Olivier Messiaen
Thème et variations (1932)
Biography:
Program Notes:
A relatively early work, Messiaen’s Thème et variations of 1932 is not plagued with any of the issues generally associated with juvenilia—while rhythmically less complex than several of his later works were to become, Messiaen’s tonal palette is already fully developed here. The composition comprises a theme and five variations, and each of the six components is chained together forming a continuous whole.
Much has been written on Messiaen’s “modes of limited transposition,” and thus that ground will not need to be fully explored here. Suffice it to say that each of the modes is concerned with symmetry in terms of the types of intervals that are employed and their patterning. Thème et variations utilizes few of Messiaen’s modes: mode 3 predominates, and is focal in the “Thème,” as well as in Variations I, IV and V; mode 7 is the principal mode in Variations II and III. A version of mode 3 and a version of mode 7 appear below:
Example 1: Messiaen “modes of limited transposition”—modes 3 and 7
(a) mode 3
(b) mode 7
Mode 3 comprises three whole steps, each of which is separated from the next by two half steps. In mode 7, however, there are but two whole steps, each separated from the other by three intervening half steps. Moreover, eight pitches are held in common between the particular transpositions of modes 3 and 7 shown here—a relevant observation, in that these are the composition’s featured transpositions. While presented as horizontal strings in Example 3, it is important to keep in mind that the pitches of a mode generate harmonic as well as melodic material. The types of sounds heard throughout Thème et variations, then, will differ only in subtle ways as Messiaen transmogrifies among the modes.
Audible gestural divisions are encountered throughout the work. In “Thème,” the brief middle section shifts from mode 3 to a version of the octatonic scale (mode 2 in Messiaen’s system) while the violin and piano drift out of phase with one another. The change of mode is accompanied by a move to a higher register in the violin, and the section is more expressive than what precedes or follows it.
The “modéré” tempo of “Thème” is quickened in “Variation I,” and while the relative length of “Variation I” is not markedly different than that of the “Thème,” its rhythmic activity is amplified. The proportions of the three sections match those of the “Thème.” The driving left-hand gesture in the piano from the head of the variation (a repeating short – long – short figure) abates with the arrival of the middle section and the introduction of planing motion, which Messiaen appropriates from his idol Debussy.
“Variation II” and “Variation III” are paired by the fact that each turns to mode 7 for its source material. “Variation II” represents an initial climax in the overall sweep of the work. Its propulsive motion is fueled by the move to quadruple-compound meter, and a quick tempo. The close three-voice imitation of the middle portion of the variation—where entries are separated by an eighth note—is of particular interest. Planing encountered in “Variation I” is more prominent here.
“Variation II” employs three transpositions of mode 7, one of which is in place only for a single measure. That transposition, however, comes to the fore in “Variation III.” Simple meter returns in the later variation, but the perceived pace of the complete piece continues to increase, for in a compositional sense shorter note values are in effect; what is more, the notion of “variation within variation” is now quite prevalent. The lead into “Variation III” carries with it hints of the primary motive of the chorale “Es ist genug,” and the gesture is variously presented in many of the Variation’s measures.
Mode 3 resurfaces in “Variation IV,” where two-measure repeating units govern the initial segment. The quick tempo (marked “Vif et passionné”) accentuates the three rhythmic strata of the opening swatch—a three-against-two cross-rhythm in the piano, and a lyrical tune in the violin. Chromaticism takes hold in the piano in the “b” and the “c” sections of the large-scale design (a + b a + b; a’ + c), as does octatonicism, and irregular phrase lengths. The final five measures serve the dual function of closing “Variation IV,” and fashioning a link into the final portion of the work.
The principal theme returns in “Variation V,” although in an altered form: the tempo is slower than in the “Thème”; the accompaniment differs; and a ffff dynamic replaces the p level of the opening moments of Thème et variations. The final Variation is also somewhat longer than is the “Thème.” Coupled, these facts underscore the point that the ending of the work represents a moment of musical apotheosis.
Program Notes by Gregory Marion
Assistant Professor of Music Theory
The University of Saskatchewan
