Rediscovering Me3ssiaens Inverted Chords

Rediscovering Messiaen's Invented Chords
Author(s): Wai-ling Cheong

Source: Acta Musicologica, [Vol.] 75, [Fasc.] 1 (2003), pp. 85-105
Published by: International Musicological Society
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25071211
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Rediscovering Messiaen's Invented Chords*
Wai-ling Cheong
Chinese University of Hong Kong
My harmonic language doesn't include only modes. In addition, and above all, I use chords: the chords
of contracted resonance, the revolving chords, chords of total chromaticism, chords of transposed
inversions on the same bass note, and thousands of chords invented to reproduce the timbres of
bird songs. Whereas the modes have overall colors corresponding to their various transpositions...
the chords all have twelve colors corresponding to the twelve possible transpositions.1
Olivier Messiaen's modes of limited transpositions have received considerable critical

attention, but, as suggested here in an interview with Claude Samuel in the eight
ies, the composer may have attached just as much importance, if not more, to chords as
to modes. That the modes are more often discussed in the secondary literature owes
much to the fact that Messiaen had already finalized his definition of these in Technique de
mon langage musical.2 The preface to La Nativit? du Seigneur, which contains the earliest
explanation of his modes in print, was later superseded by the definitive delineation of
the same in Technique. In stark contrast, though Messiaen may have had at his disposal
a substantial number of invented chords, he gives names to only a few. A list compiled
by following the chronological order in which these chord names appear in his writings
turns out to be surprisingly short. The chord on the dominant (accord sur dominante),
first named in the preface to La Nativit?, reappears in Technique, together with the chord
of resonance (accord de la r?sonance) and the chord in fourths (accord en quartes), all
clearly defined. This list then ends with the four categories of chords mentioned on
the occasion of the interview quoted above ("the chords of contracted resonance, the
revolving chords, chords of total chromaticism, chords of transposed inversions on the
same bass note").3
* I am indebted to Kathryn Bailey for her insightful comments on the first draft of this article.
1 Claude Samuel, Musique et couleur: nouveaux entretiens, Paris, Belfond, 1986, translated by E. Thomas
Glasow as Music and Color: Conversations with Claude Samuel, Portland, Amadeus Press, 1994, p. 64.
This passage is not included in Samuel, Entretiens avec Olivier Messiaen, Paris, Belfond, 1967, translated
by Felix Aprahamian as Conversation with Olivier Messiaen, London, Stainer & Bell, 1976.
2 Technique de mon langage musical, 2 vols., Paris, Leduc, 1944; vol. I translated by John Satterfield as The
Technique of my Musical Language, Paris, Leduc, 1956.
3 In the original French text: "les 'accords ? r?sonance contract?e', les 'accords tournants', les 'accords
du total chromatique', les 'accords ? renversements transpos?s sur la m?me note de basse'." (Samuel,
Musique et couleur, pp. 68-9).
86 Wai-ling Cheong
Excluded from this list are chord names that appear only a negligible number of times
in his writings. For example, we come across mystical chords (accords myst?rieux) in the
preface to Livre du Saint Sacrement and carillon chords (accords de carillon) in Vingt regards
sur l'Enfant-J?sus,4 but rarely, if ever, do they appear elsewhere. There is nonetheless one
important omission, the theme of chords (th?me d'accords), which, strictly speaking, is
not a type of chord. I shall comment on this when discussing revolving chords.
For various reasons (of which more below), most of the late additions (i.e. the four cat
egories of chords) are undefined prior to the publication of Trait? de rythme, de couleur,
et d'ornithologie and are therefore little understood.5 Unlike Messiaen's modes, they have
never been treated systematically, so it is only natural that the secondary literature shies
away from these perplexing chords. There are discussions of the modes, the bird songs,
the talas, the color effects and the theological associations of Messiaen's music, but the
chords remain barely touched upon.6 Judging on the basis of his commentaries alone,
these four categories of chords would appear to gain prominence in his late works.
These chord names, and no others, appear repeatedly in his writings from the sixties
onwards. But of course there is a danger in placing too much emphasis on the extent
to which he addresses these chords, for he chose freely to write, as in the preface to
M?ditations sur le myst?re de la Sainte Trinit?, or, alternatively, not to write, as in the pref
ace to La Transfiguration de Notre-Seigneur J?sus-Christ, about their presence in his music.
Nevertheless, the frequency with which they come up in his writings demands that they
be studied closely. Only by doing so can we hope to assess their true importance.
-I
When first interviewed by Samuel bac

chords, the chords of transposed inver
form three "strains of chords" that run
In the two strophes of Chronochromie, one h

permutations on the thirty-two note-values... In
permutations, I've colored my note-values in thr
by strains of chords... The line for the gongs g
for the bells goes with seven violins playing ch
position and transposition. The line for the su
with three violas and four cellos playing chord
4 See, for instance, Vingt regards, p. 6.

5 Available at the time of the writing of this p
Alphonse Leduc, published in 1994, 1995, 1996
that Messiaen's chords will be detailed in volu
6 Robert Sherlaw Johnson's Messiaen, London,
specifying what they are.
Rediscovering Messiaen's Invented Chords 87
Relatively minor inconsistency of nomenclature comes up here. These chord names

