and end witha risingfourth(augmentedand perfect
respectively).An alternative wayofdividing[8] and [9] wouldbe accordingto
the beaming:thatis, afterthe G. We would thenlose all of the pointsjust
mentioned,but gain (in the secondhalfof the bar) a rhythmic figurealready
encountered in [ib] and [4]; also a rhythmic and melodicfigurewhichwillrecur
in sequenceas [93] and [94]. [11] is a bitofa problem.The risingtone/semitone
figurehas occurredonlyonce previously,in b.4; it is retainedas a unitin the
rejectedsegmentation I (cf. Ex. 2), but does notoccurin thepreferred III.
SectionB beginson an E, an octavehigherthanthefirst.It immediately states
theE/Bbtritoneoutlinedin SectionA, and,indeed,thesecondhalfofSectionB
startson theBb .
SectionC (bs 11-13)

The thirdsectionof Part 1 is tritonally orientated(see Ex. 4). Intervallicand
rhythmicidentitiesoccur at [12], [19] and [21], with [19] and [21] having
identicalpitches.The tritonein thisgroupis isolatedinunits[15], [16], [17] and
[ 18],all ofthesetritones
fallingexceptthelast.[18](Bb-E) is a retrograde ofpart
of [12], thusforminga symmetry in thisfirsthalfof the section.In [12] the
tritoneleadsdowntoab1;in [18] itleadsup toab2, thisbeingthehighestnoteof
Part 1. The E/Bbtritonerefersbackto [7], whichin turnwas derivedfrom[ib]
and [4]. Bb figuresprominently as a cadentialpitchtowardsthe end of the
secondsegment(see [23],whichalso containsthissametritone andis, ofcourse,
identicalto [4]). Here no longE precedesit, addingcredenceto its statusas a
separateunitat [4] and [ib].
[24], whichfollows,is identicalto [2] and rhythmicallyequivalentto [5], as
wouldbe expected.Bythisprocess[25] shouldendina longE; butitis cutshort
by rests.Could thelongE ofb.13 be a delayedcontinuation ofthisunit?This
may,at first,seemplausible(and is thesolutionadoptedin Ex. 1, whereE is

DAVID MORRIS
Ex. 3
1 11
Melody
[1]
-A MONO" Rhythm
[A]
Melody Rhythm
[2]
1][2]
[3]
"-L
[3]
-"
I
[4]
[4]
-A" -
II
[5]
[3] '
^ ,
[61
[6]
[7]
labelled [25b]); b.14 is obviouslythe startof a new Partwithits own tempo,

figuration and generalmood. However,ifwe lookon to bs 20 and 21 we see the
sameassociation.EithertheE maybe thoughtofas an introduction to thenew
idea, or, as in the first
five bars, it may have twofunctions.
A secondpossibleproblemliesin thesegmentation of[13]/[14]and [22]/[23].
The risingminorthirdis an obviouspointofidentity, butin bothcases thisis
followedby a further risingminorthird.Should theseunitsconsistof three
notes,Ab-Cb-D and D-F-A6? RemovingtheAb from[23] would negatethe
associationwith[ib] and [4]. This is undesirable.Unit [22] shouldtherefore
remainas stated,and [13] likewise,so thattheassociationstillholds.A different
approachwouldbe tosaythatunits[13] and [22]areintervallically identicaland
are bothfollowedby similarintervals.Laterwe shallsee thatnotall unitsofa
singleminorthirdarefollowedbya further minorthird.
A different perspective on all this ariseswhen we look at Messiaen's own
expose of what lies behind [13], [14] and [15].
SummaryofPart1
gridssetup frommaterialin
We haveseen,bycomparingvariousparadigmatic

Ex. 3 cont.
III
[1 Melody Rhythm
[21 WII
e--
AI
--
_ ,,
[31
[4]
[li
[6]
H
- ,mLj
~,
"I
A
Part 1, thatcertainintervallicgroupsoccur severaltimes.The recurrenceof

thesegroupsleads to a consideration
oftheactualpitchclassesemployed;there
does not seemto be a fullchromaticin use, and thosepitchclasseswhichare
used occurseveraltimes.A pitchcountofPart 1 lookslikethis:
E 11
Ab 11
G 15
Bb 9
F 9
Cb(=B) 6
Db (= C) 5
D 5
Immediatelywe see thatonlyeightpitchclassesare used (some ofthesemore

thanothers),so that,ofcourse,fourare notused at all. The eightthatareused
do notforma traditional diatonicscale,so presumably somenewscaleor mode
is inuse. Further,itis possibletoarrangethesepitchclassesintofourpairs,each

DAVID MORRIS
Ex. 4
[12]
[191
[15]
123]
forming a tritone:E/B , Ab/D,G/D , F/B.The E/Bbpairoccurstwenty times,

farmorethananyotherpair;thisconfirms thatithasan important roletoplay.
Aspectsof formalstructuring mayalso be exposedby thismethod.Part 1
clearlyconsistsofthreesections(A, B, C), whicharecloselylinkedmotivically
and intervallically.That theendingof the firstsection([6]) recursto end the
wholeofPart 1 ([25a]) givesa symmetry to thestructure; thetworestsand the
pitchingof the E an octavehighercreateanticipationof Part 2. The three
sectionsincreasein pitchrange,the upper notesrisingfromBb in the first
throughE inthesecondtoAb in thethird;theriseinpitchis accompaniedbyan
increasein dynamic.Finally, each sectionis in two halves, each starting
similarly:cf.[la]/[lb] and [3]/[4],[7] and [10], [12]and [19]. The secondhalfof
thethirdsectionitselfhas twoparts;thesehavebeendesignatedIIa and IIb (to
constitutea half)ratherthanII and III.
PoieticEvidencetoSupporttheAboveAnalysis
As I said in the Introduction,
Messiaen'sown book is a mineof information
132 1989
MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2,

concerning compositional techniquesusedin thisworkand inmanyothers.But

beforeconsideringthese,it is interestingto notewhatMessiaensaysaboutthe
work(Quatuorpourla findu Temps,written in a prisonerofwarcampin 1941),
and aboutthismovement inparticular:theinspiration behinda piecemightwell
showin the musicalmaterialused. Accordingto his prefaceto the score,the
workis dedicatedto 'The Angelof Time who announcesthat"There willbe
Time no longer"'(Revelation10). Severalwritershave pointedout thepun in
thisstatement;6and Messiaen'sidiosyncratic use of 'time'is discussedbelow.
The thirdmovement is describedthus:'The abyssis Time,withitssadnessand
lassitude.Birdsare the contrary of Time; theyrepresentour desireforlight,
stars,rainbowsand jubilantsongs.'7 A finalreference in thescore'sprefacesays
that'themiddleofAbime. .. shouldbe fulloffantasy':8 thatis, Messiaenoffers
adviceto theperformer as to howthepiece shouldbe played.
Referencesto Messiaen's book (abbreviatedto OM followedby chapter
number)can be dealt within the formof a list; I have generallyfollowedthe
orderofthebook.
* OM 2 deals with 120 deqitalascollectedby Sharngadevain the thirteenth

century.The rhythmic grouping , called caturthaka,
occursas No. 4 in
thiscollection.9We findit, ofcourse,, in bs 2 and 4, as wellas at severalother
placesin thescore.It is isolatedin Ex. 3/Ibutbecomesrearranged in II and III
(see OM 3 below). More specificexamplesofdeqitalasoccurlaterin thepiece.
* OM 3 covers'added values', thatis, theadditionofa dot,restor shortnote
valuetoa note.This leadstoexamplesof'rhythmic preparationsand descents',
eitherofwhichcan be acceleratedorprolonged.A semiquaveroccurring at the
end ofa groupis oftenan accelerateddescent.Examplesoccurin bs 1-2,2-3,at
theend ofb.7 and in all ofthetritonefiguresin b. 11 (thedottedAb in b. 11 is
an 'elongatedrhythmicascent'); otherexamplesabound. This techniqueis
coveredin therhythmic groupingsfoundin Ex. 3/II.
* OM 7 concernsrhythmic notations.Messiaengivesus fourdifferent types;
this piece fallsinto the first,wherebarlinesindicatephrases,not metrical
subdivisions(thisis whythebarsareofdifferent lengths).The relevancetoour
analysisis reallyonlyto showwherelargerdivisionsbeginand end.
* OM 8 is most interesting.It deals with favouredintervalsand melodic
contours.Threeaspectsofintervallic usageare singledout:
1) Preferenceforthetritone(obviousfromouranalysis);
2) the descendingmajor sixth(occurringin b.7 and bs 8-9; also laterin the
piece);
3) 'chromaticformulas',thatis, rearrangements ofthreechromatic notes(this,
again,is moreimportantlater in thepiece; see forexampleb.27).
Of themelodiccontoursgiven,twooccurspecifically
in thispiece:
1) The 'Boris' motive(OM Exs 75 and 76), wherea motivefromnear the

DAVID MORRIS
openingof Mussorgsky'sBorisGodunov(see Ex. 5a below) is subjectedto

tritonalalteration(Ex. 5b). This is themotivethatoccursat thestartofthe
piece; it is foundas units[la]/[1b],[3]/[4]and [23]. Laterit returnsin b.30
and at theend ofthepiece(see also bs 25 and 42, discussedbelow).We find
this motive in almost every work of Messiaen's from 1929 to the
experimentalworks of 1949-51. If we were to study its usage and
transformations in all of these works,and furtherstudythe usage and
transformations of all such motives,it mightbe possible,by a systemof
association,to generatea composition in thestyleofMessiaen(circa1940).10
However,thiswouldnothelpus to understandthesignificance oftheiruse.
The worksin whichthe'Boris' motiveappearsare quitedifferent in mood,
and anysinglemeaningwouldbe difficult to identify.
Ex. 5
a) b)
2) 'Solveig'sSong' fromGrieg'sPeerGynt(OM Ex. 80; givenbelowas Ex. 6).

