Messiaen Key Features

Stratification

like discontinuity; when ideas don’t lead smoothly from one to another, textural/structural form

Stained glass window effect

messiaen’s synaesthesia mean that he could use different timbres and harmonies to create different colours, and using many in one piece created a ‘stained glass window’ effect.

ONLY CAN BE SEEN IF THERE IS A CONSTANT PEDAL.

Birdsong

some melodies seem atonal and ametrical

disjunct- short motif and repetitive melodies

Messiaen took a lot of inspiration from birdsong

Modes of limited transposition

scales that can only be restarted on a different note a limited number of times before the pitches start to repeat

Additive rhythm

a phrase can be lengthened or shortened by repeating it, or a short motif can be repeated a varied number of times

Isorhythm

rhythmic pattern is repeated but not pitches

Chromatic range

Messiaen commonly equips the entire chromatic range within his pieces

Atonality

Messiaen uses this so the music

No specific metre

Messiaen uses this so the music can float rather than have a specific goal that it leads to