deviate from those used in the passage quoted earlier from the same source, but their
correspondence to the revolving chords, the chords of transposed inversions on the
same bass note and the chords of contracted resonance seems obvious. Most of these
deviations are found in the English translation but not in the original French text. More
serious inconsistency of nomenclature will be discussed presently. Suffice it to say at
this point that the chords of transposed inversions (on the same bass note) are also
called chords on the dominant, and the term "chords of contracted resonance" refers to
either the first or the second chord of contracted resonance. For clarity's sake, the four
categories of chords to be discussed in this paper will be abbreviated as RC (revolving
chord), CTI (chord of transposed inversions on the same bass note), CCR (chord of
contracted resonance) and CTC (chord of total chromaticism).8
Although the names of RC and CCR were first published as a result of this interview
in the sixties, their structures remained undefined until the publication of Trait? in the
nineties. Their identities are further complicated by the fact that Messiaen had touched
on CCR and, less directly, on RC in Technique, even before he named them. This fact
remains more or less unknown, and, worse still, the structure of CTC has never been
formally defined, even though it can be inferred from Trait?. With the exception of CTI,
the names of these chords precede his formal definition of their structure. In addition,
there is evidence (of which more below) that the chords were used before being named,
i.e. that the nomenclature was introduced belatedly.
Many writers have been intrigued by Messiaen's account of the famous chord layers of
Chronochromie, and by the complicated history of the first use, the first identification and
the first definition of these chords. Paul Griffiths, for one, noted that Messiaen identi
fied the chords "without stating the criteria that characterize the first and the third of
these varieties [i.e. RC and CCR]". For Griffiths, "they are both complex harmonies, of
eight and seven notes respectively, quite lacking any diatonic sense."9 In a similar vein,
Jonathan W. Bernard wrote that little is known about these chords except that they
are not based on modes.
7 Samuel, Music and Color, pp. 135-36. These chord names also appear in the first book of conversation
published in 1967. Here I refer to the second book, as the English translation of the first had acciden
tally omitted one line and, with it, the turning chords (see Samuel, Conversation with Olivier Messiaen,
pp. 90-91). These chord names resurface in the seventies in the prefaces to M?ditations and Des canyons
aux ?toiles..., among others, though they did not draw as much attention there.
8 In Messiaen's writings these terms refer not only to the chords but also to the progressions based on
the different categories of chords. The use of acronyms in this paper follows the same practice.
9 Paul Griffiths, Olivier Messiaen and the Music of Time, London, Faber, 1985, p. 193.
88 Wa?-ling Cheong
In certain works of the 1960s, Messiaen seems to have found the palette available to him through
the modes to be too confining; most of the chords in the coloured strata of strophes I and II of
Chronochromie and most of the labelled colour chords of Couleurs de la cit? c?leste and Sept ho/ko/'are
non-modal. Around this time we also begin to hear about "turning chords", "chords of contracted
resonance" and "chords of inverted transposition" as coloured phenomena. None of these is ever
defined, either in terms of harmonic/pitch structure or in terms of the specific colours they evoke;
all that is really clear about them is that they are non-modal.10
In this rather more elaborate discussion, Bernard mistook the chords of transposed inver
sions as being distinct from the chords on the dominant, which had been delineated in
a work as far back as La Nativit?. He alludes to these chords as products of the sixties
and seems to be oblivious to the fact that both CCR and an early precedent of RC are
listed without being named in Technique.
With the publication of Trait? in the nineties, Messiaen's discussion of these chords
became available, and previous uncertainties surrounding their identity were in part
cleared up. But Trait? does not in itself solve all problems, for while this voluminous
treatise provides a wealth of information Messiaen is not always consistent in his
nomenclature and the inconsistency goes beyond this, to his discussion of the genesis of
chords. We are still left with confusion as to what some of these perplexing chords are,"
and their presence in his music, when not noted by Messiaen, is often unrecognised.
Inconsistency of nomenclature recurs throughout Messiaen's writings. One example

is in his discussion of the strophe I of Chronochromie as recorded in the two books of
conversation with Samuel. Messiaen's reference to what he formerly calls chords on the
dominant as chords of transposed inversions creates confusion,12 and Bernard evidently
thought of them as different chords. This problem is at its most acute in the case of CCR.
Not until Trait?, vol. V/l do we come across, for the first time, a distinction between
the 1st and the 2nd CCR. Even then, Messiaen does not explain what they stand for,
therefore their structure can only be inferred from the music analyzed. Such an effort
leads us to propose that the 1st CCR is the same as what he formerly referred to as
CCR. This leaves us to solve the identity of the 2nd CCR. I shall come back to this when
discussing the obscured origin of these chords.
Having tackled the problem of nomenclature, let us proceed to clarify the structure of
these chords without going into details at this stage. In Trait?, vol. Ill Messiaen shows a
10 Bernard, "Colour," The Messiaen Companion, ed. Peter Hill, London, Faber, 1995, pp. 211-12.
11 For instance, Anthony Pople, Messiaen: Quatuor pour la fin du temps, Cambridge, Cambridge University
Press, 1998, misreads the 1st CCR, even though Trait?, vol. II (published 1995) contains Messiaen's
delineation of it.
12 This is not a problem of translation but one that exists in the original French text. See Samuel, Conversation
with Olivier Messiaen, p. 160 and Samuel, Music and Color, p. 147.
table for each of CTI, RC and CCR (more precisely, the 1st CCR) in connection with his
analysis of the chord layers of Chronochromie (Ex. I).13 This is the first time we come to
hear anything about Messiaen's chord tables. In the following discussion, we shall set up
the tabled structure as a benchmark against which structural variants can be compared.
The same tactic is adopted in Trait?, vol. V. Thus far, chord tables for the 2nd CCR and
CTC are not shown in the existing volumes of Trait? or anywhere else in Messiaen's
writings, though, oddly enough, he refers repeatedly to tables when analyzing excerpts
of his own works in Trait?, vol. V14 The structures of the 2nd CCR and CTC as shown
here in Example 2 are deduced from a comparative reading of Messiaen's analyses in
Trait?, vol. V. CTI, RC, CTC and the 1st and 2nd CCR listed in Examples I and 2 adhere
to Messiaen's own spacing of these chords; set names are added.15
Table I. Chord names and set names
CTI (chords A, B, C and D) 7-20A