Messiaen'sdistortion oftheoriginal(OM Ex. 83) can be foundnearthestart
of b.11. It occursas units[13], [14] and [15], whereits mainsignificance
seems to be the inclusionof successiveminorthirdsand a tritone.The
distortionoftheGriegis almostcomplete,and causesonetowonderas tothe
poieticsignificanceof includingsuch a motivein mid-phraseand without
obviousrelevance.
Ex. 6
-" I FA
* OM 11discussesthreetypesofform.Part1 seemsbesttofitthefirstofthese,
'song-sentence'.This is a three-partform with theme (antecedentand
consequent),middlesection(inflectedtowardsthedominant)and finalsection
(includingsome restatementof the theme). The three sectionsof Part 1
theserequirements
discussedabove satisfy as follows:
Theme- units[1]-[3]and [4]-[6];

Middlesection- units[7]-[11]withdominant(B) in [11];
Final section- units[12]-[25],thefinalthreederivingfromtheopening.
The laterPartsfitthisformless well.
* OM 16dealswithModes ofLimitedTransposition. madein

The observation
134 1989
MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2,

thesummaryto Part 1 above,thatonlyeightpitchclassesareused in thisPart,

is hereexplained.MessiaendescribesthesevenModesofLimitedTransposition
he has been usingsincehis earliestworks.The threetranspositions ofMode 2
aregivenin Exs 312-14and areherereproducedas Ex. 7. It is instantlyapparent
thatPart1 is written
in Mode 2ii. AspectsofMode 2, in particular theemphasis
on the tritone,were observed there prior to knowledgeof these modes.
(Messiaenbelievesthata fineear can detecttheaugmentedfourth, theeleventh
Ex. 7
A
Pift
L ' n',
2iI
1
21 X M
A
harmonic,whenanyfundamental is sounded.)" Mode 2 is used extensively

in
thispiece, althoughin varyingtranspositions;
itsmanifoldappearances,along
withthoseofothermodes,aredisplayedin Ex. 8.12
PART 2 (bs 14-29)
SectionA (bs 14-17)

The Presquevifstartswiththreethree-note groups,units[26], [27] and [28] (see
Ex. 9). [26] and [28] areidentical,with[27] beingequivalentin retrograde; the
openingsemitonein [26] and [28] is replacedbya tonein [27]. [26]and [28]also
outlinethetritone, an intervalwhichis tobecomeparticularly prominent inthis
section.Anyothersegmentation - one,forinstance,thatincludedthehighDb
in [26] - wouldspoil thesymmetry ofthephraseand gainnothing;successive
fourths havenotso farfiguredin thepiece.
Thereis further symmetry to be foundin [29], [30] and [31]; againtheouter
unitsareidentical(includingtherests).The intervallic group- tonefollowedby
minorthird- is anotherthatwillrecurseveraltimesin thepiece. [30]is thefirst
trill,herea minim'sduration;at b.23 we willhavetwofurther minimtrills,and
at b.29 a semibrevetrillfollowedbya written-out rallentando.Repeatedtritones
beginat [32],withthegrace-note of
pattern [34] imitating those in [29]and [31].
However,in [34] the openingtoneof the earlierunitsis replacedby a semi-
tone (cf. [26], [27] and [28]). The repeatedtritone,now a majorthirdlower,
continuesthrough[35], [36], [37] and [38] as a kindofwritten-out accelerando.

DAVID MORRIS
Ex. 8
Mode 2ii (-1).13)
oD0 0 L901 F 0
-
_+ 4i@l x9,
r rF
i i i 4i i
F
I AN
2ii ,,,0,- a.iii iijr-iitp-- 1I

4i 4i , w,
*
A 66aL Ie ? L 6 -, .- h
' -pr
--o( i i , r , i i ih,
A
L...
to
r iti
2ii .., 2iii I 2i 2 ii 2
p" ww;
" #I2 fr
.. , _.r .',.. . .. , ,
O
2iii 1 2i-1 I L
9I2iii
21 "1 71
.
Music PublishersLtd.
ofEditionsDurand S.A., Paris/United
Reproducedby permission
136 MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2, 1989

Ex. 8 cont.
2 2ii ' 2i 2 2ii I 2ii 2i2i
Kim
op
2iii 2i 2iii 22
:3iv
b, PE
?o.___
a'
~tlfb,ro-,
2i 036S+1=91 2 ii 2iii
ol I 2i
2Ii-
2ii 2
1 i
I I,

DAVID MORRIS
Ex. 9
[27l <---Retrograde
[27].
I,%g
V 16
[321
[331 1
]:
[34]
[35]
[36]
[37]f I
[381
This persistentuse ofthetritonerefersbackto [15], [16], [17] and [18]; here,as

the
there, rhythmic characterofshort-long is maintained.The originalsource
forall ofthesewouldappearto be thework'sopeningmotive([la]/[lb]). The
actualpitchesofthesepairshaveoccurredbefore;theB and F of[32]and [33]in
unit[17], and theG and D6 of[35], [36], [37] and [38] in [19] and [21].
SectionB (bs 17-20)

The threefour-notegroupsin the middle part of b.17 - units [39] to [43]
inclusive- have an obviouscorrespondenceto thethreethree-note groupsin
b. 14. Whereas in theformercase segmentationseemedbest leftas three-note

Ex. 10
12451411 [39]
1 121
[40]14b
[39a]
A -Retrograde 4(b]
kr -
[4(0a] xv
A [41]
[41a]
.
[42]
2 3
[44]
I 131 [44al
f
[45]
JA
[46]
[47] - -
[48]
[49]
-A-
[50]
A [51al
[51]
[52][52a
groups,herethereis something to be gainedfroma different approach(see Ex.

10, I and II). The division,giving[39a], [40a]and [41a],as in I,
straightforward
will returnin SectionD, whereit formsthebasis of a sequentialpassage(see
units[60], [62] and [63]). The meritsofthissegmentation willbe examinedin
thatcontext.The second approach,II, gives closerassociations,in termsof

DAVID MORRIS
intervalliccells, withwhatfollowshere. However,the intervalof the major

third,whichhas equal prominencewiththe tone and fourthin I, loses its
importance in II.
The toneandfourth foundinunits[39]-[43](segmentation II) nowhaveclose
associationswithwhat follows.Dividing the firstfour-notegroup so as to
includetheunitC-E-A, as in [40b] (III), givesa symmetry to thisphrase,the
third/fourth group occurringagain at the end of the bar (A-C#-F ). This,
however,ignoresthe firstnote,Bb, whichcannotstandalone as a unitor be
attachedto theprevious[38]. To regardall fournotesas a unit,as in I, would
exclude unit [40], whichrecursin [52] and, as an equivalence,severalmore
timesin thepiece. Segmentation II has thefurther advantageofretainingthe
phrasingmarks(important to bothcomposerand performer).
The largegroupstartingon G#towardsthe end of b. 17 presentsdifferent
problems.The decisionto isolatethefourthin separateunitsgivesus [44]. To
join it to theGG, as in [44a], wouldgiveus a unitwhichrecurs,in inversion,at
[51a], thoughthis divisionwould spoil [52]. As an intervalit has occurred
previouslyin units[17]/[18]:thereit providedtheupbeatto thehighAb (the
climaxofthephrase),andbyanalogyonecouldsaythatunit[5la] led tothehigh
Bb followingit. Again [52] would be sacrificed.At [44], the isolationof the
fourthfromthe followingunitagreeswithMessiaen'sintentionof harmonic
separation,as we shall see later.Units [43] and [46] both featureascending
fourths.[45] and [48] are equivalent;the second partof theseunits,a tone
followedbya minorthird,couldbe associatedwith[50a]. This wouldcause the
fourthof [51] to become the tritonein [51a] (the firstF# now missing),a
transformation whichwould,in turn,require[52a] as theclosingunit;suchan
interpretation wouldbe undesirable(see above). The twominorthirdsframing
a tone,in [48],further enhancethesymmetry of[47] and [49]. The similarity
of
[47]-[48]-[49]to [29]-[30]-[31]in thisrespectis readilyapparent.
The variouspossiblesegmentations ofb. 19haveall beencoveredabove.The
finallong E (b.20), however,is problematic.Whereas in its introductory
function itparallelsbs 13-14,thereitoccurredas a possibletermination to unit
[25a] whichwas, in turn,equivalentto [3] and [6]. Here ithas no suchfunction
and makesno meaningful contribution to any unitprecedingit. Its function
mayonly become in
apparent larger-scale structuring.
Summary ofPart2, SectionsA andB

