To what extent does the 'quatuor pour la fin du temps' reflect Messiaen's desire for an end to musical time, in the sense of eliminating a regular beat in the music?

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J.P.Younghusband

To what extent does the ‘quatuor pour la fin du temps’ reflect Messiaen’s desire for an end to musical time, in the sense of eliminating a regular beat in the music?

The translation of the title of the piece means: The quartet for the end of time. It was written by Messiaen whilst he was in a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War.  His main influence as a composer was Debussy, but as a prisoner he had many other influences, for instance, he was suffering from severe hunger to the extent that he was hallucinating. And of course all the horrors of the war would serve in the way he composed.

His hallucinations would have been vivid because his synesthesia would have created a colour to them.  Synesthesia is a symptom caused by a malfunction in the senses.

Messiaen only had a handful of musicians to write for, this means that the quartet was written for the strange combination of piano, clarinet, violoncello and violin. This made the task hard for him, but the musicians knew that this performance was more than just a composition; it was a spiritual connection with God.

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The end of time would most probably of been a feeling that was shared with all the prisoners of war. Messiaen put this idea across in his music therefore creating a theme: the end of musical time.  This can be looked at in the way of losing a regular pulse or time signature, but also, can represent an end to music which would be, for a large majority, the eternal end of time.

To see a world in a grain of sand

And a heaven in a wild flower

Hold infinity in the palm of you hand

And eternity ...

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