RC (chords A, B and C) 8-5A, 8-4B, 8-I4B
1st CCR (chords A and B) 7-Z36A.7-ZI2

2nd CCR (chords A and B) 6-ZI9B, 6-Z43A
CTC 8-I6A
Ex. I: Messiaen's chord tables in Trait?, vol. Ill, pp. 85
(a) CTI (b)RC
AL,?
Chord A Chord B Chord C Chord D
7-20A 7-20A 7-20A 7-20A Chord A Chord C
8-5A 8-I4B
(c) 1st CCR
Chord A Chord B
7-Z36A 7-ZI2
13 Trait?, vol. Ill, pp. 85-8. It is Messiaen's established practice in Trait? to refer to the constituent chor
of these progressions by letters. For instance, the three constituent chords of RC are labelled cho
A, B and C.
14 Trait?, vol. V/2, p. 37 shows that he had in mind Trait?, vol. VII, which is due to be published in 200
15 Set names here follow the Fortean table except that inversionally related sets are distinguished by
suffixes "A" and "B" as proposed by Anthony Pople in his doctoral thesis, "Skryabin and Stravin
1908-1914: Studies in Analytical Method," University of Oxford, 1984. For example, the set names 3-
and 3-11B stand for minor and major triads respectively.
90 Wai-ling Cheong
Ex. 2: Chord tables deduced from a comparative reading of Messiaen's analyses in Trait?, vol. V
(a) 2nd CCR (b) CTC
Chord A Chord B
6-ZI9B 6-Z43A
-II
Messiaer?s written account ofCTI
CTI has the earliest history among all the chords

appears in La Nativit? and the lesser known Pi?ce
mid-thirties.16The preface to La Nativit? also contain
of it. His commentaries on CTI recur in both Techniq
slightly different view is expressed (Ex. 3). These vie
as they reflect on the development of CTI and als
Table 2. A comparison of the three written sources
La Nativit? five
(preface)
pentads, each with a pair of unres
appoggiaturas added
Technique (Ex.
four204)
pentads, each with additional appo
that are duly resolved to the original pa
unresolved appoggiaturas
Trait?, vol. Ill,

four 86-7
pentads, each with additional appo
that remain unresolved (different from
original pair of unresolved appoggiatur
According to Messiaen, CTI contains a V9, albeit w

which two unresolved appoggiaturas are added to
scale (Ex. 3a).17AAAAA
This particular
AAAAA V9 is itself a com
AAAAA
therefore be interpre
His reading of a V9 wi
attribute of this chord.
16 Both these works were

17 See Technique, vol. I, p. 5
Ex. 3: CTI in (a) La Nativit?, pr?face, annotated and transposed to facilitate comparison with
(b) CTI in Technique, Ex. 204, annotated, and
(c) CTI, 1st table (Trait?, vol. Ill, p. 87), annotated
V9 with leading noes replaced by tonic
appoggiaturas
Chord A Chord B Chord C Chord D

fundamental I st transposed 2nd transposed 3rd transposed
inversion inversion inversion
7-20A 7-20A 7-20A 7-20A
Table 3. Scale-degree distribution in CTI of La Nativit?, preface
In all three sources, a common bass note links differently tra

to set up a progression of chords of the same type18 un
the preface to La Nativit?, Messiaen presents CTI as a prog
pertinent inversions of the same chord type, duly transpo
18 The same principle is also at work in the chord of resonance. See Te
92 Wai-ling Cheong
same bass note. Appoggiaturas, as a rule, do not appear in the bass. From the bottom
up, the components of the first chord become in turn the bass notes of ensuing chords.
But this goes against our usual understanding of chordal inversion, as the bass contains
respectively the ninth, eleventh, fifth and seventh of the dominant harmony.
Technique tells of a significant change in the structure of CTI. In each chord, the pair of
unresolved appoggiaturas comes to be preceded by yet another pair of appoggiaturas
(Ex. 3b). In the progression, the one inversion that was entirely tertian is left out; only
four chords remain, with what was previously referred to as the fourth inversion replac
ing the omitted third.19 Messiaen scholars have so far failed to take note of the fact that
the inversion left out on this occasion recurs as chord B of the 1st CCR. The fifth of the
V9 is similarly deployed in the bass, even though the spacing of the other parts differs
(see Ex. 8a, p. 97).
The structure of CTI undergoes further changes in Trait?, as the resolution of the addi
tional pair of appoggiaturas becomes frustrated. As a result, the CTI is no longer diatonic,
and its embedded dominant becomes barely recognizable. A change of nomenclature
from the chord on the dominant to CTI also indicates a tendency to play down its
dominant character in order to highlight transposition and inversion as factors in the
formulation of the progression.
Obscured origin ofRC and the 1st and 2nd CCR
Since Messiaen named and defined RC and the 1st and 2nd CCR belatedly, we miss
out the early history of these chords if we rely solely on his writings. His inconsistent
nomenclature also creates difficulties. However, once we manage to clarify the confusion
surrounding the nomenclature and the structure of these chords, we note that his earliest
published account of them goes all the way back to Technique, though he did not name
them on that occasion. The presence of these chords in Technique was not mentioned in
any of his other writings and has thus far been overlooked in the secondary literature.
Example 299 of Technique contains a close replica of RC (henceforth, RC-like progres

sion). A comparison of the eighth table of RC (Trait?, vol. Ill) and Example 299 of
Technique is revealing (Ex. 4). Save for the uppermost notes of chords B and C, these
two progressions are identical in terms of both pc content and spacing. While the three
chords of the RC-like progression (8-5A, 7-4B and 8-Z29B) all have the same top note,
in the case of RC (8-5A, 8-4B and 8-I4B) the treble note of chord A is encircled by its
upper and lower semitones in chords B and C respectively, as the pc set 3-1 is outlined
19 Through what seems a mere slip of the pen, Messiaen still refers to this belatedly established third
inversion as the fourth inversion. See Trait?, vol. Ill, p. 267.
Ex. 4: A comparison of (a) RC, 8th table (Trait?, vol. Ill, 85) and
(b) Technique, Ex. 299 ("Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux," 54)
Chord A Chord B Chord C