Even beforeconsultingMessiaen,we sensean obviouschangeof mood at the
Presquevif.The musicis, ofcourse,muchfasterand generallyplayedforte;it
concentratesmoreon theupperregister changeto
oftheclarinet,thefigurations
undulatingpatterns, and for thefirst
timewe have grace-note trillsand
figures,
repeatednotes.Ifwe allow,at ourneutrallevel,thecomposer'sindication'like
a bird', then the reason for this change becomes obvious. A thorough
investigationof the complete work reveals similar figurationsin other
movements (see, especially,theopeningofthefirst).
Anymethodemployedin makingthemusicsoundlikea birdwouldenterthe

worldof esthesics(the performer's role) or psychoacoustics (how we actually

perceive birdsong).'3However, much may be learned withoutthis prior
knowledge.To beginwith,thenewmusicactsto breakthetensionbuiltup by
theprecedinglongE (b. 13) and so makesa smoothjoinbetweenParts1 and 2.
The firstexampleofthisundulatingfiguration occursin b. 14; it is flankedby
restswhichisolatethefigureandenhanceitssymmetrical shape.This symmetry
is obviouslya featureof Part2, and is foundin thefollowingbar (15), where
grace-note figuresand repeatednotesflanka centraltrill.
The remainderofSectionA containsalternating notesa tritoneapart,witha
reference back to the precedinggrace-notefigures.Pitches,here,are derived
fromPart 1, and thissectioncould be thoughtofas a developmentofmaterial
foundthere.It fallsintotwohalves,withthetwosymmetrical segments(I and
II) constituting thefirstand thesegmentoftritonalrepetition (III) thesecond.
A pitchcountofthissection,andofthefollowing sectionsup tob.24, is nowhere
nearas revealingas in Part 1. We mustturn,later,to Messiaen'smethodsfor
illumination on thispoint.
The segmentation ofSectionB (Ex. 10/II)showsthemanyintervallic corres-
pondencespresent:thisis at the expenseof losingthe similarity of symmetry
foundin the three-note groupsin b. 14 (SectionA, segmentI). On the other
hand,itis thesimilarity betweenthethree-note groupsand thefour-note groups
(Ex. 10/I)thatmorethananything else enablesus to dividePart2 intosections
(a recurrence ofthethree-note groupsbeginsSectionC). In manywaysSection
B is a development oftheprevioussection.The openingsymmetry thereis here
enlarged to four-note groups(segmentIa); thisis succeeded a
by largegroup
(segmentIb) havingintervallic associationswithit. Then followsa secondkind
ofsymmetry (segmentII) whichhasobviousstructural similaritiestosegmentII
in SectionA. The finalsegment(III) balancesIb (noticethe complementary
pitchcurves)and makesthisa four-part sectionas opposedto thethreepartsof
SectionA. (SectionC, as we shallsee,continuesthesetrends.)Furtherevidence
forsegmentingIb and III in different ways will be seen when we consider
Messiaen'sownideas.
Poieticevidence
Manyoftheaspectscoveredin thesummaryto Part1 applyalso to Part2 (and,
indeed,Part3); thereare,however,somenewpoints.
* OM 9 deals withbirdsong.Bars 14-17 are givenin OM (Ex. 114) as an
exampleofbirdsong;whichbirds,however,arenotspecified.In theprefaceto
thescore,movementI ('Liturgiede cristal')is said to contain'a blackbirdor a
nightingaleimprovising'.By comparingaspectsof birdsongfoundtherewith
Part2 of'Abimedes oiseaux',we maybe able to startan identification process.
In orderto differentiate,
a thirdsource,withthenamesofspecificbirdsongs,is
necessary.Here problemsarise.The mainbirdsongworksdatefromthe1950s,
and Messiaenhimselfadmits,in severalplaces,thathis renditions ofbirdsong
becamemoresophisticated overtheyears.Birdsongsin theCatalogued'oiseaux

DAVID MORRIS
(1958) are more precise in rhythmicnotation,and of course are written

chordally,notjustas melodiclines.The chartbelowusesboththeCatalogueand
Reveild'oiseaux(1953) to corroborate
anyevidence.
decristal''Abimedesoiseaux' Characteristics
'Liturgie
Cl. b.2 bs 15-16 i) Fastdescending triplet
figure
ii) Tworepeated notesat
staccato
a higher
pitch
Vl.b.14 tritone
iii) Alternating
Vl.bs 5,7,9 b.18 iv) Fastthree-note with
figure,
finalnotemid-span
Vl. throughout Notpresent v) Fastrepeated notes/chords
Endofb.17 vi) Risingfigureatendofphrase
bs 15,23and29 vii) Trilling
(fluttertonguing)
Catalogue d'oiseaux
No. 2 ('Le Loriot'),b.15is a blackbird;
thiscontainsiv)andsomeii)
No. 6 ('L'AlouetteLulu'),b.15is a nightingale;
fastiii)occurs
No. 9 ('La Bouscarle'),
bs49,80and82areblackbirds; muchevidence ofvi)
Reveild'oiseaux
Fig.5isthree blackbirds;
however, noneoftheabovecharacteristics
occur
Fig. 8 is a fast
nightingale; iii) also
occurs, vii)
Fig. 17is a blackbird;
hereiv)is definitely
present
This wouldseemto showthatblackbirdsand nightingales arebothpresentin a
mixture - thoughb. 18is almostdefinitelya blackbirdwitha reminiscence ofthe
abysslurkingin thebackground.Elsewherein Messiaen'sworkswe findthat
risingandfallingarpeggiated figuresoftenrepresent thered-throat,butherewe
have no evidence of theirintentionalpresenceat all. Mattersare further
complicatedbyOM Ex. 117(a quotationfromVisionsde l'Amen),whichshows
improvisation on the blackbirdsong; none of thisseemsrelatedto 'Abime'.
Further, Ex. 119givesthe'Hymnofthesparrowsatdaybreak',andhereseveral
intervallicformulasand rhythmic cells, includingtrills,alternatingtritones,
etc., arepresent.One mustconcludefromall thisthatseveralbirdsarepresent
in 'Abime', but that at this point in Messiaen's output (1940-1) they are
unspecifiedor the transcriptions insufficiently accurate for identification
purposes.
* OM 11 concernsform.The firsttwosectionsofPart2 appearto be thefirst
halfof Messiaen's'binarysentence'form;moreevidencewill be givenin the
summaryto thewholeofPart2.
* OM 14 deals withspecial chords.This at once opens up a new avenue of
approach. The associatingof units intervallically is basically a monodic
procedure;here we can considerit harmonically.SegmentIb of SectionB
142 MUSICANALYSIS8:1-2, 1989

occursin OM (Ex. 115) as a 'chordofthedominant,withappoggiaturas'.It is

describedthereas in our Ex. 11. Clearlythe firsttwo notes constitutethe
'appoggiaturas'and are thusseparatedfromthemainchord;similarly thefinal
twonotesare theresolutionsoftheseappoggiaturas, and so belongto themain
chord, especiallyas theyare precededby its root (A). This would tend to
vindicateoursegmentation ofunits[44] and [46] (see Ex. 10/II).
SegmentIII of SectionB is a mixtureof two 'specialchords',the 'chordof
resonance'(those notes presentas overtonesover any fundamental)and the
'chordoffourths'.The chordofresonanceis givenin Ex. 12. It willbe seenthat
theF#(unit[51]) shouldbe a G, andthatthetopBb canbe thought
theoretically
of as an appoggiatura.Since thewholegroupconstitutes thespecialchord,it
does nothelp us in segmentation exceptin dividingit offfromsegmentII and
thelongE following. The firstoftheseis obvious,thesecondpresentsproblems
alreadydiscussed.The fournotesF#-B-F-Bbarepartofthe'chordoffourths'
usuallyassociatedby Messiaenwithhis fifthMode of LimitedTransposition.
We shallsee belowthattherearegoodarguments forplacingthispassagein the
Ex. 11
chordof the
dominant
with normal'
appoggiaturas resolutiOn
A -.
Ex. 12
chord of
Vt
so I S lI(
AI6(

