Messiaen: "Mode de valeurs et dintensites"

Olivier Messiaen: "Mode de valeurs et dintensites" (1949)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• new
• music
• total
• serial
• twelve
• tone

[GreggaryPeccary]

Yo Max! I got the score and saw that the sequence of the notes is often changed, or certain notes are interjected. They keep their assigned duration and dynamic, though. What's that all about? I guess it's not total serialism...

[NewMusicXX]

I don't know the specific answer to the question. I know that often composers (such as Boulez and Xenakis) establish a "process" or formula as a guide, but make certain compromises or alterations for aesthetic reasons, that are not strictly according to the model. I can only assume that this might be the case with Messiaen as well.

[vmdaff]

@vmdaff to avoid "unissone dynamics" and to utilise a few cells which he often repeats. Even so since his hame wasn't serialism he uses the serialized souns very freely. This piece although not one of the favourite pieces of messiaen, is very important to the history of music, because it was the inspiration of boulez and stockhausen to create total serialsm. I hope I have helped you to some degree, if you have any doubts feel free to ask. 

[vmdaff]

@NewMusicXX When Mesiaen wrote this piece. the concept of total serialism didn't exist, this piece as the start of that movement, When Messiaen created the rows, which he calss modes, he never had the intention to use them as rows, he just created them so he could designate rythms and dynamics to the different notes, which he calls sounds, so thats why he uses them freely, thwy arent dodecaphonic rows in the term of the word. However he tries to follow the series to some degree, skipping them,

[Germanybash]

It's crap!

[TheTimeswriter]

@GreggaryPeccary it was about how can someone make music with little freedom as possible... no freedom intended

[chtuc]

Not very well played. Too much pedal. Not enough differentiation in dynamics. I'd prefer hearing this played by Yvonne Loriod.

Sorry :)

[Rickeeey1]

Interesting. Nice to listen to.

[Shredlord12345]

@snapper842002 If classical music truly is "dead" as you say due to the fact that composers did not write exactly the same way till the end of time and that instead new styles emerged then I'm glad it died. 

[snapper842002]

this is the kind of overly-analytical crap that has caused the death of classical music. the same with minimalism and spectral music. total BS. This is why lady gaga sells 20 million records, because this @#$! is the alternative

[a20008137]

beaufifull and expresive perfomance. who 's the performer?

[Urgevich]

@GreggaryPeccary That's possible because Messiaen used his modes, not strict serialism. The main difference is that the sequence of notes is not determined in a mode, but it is in a serial tone row.

[ThePhilosorpheus]

@MusicaRicercata That was a very poor argument, I didn´t realize anything. Maybe there is not a relation of causality between serial music and quantum mechanics, but there is a very clear analogy. I am not talking about uncertainty or entropy, i´m talking about the role given to every individual note.

[MusicaRicercata]

@ThePhilosorpheus You now realize quantum mechanics has nothing to do with either this piece or nearly the entirety of serial musical literature. Please stop to think before you make such astounding claims.