8-5A 8-4B 8-MB
Mod?r?, presque vif, joyeux.
$& $& $&

8-5A 7-4B 8-Z29B
in both treble and bass. An important feature of all three chords is the mainte
of a perfect fourth in the lowest register. On the basis of their close resemblan
could have originated as a derivative of the RC-like progression, a progression that wa
to my knowledge, first used in Visions de l'Amen.
A note on the theme of chords, an important omission from the list of chords w
compiled, is in order here, for there is evidence that it relates closely to the RC
progression and hence to RC. In the preface to Vingt regards, Messiaen defines the th
of chords as a series of four distinct tetrads (Ex. 5a). The same label (th?me d'acc
recurs in the score at various points but the structure does not always stay inta
Moreover, "theme of chords" is used interchangeably with "theme of contracted chord
(th?me d'accords concentr?) and "contraction of theme of chords" (concentration du t
d'accords) when referring to contracted forms of the same theme.
In Trait?, vol. II Messiaen points out the importance of one particular contraction of
theme of chords of Vingt regards, adding that it reappears in Turangal?la-Symphonie
Cinq rechants.21 As shown in Example 5b, the four tetrads of the theme of chor
contracted into two octads (chords A and B), though with a slight change of pc conten
The various contracted forms of the theme of chords differ only insofar as chord
concerned. Chord B is, like the RC-like progression and RC, an octad with a pe
fourth deployed in the bass. An even closer link can be established between chord
the theme of chords and chord C of the RC-like progression, as they represent the sa
20 See, for example, Vingt regards, pp. 26, 39, 44 and 98, in which slightly different settings appear.
21 Trait?, vol. II, p. 162.
94 Wai-ling Cheong
pc set. In Vingt regards and the Tristan Ex. 5: Theme of chords in (a) Vingt regards, preface,
aligned to facilitate comparison with theme of chords
trilogy, we hear much about the theme
in (b) Trait?, vol. II, 162.
of chords but not about RC, but the
situation becomes drastically reversed in
Messiaen's late works, where RC, CTI,
CCR and CTC often come up in his com
mentaries but we no longer hear about
the theme of chords.
While RC assumes a shadowy presence

in Technique, Example 288 of the treatise
contains chord progressions that repro
duce down to the finest detail what
Messiaen alludes to as the 1st and 2nd Chord A Chord B
8-I8A 8-Z29B
CCR in Trait?, vol. V/l (Ex. 6). These are

not yet named and Messiaen adds only a
brief remark: "measure B [of Example 288] contracts the resonan
In the ensuing Examples 289 and 290 of Technique, Messiaen quo
la fin du temps to illustrate his use of these progressions. Slightly
the 1st and 2nd CCR appear at key posi
tions of "Fouillis d'arcs-en-ciel, pour l'ange
Ex. 6: Technique, Ex. 288, measures A an
qui annonce la fin du temps,"tated
the to
seventh
indicate 1st and 2nd CCR and Mes
movement of Quatuor (Ex. 7).23 Here
readings ofthe
2nd CCR)
so-called inferior resonance (r?sonance
inf?rieure)2* is a seventh rather than the
"contracted" second of Example 288. A
contraction of the inferior resonance of
these Quatuor excerpts is a hallmark of
both the 1st and 2nd CCR, and this is
clearly a decisive factor insofar as their
nomenclature is concerned. Their affin
ity is also suggested by the way they are
Chord A
treated in Technique. 6-ZI9B
Chord B Chord B Chord B
6-Z43A 6-Z43A 7-ZI2
22 Technique, vol. I, p. 54. Example 290 is explained below.

23 They also appear at the outset of the second movement. It is not clear
seventh movement instead.
24 Messiaen's term for low notes (usually a dyad) added to resonate wit
Technique, vol. I, p. 51.
Ex. 7: "Fouillis d'arcs-en-ciel, pour l'ange qui annonce la fin du temps," figure B, mm. 1-3 (cited as Exx. 289
and 290 in Technique; annotated here to indicate 1st and 2nd CCR)
[0.1.6.7] [0.1.6.7]
_^_, . I .._^
2nd CCR (inferior resonance not contracted) | 1st
The Quatuor excerpts are particularly illum

subsequent use of the 1st and 2nd CCR. M
and a third in the bass before the inferio
share also the same rhythmic pattern, and
are exact transpositions of one another.
supplies "missing" notes to the sound com
the chromatic space.25
It seems likely that the 1st and 2nd CCR hav

used profusely only in Visions. Grouped und
Examples 288 to 293 of Technique introduce
remain anonymous at this stage. Examples
Examples 291 and 292 deal with a differe
25 The inferior resonance neatly supplies the two

complex. Only one note (E) is "missing" from the
into an inferior resonance.
96 Wai-ling Cheong
porated into the more extended Example 293, where CTI joins in. To this heading of
"more refined examples," Messiaen adds a footnote to indicate the many occurrences
of these chords in Visions, the latest work at the time of Technique}6 This suggests that
these chords were then prominently used only in this duet.27
A survey of Messiaen's uvre confirms Visions as indeed his earliest work to have engaged
a significant number of the RC-like progression and the two categories of CCR. CTI,
which predates Visions, is also used, though CTC is not. Significantly, Trait?, vol. Ill contains
a lengthy analysis of the complete Visions', of all analyses of complete works either pub
lished or announced in Trait?,28 Visions is the earliest and also the only work to have been
discussed previously in Technique. That Messiaen finds it necessary to return to Visions in
Trait? and the way he footnotes the same work in Technique reveal its importance.
The recurrence of the chord progression of Example 288 (bar A) in Trait?, vol. V/l
under the rubric of 2nd CCR seems to contradict the fact that it precedes the I st CCR
in both Technique and Quatuor. We are likewise left to ponder why Messiaen did not
differentiate nominally between the 1st and the 2nd CCR until Trait?, vol. V/l. Though
we cannot know the answer, it seems likely that Messiaen's nomenclature was based on
the relative importance of the two chord types: in his music the 1st CCR overshadows
the closely related 2nd CCR, which is used much less often.
As in the case of CTI, a higher dominant and the use of multiple appoggiaturas stand
out as key factors in the makeup of the 1st and 2nd CCR. In Trait?, vol. II Messiaen
points out that the first chord of the 1st CCR contains quintuple appoggiaturas and the
second chord is a V9 with leading note replaced by tonic; a contracted inferior resonance
underlies these two chords (Ex. 8a).29 A slightly different view is expressed in Trait?, vol.
III. Messiaen describes the 1st CCR as essentially a V9; triple appoggiaturas and con
tracted inferior resonance are added but no leading note is contained in it (Ex. 8b).30
Messiaen is inconsistent in his reading of quintuple appoggiaturas on the one hand and
triple appoggiaturas on the other. What remains unchanged is the resolution to a V9
with leading note replaced by tonic.
Messiaen also expressed contradictory views on the genesis of the 2nd CCR (see Ex. 6).31
26 Of all the footnotes of Technique, vol. II, only one (p. 25) does not refer to Visions.
27 Visions remained unavailable for over half a decade after the publication of Technique in 1944. The
publication date of Visions, which was composed in 1943 but not published until 1950, postdates that
of the ensuing works Vingt regards (1947), Harawi (1949) and Cinq rechants (1949).
28 Based on published volumes and the table of contents of the recently published volume V/2.
29 Trait?, vol. II, p. 162.
30 Trait?, vol. Ill, p. 242.
31 Messiaen's two readings are compressed into this example to facilitate comparison.
Ex. 8: 1st CCR, 1st table (Trait?, vol. Ill, 88) annotated to indicate resolution of
(a) quintuple appoggiaturas and (b) triple appoggiaturas
Chord A Chord B Chord A Chord B