DAVID MORRIS
secondMode, so thatthechordoffourths heremaybe fortuitous. Nevertheless

it adds weightto the divisionbetweenunits[50] and [51], as well as to the
possible[51a] and itsassociationwith[44a] (see Ex. 10/III).
* OM 16 and 17 areconcernedwithmodes. SectionsA and B do notfallneatly
into any one mode, nor into any one transposition of a mode. In OM 17
Messiaen gives examples of music that modulates between various
transpositionsofa mode,as wellas ofmodulationsfromone mode to another.
The use ofmodeshereonlycorroborates segmentdivisionwithinthesesections.
SectionA, segments I andII arebothinMode 4ii; segmentIII is in4i; SectionB,
segmentIa is in Mode 2i and 2iii; segmentIb is largelyin Mode 7iii; segmentII
is in Mode 2ii/2iii/2ii;
segmentIII is in Mode 2i/2ii/2i
(thisincludesthefinalE).
The largenumberofmodesfoundis thereasonwhypitchcountsin thissection
areoflimiteduse.
The reasonsforMessiaen's choicesof mode are manyand varied.He has
oftensaid thathe associatesparticularmodeswithparticularcolours;14thisis
mostevidentin theCatalogue,buthereblackbirdsand nightingales offerlittle
opportunity forcolourfuldisplays.Messiaen also admitsthatMode 2 is his
favourite,andin OM 16he setsouta seriesofchordstypicalofthatmode.Other
modeshavetypically derivedchordsalso (we saw the'chordoffourths'earlier
beingderivedfromMode 5). The consideration ofthispieceintermsofchordal,
and thusharmonic,areas does not, however,seem obviousfromthe neutral
segmentation process,thoughthepiece couldconceivablystrikethelistenerin
thisway.
SectionC (bs 21-3)

This sectionbeginswitha segmentcloselyresembling thatatthestartofSection
A. Unit [53] is identicalto [26]; [54] has identicalintervalsto [27] but is
transposeda tonedown;and [55] has therhythmic identityand pitchdirection
of [28], onlythe intervalsbeingchanged.As in SectionA, again,the second
segmentbeginswitha grace-note figureand tworepeatedstaccatonotes([56];
cf.[29]); thistimetheintervalsareretained,butthewholeis transposeddowna
fourth.Atthisstagethereasonforsucha transposition is notapparent;wemust
looktolarger-scale structuringforan explanation.Like [29], [56] is followedby
a trill,nowa majorsixthlowerthantherepeatednotes.The symmetry does not
continue,and thetrillleads to anotherwhich,withgracenotes,formsa whole-
tone descent([57]). Voice leadingbringsus nicelyto the F startingthe next
section.
SectionD (b.24)
The disruptionofsymmetry continueshere.Thereis a mixtureoftheprevious
three-noteand four-notegroups,givinga totalof thirteensemiquavers,still,
however,flankedby rests.Slurringand staccatodotswould suggesta division
intotwogroupsofsixand sevennotes,thesesegmenting as in Ex. 13. Here [60]
as previously[27] and [40a] were(cf. Exs 9 and 10/I),
is shownas a retrograde,
in orderto retainintervallicsuccessionand to show the associationwiththe

followingsequence.The intervallic grouping- tone,majorthird,fourth,as in

Ex. 10/I- is, however,mostdistinctive, and recursin Part3. The following five
segments(withan extensionon thefifth)could be said to constitute an inexact
sequence(overallshape, numbersof notesand certainintervallicsuccessions
make them equivalent). The problemarises when segmentinginto units.
SegmentIIb has, of course, occurredbefore,as units [50], [51] and [52].
Segmentationthere was based on intervallicassociationswith previous
passages; here transpositionalassociationswithinthe sequence suggesta
different approach.
We see fromEx. 13thatthefirstfournotes,[62], forma unitidenticalto [60]
(in retrograde),transposeddown a fourth([59] and [61] are also identicala
fourthapart). Taking thenextfivenotestogetheras a unit([63]) providesus
withtheintervallic contentofmostofwhatfollows.The sequenceofpitchesC-
in
F-Bb [63] occurs in [64] a semitonehigherandin [66]backatpitch;itappears
to startagaina semitonehigherin [67] butis interrupted bythenewfigure[68],
withitsdistinctive fallingtritone.[69] and [70] recura semitonehigheras [72]
and [73],with[71] beingequivalentto [68] a semitonehigher.We can therefore
tracea chromatic ascentfromC in [66] throughD6 in [67], D in [69] and Eb in
[72] to E in [73]. The finalintervalof descentis a major sixthin [74]. This
followstwotritonesand a fourth;theexpansionis notuniform, however,since
theprocessbeginswitha fifth (unit[63]) . The finalunitinthissection,[75],has
occurredpreviously in [12], [19] and [21] (cf.Ex. 4). As in [21],itis followedby
a risingsemitone,whichprovidesvoice leadingto the initialB of the next
section.
Atthispointa reassessment ofoursegmentation ofSectionB/segmentIa (cf.
Ex. 10) mightbe appropriate.The manysmall-scaleintervallicassociations
broughtto lightby units[39]-[43]seemedmoreadvantageousin segmenting
whatfollowedthandid divisionintothreegroupsoffournotes([39a]-[41a]).We
see nowthatunit[60] is simplya retrograde transposition of[40a] and that[62]
and [63] (this last withoutthe finalB6b)are furthertranspositions. Here in
SectionD thegroupingofnotesintofoursseemsexpedient;perhapsitis also so
in SectionB. From the pointof view of larger-scalestructuring, however,it
makesno difference. The changeoftempowould suggestthestartof another
Section,and thisis confirmed bythepitchcontentofthefollowing bars.
SectionE (bs 25-9)

By octavedisplacementof each note,we see thatthesebars containthe first
seven notes of the piece transposed. Our preferredsegmentationthere
(Ex. 2/III) would not seem advantageoushere. Beaming,phrasingand the
inclusionofquaverrestswouldsuggestEx. 2/Ias a betterproposition,dividing
eachbarintofournotesand three(plus rest).The repeatedgroupofthreenotes
and theambiguouslongE do notoccurhere.This versionis, ofcourse,a fourth
lowerthantheopening.We noticedtransposition ofa fourthin SectionC (cf.
[29] and [56], for example); this will be significantin the larger-scale
structuring.

DAVID MORRIS
Afteran echo repeat the initialB of this segmentrises two octaves to begin a
new segmentwith a meanderingdescent, eventuallyreaching the low E of the
final Part. Units [80] and [81] are identical in pitch and equivalent in rhythm
(each note being augmentedby a halfofits value). [82] is a transformation ofthe
Ex. 13
158
"--]6
++1
" i t ! " I
IZ:. ,I ,
[71]
[67]
+6
[72]
[741

earlier[75] (and of[12], [19] and [21]); herethetritonefallis interruptedbythe

C , and a descending semitone (B-BI ) provideselongation. Notealso thesteady
augmentation ofvalueshere: J (ifwe have readtheprefaceto the
score,we willrecognisetherhythm,4 ofb.27). Analternative segmentation might
separate off the Bb -A-F# in [81] and [82] as a unit;thissemitone/minor third
sequenceoccurredin unit[8], whichwas ultimately derivedfrom[ib] (a rising
semitone/minor thirdcan be foundjoining[21] and [22]). It is possibleto think
ofthesemitone/major thirdof[82] as an intervallicexpansionofthisfigure,and
indeedofthesemitone/tritones of[12], [19], [21]and [75]as further
expansions.
The nextunit,[83], containsthetritoneA/E6whichwe had previously leftin
[75]; therewe expectedit to lead to Bb/E. This interval,ofcourse,is aboutto
recurin the finalPart. The collectionof notesin [83] plus theBb of [82] is a
retrograde of[75]-[76](see Ex. 14):
Ex. 14
rail.
*
[75/76]831 I
[82/831
Further,thechromatic runA-Bb-B of[75]/[76]occursinretrograde as [80]. But

to segmentinthismannerwouldmakenonsenseofthephrasing,nottomention
thechangein tempoand therests(cf. Ex. 13). The trillof[84] is a written-out
and uses thenotesF and G fromthesecondcompleteunitofPart3
rallentando
a
(itself reproduction,an octavelower,ofunit[2]). Note againtheincreasing
augmentation of values in thistrill,thefinalthreenotesofwhichare halfthe
valuesofunit[83].
Summary ofPart 2, SectionsC, D andE