7-Z36A 7-ZI2 7-Z36A 7-ZI2
On one occasion, he describes chord B of t

inferior resonance and quadruple appoggia
upon the arrival of chord B, while the infer
the same tetrad is interpreted as a distort
solved appoggiaturas.33 With a clear indicatio
added not just to chord A but also to chord
? a dim7 followed by a V7 ? on which t
Bar 14 of Debussy's "Reflets dans l'eau" con

gression; even the spacing is the same (Ex.
absence of the inferior resonance suggest
invention. With no definitive evidence, we
perhaps turned this fragment from Debussy
his own which subsequently became the c
events would be in line with his predilectio
the "Boris" motif is but one salient examp
Ex. 9: Debussy, "Reflets dans l'eau," m. 14

Messiaen's model for 2nd CCR?
32 Trait?, vol. IV, p. 106.

33 Trait?, vol. Ill, p. 242.
34 Trait?, vol. IV, p. 9 reproduces this page of "Refl
98 Wai-ling Cheong
CTC and twelve-tone completion
Thus far I have left CTC unaccounted for in this paper. Messiaen said virtually nothing
about this chord. Apart from the interview extracted at the outset of this paper, CTC
comes up in the prefaces to Petites esquisses d'oiseaux and ?clairs sur l'au-del?... before
appearing in Trait?, vol. V, but the structure of this chord is not defined. Messiaen did
not comment on its history either, though it seems to have come last among the chords
discussed here. One prominent example is heard in the "infiniment lent" passage (figure
73, bar 2) of Couleurs de la cit? c?leste.35 Emerging as the summit of a well-shaped ascent,
this softly articulated sound complex, itself much prolonged, strikes one as an important
point of arrival. It is as if the music has been reaching out for this special moment of
stasis and, having attained it, brings forth a trail of blinding colors: RC and a pure flow
of modes 2, 3 and 4 follow.
Table 4. CTC followed by RC and the modes of limited transpositions in Couleurs
figure 73 concludes with CTC (accompanied by complementary tetrad)

figure 74 RC, chords A, B and C (complementary tetrad accompanies chord C)
figure 75 (mm. 1-2) mode 2, 1st transposition
figure 75 (mm. 3-4) mode 3, 1st transposition
figure 76 mode 4, 5th transposition
This CTC is scored for the rich sound of an enormous wind ensemble while receiving a
tinkle from the cencerros. The doubling of the lower triad of CTC signifies the relative
importance of this [0,4,7] structure, but Messiaen does not comment on the harmonic
makeup of this octad. The nomenclature of this chord, though, is self-explanatory, for a
complementary tetrad is always added to the octad to provide a chromatic completion.
Unlike CTI, RC, the 1st and 2nd CCR, CTC is not presented as a component of any
progression. It thus stands out as the only discrete chord of the group.
-III
To recapitulate, Technique names only three chords ? th

chord of resonance and the chord in fourths ? all of wh
of the chapter "Special chords, clusters of chords, and a
Messiaen then moves on to superior and inferior reson
with "a list of connections of chords," and here the 1st
precedent for RC are given without being named.
35 The same CTC is also featured at figure 24 (fourth chord, wind only
"tr?s lent" and "lent" respectively.
This lack of nomenclature in the case of the 1st and 2nd CCR and the RC-like pro
gression can be construed as evidence in support of the argument that Messiaen did not
foresee the future importance of these chords. Of the three chords named and discussed
in relative detail in Technique, eventually only CTI comes to assume an importance similar
to that of RC and CCR. The chord of resonance and the chord in fourths are much less
used in his late works. The structural similarities shared by the chosen few may have
affected this course of evolution.
It is indeed surprising, given the affinities between CTI and the 1st and 2nd CCR, that
Messiaen does not touch upon their relatedness in Trait?. In each case, the dominant
archetype looms large. Multiple appoggiaturas, the fall of a tone in the treble and the
placement of a second in the bass also characterize these chords. These common attri
butes set CTI and the 1st and 2nd CCR apart from RC and CTC. Much less is said about
the structure of these chords, though the common use of octads and the deployment
of a perfect fourth in the bass tend to give them similar identities.
CTI and the 1st CCR are juxtaposed repeatedly in Messiaen's music. The paired use
of these "chords with transposed inversion and with contracted resonance" (accords ?
renversements transpos?s et ? r?sonance contract?e)36 appears in a significant number of
works: Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, M?ditations, Des canyons and Livre du Saint
Sacrement, to name only a few. At the outset of Et exspecto, for instance, the theme of
the depth is laid bare before the colored complexes join forces and bring into play both
CTI and the 1st CCR.37 CTI and chord B of the 1st CCR are the most closely related.
In each case, a dyad is added to what Messiaen describes as a V9 with leading note
replaced by tonic. The added dyad assumes the role of appoggiaturas in the former and
that of inferior resonance in the latter.
Messiaen did not address the issue of structural similarities; his discussion of the structure
of these chords is ad hoc in nature. His improvisatory approach becomes even more
obvious when we consider the fact that the same explanation of CTI and the 1st and
2nd CCR keeps recurring in volumes III and IV of Trait?. In this connection, volume V
(parts I and 2) brings a drastic change. Explanation as such disappears, as Messiaen notes
in most cases the precise pc content of these chords by referring to a schematic set of
chord tables that was presumably to be published in the last volume of Trait?, together
with a more systematic treatment of both modes and chords.
36 Messiaen's own description. See, for instance, his preface to M?ditations II.
37 As detailed in his preface to Et exspecto: "Th?me de la profondeur aux cuivres graves ? harmonisation
par les six cors en complexes color?s ? cri de l'Ab?me!"
100 Wai-ling Cheong
If we piece together relevant information dispersed among his writings and his music,
we can in fact work out all these tables well in advance. The chord layers of Chronochromie
and similar settings provide an especially rich source of information. Layers of RC, CTI
and the 1st CCR that color Chronochromie reappear in "Les ?lus marqu?s du sceau," the
fourth movement of ?clairs. Chord layers based exclusively on RC are also woven into
the tapestry of "Le parc de Nara et des lanternes de pierre," "Gagaku" and "Miyajima et
le torii dans la mer," the second, fourth and fifth movements respectively of Sept ha?ka?.
CTC, with added trills, are superimposed to yield shimmering layers of sound in "Le
chemin de l'invisible," the tenth movement of ?clairs. The 2nd CCR alone are excluded
from these fascinating layerings of chords.
Most remarkably, over three hundred chords are involved in the chord layers of
Chronochromie, "Miyajima et le torii dans la mer"38 and "Les ?lus marqu?s du sceau,"
with only one spacing irregularity of minor importance.39 The spacing of all other chords
is practically frozen. Evidence suggests that the identity of these chords is not only a
question of different pc set, but that their spacing also assumes significance. They are,
in short, pre-composed blocks which Messiaen juxtaposes, as Pierre Boulez puts it, in
search of his own sound world.40 All these chord layers, together with the three chord
tables listed in Trait?, vol. Ill and Messiaen's insistent reference to the as yet unpublished
ones in Trait?, vol. V, enable us to work out all sixty chord tables, twelve each for CTI,
RC, CTC and the 1st and 2nd CCR (Appendices 1-5).
With the tables in hand, we can move on to note how Messiaen incorporates them into
his music. Both the 1st and 2nd CCR are treated as bird-song material in "Le rouge
gorge," the third piece of Petites esquisses d'oiseaux.M In this delightful little sketch of
the robin, these chords are used repeatedly to conclude fragments of fast-moving bird
song.42 CTC is also intricately related to this portrayal of the robin. In the same analysis,
Messiaen accounts for the appearance of CTC at mm. 20, 27 and 50, each of which is
followed by a short flourish of bird song that duly supplies the four "missing" pcs. The
sound of CTC is kept resonating by the sustaining pedal as the robin comes forth to
utter the outstanding tetrad. All these CTCs follow the same spacings, and the above
mentioned 1st and 2nd CCR are strict transpositions of chords listed as Example 288 in
38 RC as used in the chord layers of the second and the fourth movements of Sept ha'ikdi adhere to a
different set of spacing patterns.
39 In the strophe I of Chronochromie, the treble note A-natural of the fourth chord of interversion I could
have been a misprint for A-sharp.
40 Boulez, Relev?s d'apprenti, Paris, Editions du Seuil, 1966, translated by Stephen Walsh as Stocktakings
from an Apprenticeship, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1991, p. 49.
41 See his detailed analysis of the whole piece in Trait?, vol. V/l, pp. 178-81. In this, as in many other analyses
of Trait?, vol. V/l, much emphasis is laid on the chords used and the colors evoked.
42 See, for instance, mm. 5 and 68.
Technique. We note again that some kind of default spacing is at work here. The addition
of "missing" pcs under the disguise of bird songs is not exclusive to CTC. At mm. 54-5,
CTI (9th table) is prolonged just as the complementary pentad takes shape as a bird
song. Even within the limited scope of "Le rouge-gorge," CTI, CTC and the 1st and 2nd
CCR all relate in one way or another to Messiaen's sonic description of avian creatures.43
And there are lots of examples elsewhere. In Un vitrail et des oiseaux, for instance, the
song of the blackcap is harmonized by swiftly moving woodwind chords which in most
cases involve CTI and the 1st CCR.
In the Couleurs excerpt, as in the third piece of Petites esquisses d'oiseaux, CTC is set
against its complementary tetrad to activate all twelve pcs. The concluding CTC (I Ith
table) of Un vitrail et des oiseaux gives yet another notable example of the presence of a
superimposed complementary tetrad. This kind of treatment is far from being monopo
lized by this octad. In the foregoing discussion of "Le rouge-gorge," we have witnessed
how Messiaen grants CTI its complementary pentad through a play of purported bird
song. The addition of an outstanding tetrad to RC in the Couleurs excerpt (see Table 4)
is also testimony to the fact that Messiaen's penchant for this kind of complementation
extended beyond CTC to other chords. All these cases point unequivocally to Messiaen's
deep-seated concern for twelve-tone completion.
While Messiaen's invention of symmetrical permutations is widely acclaimed as his

unique response to the then much tried serialisation of time, the fabrication of complex
chords is seldom interpreted as a serial approach. However, the way in which Messiaen
superimposes them in Chronochromie and Eclairs and his use of complementary tetrads
and pentads, under the disguise of bird song or otherwise, can be understood as his
unique way of dealing with the idea of twelve-tone completion ? an important facet
of serialism ? without having to sacrifice his feverish predilection for colors. Messiaen
openly admits that all twelve pcs give only a grayish effect,44 but since these chords evoke
colors they combine to give a twelve-tone context that is anything but grayish. In the
fifth movement of Sept ha'ikdi Messiaen even goes so far as to specify the colors of the
recurring RCs and their complementary tetrads.
This seems to explain why Messiaen calls for not just the sophisticated working out of
interversions but also the vertical alignment of three such sch?mas in Chronochromie.
Through the superimposition of three strands of complex chords, a kind of twelve-tone
universe is for the most part guaranteed. Against this background, each discrete chord
43 Only RC is left unused here. In this connection, it might be worth mentioning that Messiaen had at
one point likened the sound effect of RC to the rustling of trees ("comme le vent dans les arbres"). See
Trait?, vol. Ill, p. 238.
44 Samuel, Music and Color, p. 241.
102 Wai-ling Cheong
takes its turn to stand out at predetermined time points, as a network of apparent
irregularities is in control. Since the chords are softly sustained, save for the accented mf
attacks that mark off the time points, the twelve pcs are always there, assuming a quiet
presence, a grayish background through which scintillating colors cut forth. Thus Messiaen
notes a vivid display of colors in connection with the chord layers of Chronochromie.*5
Time is colored, just as colors become rhythmicized.
Seen in this light, the chord layers of Chronochromie become obvious heirs of the
three famous serial lines of A/lodes de valeurs et d'intensit?s, Messiaen's earliest serial
piece. This early attempt is superseded within a few years' time by the chord layers of
Chronochromie, replete with interversions, complex chords and all kinds of fascinating
bird songs. If Messiaen's satisfaction with the artistic result of this sophisticated design is
not to be found in his writings, it is certainly manifested in his music, as the same design
re-emerges in his last work.46
Messiaen's confession in the mid-fifties that "we are all in the dark nowadays. Nobody
knows what they are doing"47 and the Darmstadt piece testify to the dilemma he had
faced in those years of artistic crisis. If he had misgivings about this piano miniature
("musically it's next to nothing"48), he never quite leaves its serial basis. Indeed, he might
have described Chronochromie to Antoine Gol?a as his most recent resurrection in the
sense that he had arrived at a new way out of what was then envisioned as a dead end.49
Messiaen's systematic moulding of time had come to be wedded with his captivating use
of sounds as colors. Just as time is serialized through the intricate working of symmetrical
permutations, the twelve-tone space is filled through the persistent superimposition of
complex chords, in which colors prevail. Unlike his modes, bird songs and t?las, few
of the dazzling number of invented chords were ever named or discussed. Messiaen
evidently did not finish finalizing the nomenclature and the listing of the hundred and
forty-four chords that fill up his chord tables until well into the fifth volume of Trait?.
While the authorial intention behind the setting up of chord tables still awaits investiga
tion, they have nonetheless granted us a valuable glimpse of a facet of his technique that
has hitherto remained little explored.