Section C starts,like Section A, with three-notegroups, but a feelingof
developmentresultswhenthe minimtrillis replacedby twominimsand the
symmetrical nine-, then twelve-note,groups of semiquaversby groups of
thirteen.Harmonically we shoulddetecta changeat thestartofb.24 (Messiaen
switchesmodehereas he had done earlierin Part2). The problemarises:does
b.24 begina new Section,or simplya new segmentof SectionC? We found
earlierthatideasfromSectionA recurred,sometimes inan expandedversion,in
SectionB. SectionC, as we have seen,bearssimilarities
to A, so we shouldnot
be surprisedto finda similarprocessof continuity here. Bar 24 marksthe
beginningof this process; it is thereforelabelled Section D. Obviously
somethingnew happensat b.25, whichmustalso be regardedas thestartofa

DAVID MORRIS
newsection.The sequentialpassage[62]-[74]continuestheideaofdevelopment
by emphasisingthe voice leading. The tritonesrise in pitch, sometimes
containingthe segment'shighestnotes:B/F [64]/[65],C/Gb[68], Db /G[71],
Eb/A[75]. The pull towardsE/Bbis further enhancedbyoverstepping in [76]/
[77] and [78]/[79]to F/B. The Eb /A tritonereturnsin [83], anticipatingthe
ascentto E/Bb in [86]. The initialnotesof each segmentalso forman ever-
diminishing seriesofintervals
leadingto E:
A [64] > C [66] > D [69] --- Eb [72]
+3 +2 +1
E does not occur after[75] untilthe changeof mode at Part 3, whereit is
preparedby thedescendingG and F ofthetrill[84]. The transformation ofthe
openingat [76]/[77]containsthepiece'shighestand lowestnotes;itis repeated
as an echo,a devicewhichis used a secondtime,neartheendofthepiece,when
a further transformation takesplace.
The structural divisionofSectionsC and D followsquitesimply.In eachcase
segmentsI and II derivefromsimilarpassagesin SectionA; in D, moreover,
segmentI actsas an extensionofearliermaterialand leadstothesequencesIIa,
b, c, d and e. SectionE fallsintothreesegments:thetransformed opening,the
descentfromB to Bb and the long trillwithits preceding'horncall'. The
written-out rallentando,togetherwiththeactualindication'Rall.,' leads to the
only marked pause in the piece.
Poieticevidence
* Hindu rhythms. The progressiveaugmentationof values found in b.27
(units[80 -[82]) is based on two Sharngadevarhythms:No. 105, candrakald
( ; =.. . ), and No. 88, lakskmi(a( j ). These rhythms are given,
thoughnot named, in the prefaceto the work ., with referenceto the first
movement.Obviously this kind of associationprovides some degree of
unificationthroughout thecompletework;however,we also findthissequence
in otherworksofMessiaen(forexample,'Le Mysterede la SainteTrinitC'from
Les Corpsglorieux of1939,'Arc-en-ciel d'innocence'fromChantsdeterre etdeciel
of 1938,and, as we shallsee, 'Dieu parmi nous' from La Nativitgdu Seigneur
of 1935Y In the work'spreface,thesetwo rhythms are prefixedby a third,
(a retrograde versionof rdgavardhana, No. 93 in Sharngadeva's
,
collection),and it would be most satisfyingto find thisin thescorebeforeb.27.
We findthere,instead,thecurioustransformation ofthework'sopening(units
[76]-[79]).However,Messiaen'suse ofHindu rhythms ofteninvolvesa uniform
augmentation or diminution (doubling or halving all values, for example)
or the statingof a largervalue in termsof its compositesmallervalues (four
semiquaversinsteadof a crotchet,forexample).Units [72]-[75]maythusbe
viewedin a new light;even the quaver restis added to completetherhythm
( ~ s., ). If thispatternis acceptedas rdgavardhana, whyis the
f, , of threerhythmsinterruptedby the transformed
sequence beginning?Is it

relevantthatthework'shighestand lowestnotesoccurin thispassage,or that

directrepetition in echo is used? As faras the overallstructure of thepiece is
concerned, thesequestionsmay well prove relevant.
* OM 4. We hearmuchofMessiaen'suse ofChristiansymbolism in hismusic.
His exampleofthesecondrhythm in thesequence(OM Ex. 21) is from'Dieu
parminous', thelastmovementofLa Nativiti.Here theintervalsuccession- a
descentof two semitonesfollowedby a minorthird- is similarto thatin
'Abime'. Are we to assumethattheidea of 'God amongstus' is presentin the
'Abyss of birds'? Or, to generalisefurther,that in everywork in which
candrakald occursitcontainsthesameintervallic sequenceand symbolises'God
amongstus'?'5
Messiaendiscussestheserhythms specificallyas examplesof augmentation
and diminution ofvalues.As we saw earlier,b.28 occursin diminishedformat
theend ofb.29; indeedthewholeofb.29 could be thoughtofas a progressive
augmentation.
* OM 8. In discussing'chromaticformulas'(see above), Messiaen gives as
examplesthefourpermutations ofsemitone/tone to be extractedfroma three-
notecluster.He does notincludea straight chromaticrunofthreenotes.Such
runsdo occurin thissection,butonlylocally,attheend ofb.24 and thestartof
b.27. Our segmentation acknowledgestheseformulasin thecase ofb.27 (units
[80] and [81]) but notin thecase ofb.24, whereto includetheF in a chromatic
runwould spoil thepreviouspatternof fivearpeggiosendingwithdistinctive
falls.The A-Bb-B ofbs 24-5couldalsobe thoughtofas a run,buttoregardthese
notesas a unitwouldgo againstmusicallogic.
* OM 10 concernsmelodicdevelopment.The thirdtechniqueofdevelopment
discussedby Messiaenis thatof'changeofregister'.He citesBerg'sLyricSuite
as containingexamplesofthisprocess,an interesting choiceofworksinceit is
knownthatthiswas one of the fewscoreshe had withhim in StalagVIIIA,
wherehe wrotetheQuatuor.The examplein OM (Exs 127and 128)comesfrom
the sixthmovementof thiswork,but as we saw previouslybs 25 and 26 are
octavetransformations oftheopeningof'Abime'. In bothinstancestherhythm
has been altered,makingrecognition difficult.
* OM 11. Messiaen'sconceptofthe'binarysentence'formhelpstoconfirm the
majorstructuring in Part 2. Section A constitutes the theme, with Section B
acting as firstcommentary. Section C, which starts like SectionA, must be
consideredas themeagain,and commentary on thiswouldappearto beginin
SectionD. SectionE (bs 25-30) acts as a coda. If we acceptthatPart2 of the
piece is an exampleof 'binarysentence'form(Messiaendoes notactuallystate
thisanywhere), theproblemofwhetherornotb.24 shouldstarta newsectionis
resolved.
* OM 15. The second techniquein a chapterdealingwith'Enlargementof
Foreign Notes' is called the 'passing group'. The example given shows
sequences, moving exactly(intervalfor interval)in a chromaticmanner.
Obviouslya totalchromatic is necessarywhenusingthetechniqueinthisway;it
would not work withinthe pitch restrictions of any one mode. Hence the

DAVID MORRIS
chaptertitle'foreignnotes',thatis, notesforeignto themode(s). It would be

incorrecttouse thissequenceas corroborative evidenceforoursegmentation of
b.24. The intervalsin the sequence are not reproducedexactlyand, in fact,
followa particularmode. However,thegeneralprincipleofsequencemustbe
seento apply.
0 OM 16. We saw in SectionsA and B how MessiaenshiftedfromMode 4 to
Mode 2 to startthenewsection.The reintroduction ofMode 4 at b.21 (see Ex.
8) should itself suggestanother new sectionstarting;Mode 4, in turn,shifts
back to Mode 2 at b.24. This adds evidenceto ourpreviousfindingsas to the
form.SectionC begins,likeSectionA, in 4ii,butat thepointwherethepitches
change(unit[54]) itmodulatesto4v (whereitremainsfor[55]). [56],whichwas
derivedfrom[29], movesback to 4ii. The whole-tone trillsmustbe takenfrom
Mode li, thisbeing the onlyplace in the score it occurs. The thirteen-note
collectionstartingat b.24 uses Mode 2iii and 2i, as SectionB/segmentIa had
done. The sequentialpassagederivesentirelyfromthethreetranspositions of
Mode 2. The transformation of the openingoccurs in Mode 2iii, which is
equivalentto2iia fourth lower,butchangesabruptlyatb.27. Here,fortheonly
timein thepiece,Mode 3 is used. This is wherethecandrakald rhythm occurs.
Little has been writtenon Messiaen's associationsof modes with Christian
symbolism.Is the shiftto Mode 3iv at thispointan aid to rhythmic identifi-
cation,or is it associatedwiththe'God amongstus' idea discussedearlier?
PART 3 (bs 30-44)
SectionA (bs 30-4)

These fivebars are an exact repetitionof the openingof the piece an octave
lower,and aresegmented in thesameway.Reasonswhyitoccurshere,andwhy
it is an octavelower,are coveredlater.
SectionB (bs 35-9)