46 "Les ?lus marqu?s du sceau," the fourth movement of ?clairs.
47 Recalled by Alexander Goehr in "Obituary," The Independent, 29 April 1992.
49 Antoine Golea, Rencontres avec Olivier Messiaen, Paris, Ren? Julliard, p. 279.
Appendix I. Chord tables of RC

1st table chord A [0,2,3,4,8,9,T,E] 7th table chord A [2,3,4,5,6,8,9,T]
chord B [0,I,2,3,7,8,T,E] chord B [1,2,4,5,6,7,8,9]
chord C [0,I,3,4,5,8,T,E] chord C [2,4,5,6,7,9,T,E]
2nd table chord A [l,2,3,7,8,9,T,E] 8th table chord A [1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9]
chord B [0,I,2,6,7,9,T,E] chord B [0,1,3,4,5,6,7,8]
chord C [0,2,3,4,7,9,T,E] chord C [l,3,4,5,6,8,9,T]
3rd table chord A [0,I,2,6,7,8,9,T] 9th table chord A [0,1,2,3,4,6,7,8]
chord B [0,I,5,6,8,9J,E] chord B [0,2,3,4,5,6,7,E]
chord C [l,2,3,6,8,9,T,E] chord C [0,2,3,4,5,7,8,9]
4th table chord A [0,I,5,6,7,8,9,E] 10th table chord A [0,I,2,3,5,6,7,E]
chord B [0,4,5,7,8,9,T,E] chord B [l,2,3,4,5,6,T,E]
chord C [0,I,2,5,7,8,9,T] chord C [l,2,3,4,6,7,8,E]
5th table chord A [0,4,5,6,7,8,T,E] I Ith table chord A [0,I,2,4,5,6,T,E]
chord B [3,4,6,7,8,9,T,E] chord B [0,1,2,3,4,5,9,1]
chord C [0,I,4,6,7,8,9,E] chord C [0,I,2,3,5,6,7,T]
6th table chord A [3,4,5,6,7,9,T,E] 12th table chord A [0,I,3,4,5,9,T,E]
chord B [2,3,5,6,7,8,9,T] chord B [0,I,2,3,4,8,9,E]
chord C [0,3,5,6,7,8,T,E] chord C [0,I,2,4,5,6,9,E]
I. Appendices 1-5 list only the pc content of these chords. The pertinent spacing is shown in examples I and 2.
Appendix 2. Chord tables of CTI
I st table chord A [0,I,3,6,7,8,E] 7th table chord A [0,1,2,5,6,7,9]

chord B [l,4,5,6,9,T,E] chord B [0,3,4,5,7,T,E]
chord C [l,2,3,6,7,8,T] chord C [0,1,2,4,7,8,9]
chord D [l,2,3,5,8,9,T] chord D [2,3,4,7,8,9,E]
2nd table chord A [0,1,2,4,7,8,9] 8th table chord A [l,2,3,6,7,8,T]
chord B [0,2,5,6,7,T,E] chord B [0,I,4,5,6,8,E]
chord C [2,3,4,7,8,9,E] chord C [l,2,3,5,8,9,T]
chord D [2,3,4,6,9,T,E] chord D [0,3,4,5,8,9,T]
3rd table chord A [l,2,3,5,8,9,T] 9th table chord A [2,3,4,7,8,9,E]
chord B [0,I,3,6,7,8,E] chord B [0,1,2,5,6,7,9]
chord C [0,3,4,5,8,9,T] chord C [2,3,4,6,9,T,E]
chord D [0,3,4,5,7,T,E] chord D [l,4,5,6,9,T,E]
4th table chord A [2,3,4,6,9,T,E] 10th table chord A [0,3,4,5,8,9,T]
chord B [0,1,2,4,7,8,9] chord B [l,2,3,6,7,8,T]
chord C [l,4,5,6,9,T,E] chord C [0,3,4,5,7,T,E]
chord D [0,I,4,5,6,8,E] chord D [0,2,5,6,7,T,E]
104 Wai-ling Cheong
5th table chord A [0,3,4,5,7,T,E] I Ith table chord A [l,4,5,6,9,T,E]

chord B [l,2,3,5,8,9,T] chord B [2,3,4,7,8,9,E]
chord C [0,2,5,6,7,T,E] chord C [0,I,4,5,6,8,E]
chord D [0,1,2,5,6,7,9] chord D [0,I,3,6,7,8,E]
6th table chord A [0,I,4,5,6,8,E] 12th table chord A [0,2,5,6,7,T,E]
chord B [2,3,4,6,9,T,E] chord B [0,3,4,5,8,9,T]
chord C [0,I,3,6,7,8,E] chord C [0,1,2,5,6,7,9]
chord D [l,2,3,6,7,8,T] chord D [0,1,2,4,7,8,9]
Appendix 3. Chord tables of 1st CCR
1st table chord A [1,2,3,4,6,7,9] 7th table chord A [0,I,3,7,8,9,T]