As in Part 1, SectionB beginswitha fallingtritone.However,it occurshere
([91]) a majorsixthlowerthanpreviously ([7]). The newtritoneis followedbya
successionof sevennotes,as before([92]-[93]; cf. [8]-[9]); here,however,we
have an extension([94]) in whichthelastfournotesarerepeateda minorthird
higher.Becauseofthesequentialnatureofthisrepetition itwouldseembestto
in
segmentas in [92]-[94],notas [8]-[9].The second halfofthissectionbegins
witha rhythmic imitation ofitsopening([95]/[91];cf.[10]/[7]),butnowpitches
and resulting intervalshavebeen adjusted.[10], ofcourse,beganon theBb on
which[7] ended,creatinga feelingofcontinuity, and [10] itselfconsistedofa
tonedescent.Here [95] beginson a B, an augmentedsixthhigherthantheDb
on which[91] ends. The leap toB is notmerelya resultofthesequentialfigure,
whichhas theeffect ofraisingpitchlevelsbya minorthird;thiswouldresultin
[95] startingon Fb . We mustalso notethat[95] nowcontainsa majorthird,not
a toneas previously. However,in [96] Messiaenreturns tothelowermajor-sixth
transposition begunat [91].The extensionand intervallic alterationshaveacted

as an interpolation,
withouteffecting
theoveralldirectionofthesection.
SectionC (bs 40-1)

The major-sixth transposition is now leftbehind,and SectionC startsas in
Part1 withthethree-note unit[97],nowa tonehigherthanpreviously. Intervals
are againaltered:theopeningsemitoneof [12] is replacedby a tone; thenext
interval,as before,is a tritone;butthetonedropfrom[12] to [13] is replacedby
a minorthird.This bringsus, at [98], to the same pitchlevel as at [13], Ab.
Furtheralterationsensue, though[98]-[99]is melodicallyequivalentto [13]-
[14]. A seriesofdescendingtritones follows,a minorthirdlowerthanin Part1.
the is
Again sequence extended, thethree tritonesofPart1 ([ 15]-[17])becoming
four([100]-[103]).The secondhalfofthesectionbalancesthefirst,with[105]
fulfillingthesamefunctionas [19]. However,theclimacticnoteis nowa major
thirdhigherthanbefore,and to gettherefromthelow B of [103] theoriginal
tritoneriseof[18]hastobe expanded.[104]nowconsistsofa third,a tritoneand
a fourth,and joinsto [105] by a further leap ofa fourth(nota thirdas in [18]-
[19]).
The expandedfirsthalf(segmentI) is balancedby an expandedsecondhalf
(segmentsIIa and IIb). Whereas[19] was an exacttransposition of [12], [105]
differsmarkedlyfrom[97]. Further,[19] was repeatedin termsofpitchat [21],
whichincludedthefinalnoteofthedescent.Unit[105] repeats,transposed,as
A-G-EK, and the descentcontinuesfor a furthertwo notes. Example 15/I
superimposes thepassagefromPart1 uponthepresentpassage.Apartfromthe
Ex. 15
I[ [20] 211] [1221
r 15] 1061] [1071 [108] [109]

b
[ 5]v [107] [o1] 1()9] [11()1

t1 [1061
9] ,. 1[
1[22al
I27
;
.A" k]
III
[105] [106] [107]

IV 09]
ARiT IPd

DAVID MORRIS
additionalgroup, [106], thereare obvious equivalenciesbetweenthe units.

Some intervalshavechanged,in particularthetritonesin [19] and [21], which
appearhereas diminishedfourthand minorsixthrespectively. In Part 1 the
exactpitchreproduction at [21] was an important factorin segmentation. The
nearestwe cometo thisin thepresentpassageis theA-G-E6of[107]-[108].To
isolatethisgroupwouldresultin a divisionsuchas IIa. Here [105]and [107]are
intervallically identical,with[106] havingrhythmic identity.Also the inter-
vallicorderoccursin inversionas [110]. [109]wouldcorrespond with[22],but
[108] is awkward; not only does an isolated minor sixth occur nowhere else in
thesepassages,but we are joiningtogetherthelastnoteofone phraseand the
firstofthenext(accordingto Messiaen'sphrasing).
The endingofa phrasein themiddleofb.21 was less ofa problem,sincewe
had thehierarchically moreimportant identityof[19] to compensate;however,
we couldrearrange [19]-[22]to correspond morecloselywiththisnewapproach
(see IIb). Ifwe includetheDb in [107]we spoiltheequivalencewith[105] (see
III), and if,as a result,we includetheD in [105] (see IV) we endup witha most
strangesegmentation containingno worthwhile featuresat all. The question
arises: should a segmentation workedout in one part of a piece necessarily
dictatethesamesegmentation in anotherpart?Ifapproachedindependently, Ia
would seemmostappropriatein Part 1, IIa in Part3. [111] has equivalencein
[106]and [107]; [112]corresponds to [25a]-[25b].Here chromatic voiceleading
leads downto thefinallongE ofthepiece. This is thethirdsemibreveE; the
second,it will be recalled,was also approachedchromatically, thoughfrom
below(theEb -E of[52a]-[52b]).By a niceuse ofoctavedisplacement, thesame
pitch levelis used here for theE; this,in turn,leaps another octave to thehigh
E beginningb.42, so bridgingthepitch-spangap. (As we shallsee later,thisE
also bridgesanotherkindofgap.)
SectionD (bs 42-4)

Obviouslysomesortofinversion
Bar 42 and itsechorepeat,43, areinteresting.
of b.25 is involved;in facteach intervalis inverted,then the directionof
movementreversed,thus:
b.25 majorthird,
majorseventh,minorthird, majorseventh,
up; tritone,
down
minorseventh,
down;minorninth,
b.42 minorsixth,minorninth,majorsixth,tritone,
majorninth,
up
The processof double inversionbringsus fullcircle:thisbar reproducesthe

firstsevennotesofthepiece. The onlyplace wherethedirectionofmovement
is notreversedis wherethetwohalvesmeet.The tritoneF-B in b.25 descends,
and so does thetritoneBb-E in b.42. Possiblereasonsforthisare givenin the
summary.Segmentation mustcorrespondto bs 25 and 26.
The longflourishat thestartofb.44 is theretrogradeof [50]-[52a]in b.19,
and [64]-[65] in b.24. We saw earlierhow these two passages segmented

differentlyaccordingto theirpositionswithintheflowofthemusic. Here yet

anotherdivisionis offered.[117] is maintainedas the retrograde of [65] and
[52a], but lookingahead to the finalthreenotesA-Ab-G we see a chromatic
figurewhichis bestleftintact.This leavesus thecentralfournotes,B-F#-E-C#,
as a separateunit.An examination ofthisfigure,nowin retrograde, revealsthe
inversional associationbetweentheopeningthreenotesof[117]and [118]. [119]
is a chromaticgrouphavingcorrespondences with[112], [80], [81], [74]-[75]
and [75]-[76].The piece ends with[120], reminding us finallyof[ib] and the
other'Boris'motivederivations.
Summary ofPart3
Structurally much of what is to be said here must be viewedin relationto
Part 1, thoughtheredoes appeartobe somesortofcoda towardstheend ofthe
piece. Part 3 beginswithan exact repetitionof the startof Part 1. We can
confidently call thisSectionA and segmentit as previously.The questionofits
octavetransposition will be consideredin the generaldiscussionof structure
whichfollows.SectionB also poses fewproblems,beingclearlyrelatedto its
counterpart in Part1. It includesa sequentialextensionwithinthefirstsegment
and variousadjustmentsof pitchlevels; the overalltransposition of a lower
majorsixthis discussedbelow.SectionC, similarly, bearsa closeresemblance to
thethirdsectionin Part 1. The extensionsand alterations to pitchlevelshave
alreadybeen discussed;segmentation can be based on theearliersection.The
semibreveE at b.41 has alreadybeenexaminedintermsoflocal structuring; its
larger-scaleimplications arediscussedbelow.We mustnotehere,however,that
althoughthisE followstheprecedingF#and F as a chromaticunit,thevoice
leadingis notentirely fulfilled
untilthelow E beginning[114]. This, ofcourse,
anticipates the final E of thepiece,whichis an octavelowerthantheE in b. 1.
Here we findthemainreasonforthechangeofdirection in theinversionofb.25
as itappearsat [113]-[114].An exactinversionwouldhavebeenpossibleon a Bb
clarinet,withthefinalnotebeingtheG an octavehigherthanthatin [114]: this
veryhighnotecouldhardlyhavebeenplayedpianissimo, butI doubtthatsucha
consideration occurredtoMessiaen.Morelikelyis theimportance ofthehighE
at the beginningof [113]. This is the highestnote in the section,gaining
significance fromthelongE thatimmediately precedesitandlookingforward to
thefinalnoteofthepiece. Aspectsoftessituraare discussedbelow.
One further pointofinterest.It was notedthattheF#and F of[112]ledtothe
E of [114]. Thereis a case, however,forregardingthefinalE (in [120]) as the
goal ofthisrun;ifthisis accepted,therestofSectionD mightbe consideredas
an interruption, withthechromaticsof [119] takingoverfromthoseof [112].
The generalmovementtowardsthe finallow E would seem to be the main
reason forthe retrograding of b. 19 here; in the earlierpassage the melodic
contourled to theE twooctavesabovethisfinalnote.
PoieticEvidence
* OM 16. Messiaen returnsto Mode 2 formostof Part 3 (see Ex. 8). Such

DAVID MORRIS
changesas occurare in transpositions of the mode and serveto allow forthe

alterationsmade to earlierpassages(cf. b.40 and bs 11-12).The inversionof
b.25 in b.42 now uses 2ii, whichbegan thepiece and, indeed,ends it, rather
thanthe2iii ofb.25 itself.The use oftheearlierharmonicfieldhereenhances
thefeelingofrecapitulation, eventhoughthepitchesare altered;forexample,
thewholepassageat bs 35-40is in thesamefieldas bs 6-10.
* OM 11. Part3 wouldseemtofallintothesameformalcategory as Part1,that
is, 'song-sentence'form.Units [85]-[87] and [88]-[90] now constitutethe
antecedentand consequentofthe theme,with[91]-[96]providingthemiddle
phrase.Accordingto thesystemadoptedin Part 1, [97]-[112]shouldformthe
finalsection,withSectionD actingas a coda. Thereareproblemshere.None of
thethreeformsdiscussedby Messiaenincludesa coda; however,theexamples
he givesall adhereto thewrittenstructuring so freelyas to allowquite a wide
margin for adaptation. The only four-partformdiscussed is the 'binary
sentence', as discoveredin Part 2 of thispiece. The relationbetweenthefirst
and thirdpartsofthatformmakesitsuse herehighlyunlikely(SectionsA andC
do notseemtobe closelyrelatedas themes).As in otherpartsofthepiece,major
divisionsareobvious,and distorting Messiaen'sownnamedformstofitthebill
is oflimitedmerit.
CONCLUSION
We havenowbuiltup a hierarchical structuringof'Abimedes oiseaux'fromthe

smallestunitto thethreemainparts.But whathavewe actuallyachievedas a
resultofthis,and howhas thepoieticevidenceassistedus? We startedwiththe
idea that Messiaen's expose of compositionaltechniquesmightcorroborate
certainfindingsinouressentiallyneutralanalysis.Occasionally,however,along
the way, we have actuallyfound the reversehappening.We must now
summarise thewaysinwhichthepoieticevidencedidhelpandconsiderthosein
whichit did not.
1) Was itusefulin ascertaining divisions?

thestructural
i) On the smallscale the of
recognition deqitalas(OM 2) on therhythmic
level,and ofpassinggroupsor sequences(OM 15) on themelodic,did
indeed help in deciding certainsegmentations.The recognitionof
'melodiccontours'(OM 8) also helpedin this.
ii) Messiaen's use of 'RhythmicNotationNo. 1' (OM 7) was usefulin
indicatingthatthe barlineswerethereto indicate'periods'.The exact
meaningof'period',however,is notclear.It seemsto stretchfromone
or two notesto a whole section(b.24, forexample). Only large-scale
divisionwas corroborated by thismethod.
iii) Again,thechapteron form(OM 11) was oflimiteduse, sinceonlythree
formsarediscussed,and thosecannotfiteverypieceofmusic.OM 12,a
chapternot referredto above, covers fugue,sonata and plainchant
forms,but noneoftheseseemedapplicableto thispiece. Nevertheless

thethreepartsofthemusicdid looselyfitcertainofMessiaen'sforms;in
particular,thedivisionof SectionsC and D in Part2 was helpedbyhis
comments.What theydid not help with was the detectionof any
associationswhichmighthave been at workon the largerscale; for
example,therelationship betweenParts1 and 3. We wereable,fromour
hierarchicstructuring,to arriveat an overallformofA-B-A-coda,and
withinthatto indicatereferencesbetweencertainparts and certain
sections which, in turn, suggested various developmental or
recapitulatoryfunctions.Other remarksfromOM were useful in
confirming thesefindings.
2) Wereharmonic/melodic considerations useful?

i) Modes ofLimited The
Transposition. wholeareaofthesemodes(OM 16)
was mostuseful,bothon thelargeand on thesmallscale.We foundthat
themajordivisionsoftheworkintoparts,and thedivisionoftheseparts
into sections,were all concomitantwitha changeof mode. Even the
construction of smaller segments was determined by modal
considerations.The pitchcountin Part 1 confirmedtheuse thereof
Mode 2; but similarcountsin otherareas would have endorsedthese
findings.'Special chords'(OM 14) withinparticularmodeswerealso of
use wheretheyoccurred.An extensionoftheseideas wouldbe to tryto
discerna tonalsystemat workin thepiece,and to establishtherelation
ofsucha systemto theform.
ii) The role of transposition. Apart from sequences and immediate
repetitions, the main areas of transpositionoccurin Part2, wherethe
loweringby a fourthis oftenin evidence, in Part3 (octaveand lower
and
major-sixth In
transpositions). functionalharmonythe loweringby a
fourth wouldbringus intothedominantkey.An effect this
approaching
is discerniblein Section C of Part 2, where the music begins as
previously([53] = [26]) but ends up a fourthlower([56]). SectionE
([76]-[77]), as we have seen, restatestheopeningofthepiece a fourth
lower(withoctavedisplacement).This underlinestheimportance ofits
returnat theoriginalpitchin Part3 ([113]-[114]).In factthereturnhas
alreadybeenmadeat thestartofPart3. Whyis thisan octavelower?The
clarinetis capableofplayingfourEs: e, e1,e2ande3.Ifwe chartthemain
occurrencesofE throughout, we getthefollowing:
bs 1-5 6 12 13 20 24 30-4 41 42-3 44

ex x
e I x x
Thefirst
fivebarsandtheirreproduction
inPart3
SSemibreveEs

DAVID MORRIS
A gradual wedge shape opens up, with the highestand lowest Es

occurring in thelastfourteen barsofthepiece.el ande arebothstablein
the openingsectionsof Parts 1 and 3 respectively; e2 functionsas an
additionalstabilising factorin itsthreeappearancesas semibreves.
The reasonforthemajor-sixth inPart3, SectionB is not
transposition
so apparent.In Part1,unit[11], attheendofthecorresponding section,
containedthe lowestnote. For the same principleto applyhere,that
notewouldhavetobe lowD orEb , sincelowE is prominent at thestart
and at theend. Eb , and indeedtheprogression Eb -F-G , wouldnotbe
possiblein Mode 2ii, and Messiaenwishesto retainthismodehereas in
Part 1. Hence the startof SectionB a major sixthlower than the
corresponding passagein Part 1.
iii) The role of repetition. This is most apparent in the large-scale
reproduction of Part 1 in Part3, thoughrepetition ofthisnatureis not
coveredin OM. On thesmallerscalewe havetherepetition offavourite
intervals, often involving the same pitches,and the use of particular
intervalgroups.The tritoneis muchin evidencethroughout, buttheEl
Bb pair occursonlyin Parts 1 and 3; therethesepitchclasses can be
foundsix and seventimesrespectively (a countwhichincludesthelast
twonotes).It is too simpleto assumethattheyonlyexistin theseareas
because the modes used thereallow it. Althoughit is true thatthe
transpositions of Mode 4 used in Part 2 do not containthesepitches,
Mode 2ii is to be foundthere;and theE/Bbpairoccursin 2i, whichis
also tobe foundthere.Naturallyitsoccurrenceis morelikelyin areasin
whichE is a pitchcentre.It is also partof the 'Boris' motivewhich
pervadesthepiece.
The twooctave-displaced versionsofthismotivebothoccuras codas
to theirrespectiveparts: b.25 and b.42. Beforewe considertheir
functionsin these places, we must ask whetherthe listeneris
immediately awareofthetransformations. Willthemusicmakeas much
senseifwe cannotheartheirderivations? The firsttransformation (b.25)
is a fourthlowerthantheoriginalversion,and theoctavedisplacement
techniqueis new in this piece; also, we have not heard the original
motiveforquitesometime.Whenitcomesbacka secondtime(b.30) we
instantlyconnectitwithitsfirstoccurrence, buthereitappearsina form
close to the originaland uses the originalpitches. In this way it
anticipatesthefinalunitofthepiece. A moment'sreflection willremind
us of theinversionalassociationbetweenthesetwopassages,and so of
therelationbetweenthefirstand theopeningofthepiece.
Variousotheraspectsofthemusicmayassistin ouranalysisofthestructure.
For example,theoverallpitchrangeis closelyassociatedwiththeoctavelevels
ofE discussedabove. It mustbe remembered thatthepiece is forBb clarinet,
on thisinstrument
and thatcertainregisters exhibitdifferenttimbralqualities.
The openingsectionlies moreor less in theso-called'throat'register.This is