chord B [l,2,3,4,5,8,T] chord B [2,4,7,8,9,T,E]
2nd table chord A [2,3,4,5,7,8,T] 8th table chord A [l,2,4,8,9,T,E]
chord B [2,3,4,5,6,9,E] chord B [0,3,5,8,9,T,E]
3rd table chord A [3,4,5,6,8,9,E] 9th table chord A [0,2,3,5,9,T,E]
chord B [0,3,4,5,6,7,T] chord B [0,I,4,6,9,T,E]
4th table chord A [0,4,5,6,7,9,T] 10th table chord A [0,I,3,4,6,T,E]
chord B [l,4,5,6,7,8,E] chord B [0,I,2,5,7,T,E]
5th table chord A [l,5,6,7,8,T,E] I Ith table chord A [0,I,2,4,5,7,E]
chord B [0,2,5,6,7,8,9] chord B [0,I,2,3,6,8,E]
6th table chord A [0,2,6,7,8,9,E] 12th table chord A [0,1,2,3,5,6,8]
chord B [l,3,6,7,8,9,T] chord B [0,1,2,3,4,7,9]
Appendix 4. Chord tables of 2nd CCR
I st table chord A [0,I,5,6,9,T] 7th table chord A [0,3,4,6,7,E]

chord B [0,3,4,6,T,E] chord B [0,4,5,6,9,T]
2nd table chord A [0,4,5,8,9,E] 8th table chord A [2,3,5,6,T,E]
chord B [2,3,5,9,T,E] chord B [3,4,5,8,9,E]
3rd table chord A [3,4,7,8,T,E] 9th table chord A [l,2,4,5,9,T]
chord B [l,2,4,8,9,T] chord B [2,3,4,7,8,T]
4th table chord A [2,3,6,7,9,T] 10th table chord A [0,1,3,4,8,9]
chord B [0,1,3,7,8,9] chord B [1,2,3,6,7,9]
5th table chord A [1,2,5,6,8,9] I Ith table chord A [0,2,3,7,8,E]
chord B [0,2,6,7,8,E] chord B [0,1,2,5,6,8]
6th table chord A [0,1,4,5,7,8] 12th table chord A [l,2,6,7,T,E]
chord B [l,5,6,7,T,E] chord B [0,I,4,5,7,E]
Appendix 5. Chord tables of CTC

I st table [0,2,3,4,7,8,9,7] 7th table [l,2,3,4,6,8,9,T]
2nd table [l,3,4,5,8,9,T,E] 8th table [2,3,4,5,7,9,T,E]
3rd table [0,2,4,5,6,9,T,E] 9th table [0,3,4,5,6,8,T,E]
4th table [0,I,3,5,6,7,T,E] 10th table [0,I,4,5,6,7,9,E]
5th table [0,I,2,4,6,7,8,E] I Ith table [0,I,2,5,6,7,8,T]
6th table [0,1,2,3,5,7,8,9] 12th table [l,2,3,6,7,8,9,E]

Rediscovering Me3ssiaens Inverted Chords

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Rediscovering Messiaen's Invented Chords

Author(s): Wai-ling Cheong

International Musicological Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and

Olivier Messiaen's modes of limited transpositions have received considerable critical

When first interviewed by Samuel bac

In the two strophes of Chronochromie, one h

4 See, for instance, Vingt regards, p. 6.

Relatively minor inconsistency of nomenclature comes up here. These chord names

Inconsistency of nomenclature recurs throughout Messiaen's writings. One example

CTI (chords A, B, C and D) 7-20A

1st CCR (chords A and B) 7-Z36A.7-ZI2

Ex. I: Messiaen's chord tables in Trait?, vol. Ill, pp. 85

(a) CTI (b)RC

(c) 1st CCR

(a) 2nd CCR (b) CTC

Messiaer?s written account ofCTI

CTI has the earliest history among all the chords

Table 2. A comparison of the three written sources

Trait?, vol. Ill,

According to Messiaen, CTI contains a V9, albeit w

16 Both these works were

Chord A Chord B Chord C Chord D

Table 3. Scale-degree distribution in CTI of La Nativit?, preface

In all three sources, a common bass note links differently tra

18 The same principle is also at work in the chord of resonance. See Te

Obscured origin ofRC and the 1st and 2nd CCR

Example 299 of Technique contains a close replica of RC (henceforth, RC-like progres

Chord A Chord B Chord C

Mod?r?, presque vif, joyeux.

$& $& $&

While RC assumes a shadowy presence

CCR in Trait?, vol. V/l (Ex. 6). These are

22 Technique, vol. I, p. 54. Example 290 is explained below.

The Quatuor excerpts are particularly illum

It seems likely that the 1st and 2nd CCR hav

25 The inferior resonance neatly supplies the two

Chord A Chord B Chord A Chord B

On one occasion, he describes chord B of t

Bar 14 of Debussy's "Reflets dans l'eau" con

Ex. 9: Debussy, "Reflets dans l'eau," m. 14

32 Trait?, vol. IV, p. 106.

CTC and twelve-tone completion

Table 4. CTC followed by RC and the modes of limited transpositions in Couleurs

figure 73 concludes with CTC (accompanied by complementary tetrad)

To recapitulate, Technique names only three chords ? th

While Messiaen's invention of symmetrical permutations is widely acclaimed as his

45 Samuel, Music and Color, p. 136.

Appendix I. Chord tables of RC

Appendix 2. Chord tables of CTI

I st table chord A [0,I,3,6,7,8,E] 7th table chord A [0,1,2,5,6,7,9]

5th table chord A [0,3,4,5,7,T,E] I Ith table chord A [l,4,5,6,9,T,E]

Appendix 3. Chord tables of 1st CCR

1st table chord A [1,2,3,4,6,7,9] 7th table chord A [0,I,3,7,8,9,T]

Appendix 4. Chord tables of 2nd CCR

I st table chord A [0,I,5,6,9,T] 7th table chord A [0,3,4,6,7,E]

Appendix 5. Chord tables of CTC

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