oftendescribedas a pale area, and obviouslysuits the desolenatureof the

opening(also markedexpressif The rangegraduallyopensout during
ettriste).
the remainderof Part 1, thoughno greatheightsor depthsare reached.The
recurringsemibreveEs are in mid-clarinoregister.This is characteristically
bright,and bestcapableofproducingtheppp-ffff crescendo
demanded.16Part2
beginsin theupperclarinoand highranges,butby SectionB arpeggiosacross
two or threeregistersbegin. By Section D we are down in the chalumeau
register,thoughthesequenceofsweepingarpeggiosagaintravelsthroughtwo
or threeareas. The coda, SectionE, containsthe clarinet'slowestnote and
approachesits highest.This, togetherwiththechangeoftempoat thispoint,
producesthearresting effectnecessaryifwe aretorecognisethe'Boris'motive.
A gradualdescentthroughthe rangesto the lowestchalumeauleads to the
repeatof theopening(Part 3). The chalumeauis usuallyconsidereda darker
tonecolourthanthe'throat'register, butMessiaenretainsthesameexpression
marksas theopening.Voice leadingat theend ofSectionC wasdiscussedin the
summaryto Part 3; here we can see the effecttimbrally.A gradualdescent
throughthechalumeauis interrupted bythelongE, mid-clarino, beforethetwo
wide-spanningoctave-displacement bars initiatea descent throughall the
registersback to thebottomofthechalumeau.
The finaltopicI wishtodiscussis onewhich,unfortunately, hasbeenofleast
use to us. This is thefunctionand use ofsymbolism.That Messiaenassociates
particularmodesand evenparticulartranspositions ofmodeswithcolourswas
mentionedabove. In workslike theCatalogued'oiseauxthisis undoubtedlyof
major importance.The associationsof colour in the birdsongpassages of
'Abime' are muchhardertofollow.The applicationofChristiansymbolism to
certainofMessiaen'sdeqitalashas also been mentioned,but once again,apart
from our tentativesuggestionconcerning'God amongstus', the role of
Christiansymbolismin this piece is far fromclear. Finally, is thereany
significanceto Messiaen'suse ofthe'Boris'motiveor theGriegextract?This is
one ofthemostdifficult questionstoanswer.As suggestedearlier,theonlyway
throughthisproblemwouldseemto be to followNattiez'sadviceand analysea
largenumberofMessiaenpiecesin whichthesemotivesoccur,trying to make
senseoftheirpresence.This couldwelltakea longtime.
NOTES
1. "'Densit6 21.5" de Varese:essai d'analyses6miologique',Monographiesde

s6miologie et d'analysesmusicales,No. 2 (University of Montreal,1975);
translated
as 'Varese's"Density21.5": A Studyin Semiological Music
Analysis',
Vol.
Analysis, 1,No. 3 (October1982).
2. Techniquede mon langage musical(Paris: Leduc, 1944), translatedby John
Satterfield
as The Technique
ofMyMusicalLanguage(Paris: Leduc, 1956).
3. See Jean-Jacques
Nattiez,'The ConceptsofPlotandSeriation
Processin Music
MusicAnalysis,
Analysis', Vol.4, Nos 1-2(March-July1985).

DAVID MORRIS
4. JeanMolino, 'Fait musicalet s6miologiede la musique',Musiqueenjeu, No. 17

(1975), quotedin Nattiez,'Varese's"Density21.5"', p.256.
5. See TheTechnique ofMyMusicalLanguage,p. 14.
6. See, forexample,RobertSherlawJohnson, Messiaen(London: Dent, 1975),p.61;
Roger Nichols, Messiaen(London: OUP, 1975), p.29; Paul Griffiths, Olivier
Messiaenand theMusicofTime(London: Faber, 1985),p. 105.
7. My translation.
8. My translation.
9. Messiaen's source for this was Encyclopediede la musiqueet dictionnaire du
conservatoire, ed. Albert Lavignac and Lionel de la Laurencie (Paris: Delagrave,
1913-31).
10. See Nattiez,'Is a DescriptiveSemioticsof Music Possible?',LanguageSciences,
No. 23 (1972).
11. See TheTechnique ofMy MusicalLanguage,p.47.
12. Mode 2 is of course the octatonicmode, whichhas receivedmuch attentionin
recentyears:writerssuch as GeorgePerle,RichardTaruskinand Pietervan den
Toorn have gone so faras to describeit as a musicallinguafrancaof the early
twentieth century.
13. The articleby TrevorHold, 'Messiaen'sBirds',MusicandLetters, Vol. 52, No. 2
(April1971),dealswiththistopicin somedetail.
14. For a wide-ranging discussionofthisaspectofMessiaen'smusic,see Jonathan W.
Bernard, 'Messiaen's Synaesthesia: The Correspondence between Color and
SoundStructure in His Music',MusicPerception, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Fall 1986).See also
Griffiths,'Catalogue de couleurs:Notes on Messiaen's Tone Colourson His 70th
Birthday', Musical Times, Vol. 119 (December 1978); OlivierMessiaenand the
MusicofTime,Chapter2.
15. On Messiaen's symbolicuse of Hindu rhythms, see SherlawJohnson,Messiaen,
Chapter 5; also Gwilym Beechey, 'Christian Symbolism in Messiaen's Music',
MusicalOpinion,Vol. 104,No. 1242(April1981).
16. A comparisonofdifferent performances ofthisworkwillrevealthedifferent rates
ofcrescendo thatvariousperformers achieve,as wellas thedynamicrangecovered
and thechangein audibleovertonespresentas thecrescendo proceeds.


Semiotics - Abime Des Oiseaux

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A Semiotic Investigation of Messiaen's 'Abîme des oiseaux'

Author(s): David Morris

This content downloaded from 200.3.154.160 on Fri, 7 Feb 2014 07:21:29 AM

A SEMIOTIC INVESTIGATION OF MESSIAEN'S

This analysis,following theexampleofJean-Jacques Nattiez,in particularhis

PART 1 (bs 1-13)

SectionA (bs 1-5)

I. This versionoffersa solutionas to thepointofdivision,at leastin respectof

MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2, 1989 125

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ReproducedbypermissionofEditionsDurand S.A., Paris/United

126 MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2,1989

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[64] 65I [66]

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muchto offer.Melodically,however,whatat firstsightseemsan idealsolution

[1 [2 [3 [4] 51 7[61 J71

[la] ,[lb] , [3] [4] [51 [61

The function oftheopeningE, andindeedofthepitchclassE throughout the

128 MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2,1989

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and recognisetheobviousandintendedsymmetry, a property

SectionB (bs 6-10)

SectionC (bs 11-13)

MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2, 1989 129

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labelled [25b]); b.14 is obviouslythe startof a new Partwithits own tempo,

130 MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2,1989

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Part 1, thatcertainintervallicgroupsoccur severaltimes.The recurrenceof

Immediatelywe see thatonlyeightpitchclassesare used (some ofthesemore

MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2, 1989 131

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forming a tritone:E/B , Ab/D,G/D , F/B.The E/Bbpairoccurstwenty times,

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concerning compositional techniquesusedin thisworkand inmanyothers.But

* OM 2 deals with 120 deqitalascollectedby Sharngadevain the thirteenth

1) The 'Boris' motive(OM Exs 75 and 76), wherea motivefromnear the

MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2, 1989 133

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openingof Mussorgsky'sBorisGodunov(see Ex. 5a below) is subjectedto

2) 'Solveig'sSong' fromGrieg'sPeerGynt(OM Ex. 80; givenbelowas Ex. 6).

Theme- units[1]-[3]and [4]-[6];

The laterPartsfitthisformless well.

* OM 16dealswithModes ofLimitedTransposition. madein

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thesummaryto Part 1 above,thatonlyeightpitchclassesareused in thisPart,

harmonic,whenanyfundamental is sounded.)" Mode 2 is used extensively

PART 2 (bs 14-29)

SectionA (bs 14-17)

MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2, 1989 135

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2ii ,,,0,- a.iii iijr-iitp-- 1I

136 MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2, 1989

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2 2ii ' 2i 2 2ii I 2ii 2i2i

MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2, 1989 137

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This persistentuse ofthetritonerefersbackto [15], [16], [17] and [18]; here,as

SectionB (bs 17-20)

138 MUSIC ANALYSIS 8:1-2,1989

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groups,herethereis something to be gainedfroma different approach(see Ex.