Zach NeufeldProfessor Mark DelaereMusic 245, Spring 2014

Wild Complexity, Singular Vision: Serial Techniques, Inconsistencies, and Expressivity

in Les Yeux dans les Roues from Messiaen’s Livre d’Orgue

For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror, which we are still just able to endure,

and we are so awed because it serenely disdains to annihilate us.

Every angel is terrifying. - Rainer Maria Rilke

! With this quote from first Duino Elegy Messiaen begins his analysis of Les Yeux

dans les Roues in his famous Traité. Although his analogy between Rilke’s angel and the

terrifying vision of Ezekiel may be spurious (Rilke was clear that his angel is not from

the Christian tradition)1, his sentiment and meaning are loud and clear: this movement

of Livre d’Orgue is at once beautiful and terrifying. In this movement, Messiaen uses a

quite rigid (yet original) 12-tone serial method, typical of the experimental period in

which it was written. However, the piece retains a inseparable connection with his

works from outside the experimental period, especially regarding spiritual inspiration,

sectional form (rather than thematic development), and treatment of rhythm. Les Yeux

dans les Roues, the focus of this study, is representative of both his experimental, serial

style, and his less rigid, spiritual style. In a certain sense, Les Yeux dans les Roues

1 Healey 161

exemplifies Messiaen’s oeuvre in general, and should not be pigeonholed as only an

abstruse technical exercise and exclusively “cerebral in approach.”2

! Messiaen’s Livre d’Orgue is normally seen as the last collection of pieces of his so-

called experimental, serial period of 1949-1951.3 His compositional method before 1949

culminated with the Turangalila Symphony, which is representational of a more

emotional, grand style.4 The shift to the more austere, rigid compositions of the ‘49-’51

period coincides with a decline in his wife’s health, and according to Dingle, “...grim

reality appears in place of surrealistic fantasy.”5 The most important first pieces of this

new idiom were the set Quatre Études de rhythme (Four rhythmic studies), in which are

some of the first (if not the first) pieces to use techniques of multiple-serialism.6 These

four quasi-serial pieces (Mode de valeurs et d’intensités, Neumes rythmiques, and Ile de feu

1/2) exerted a profound influence on the development of total serialism in the work of

Stockhausen and Goeyvaerts, but also on Messiaen’s later work, including Livre

d’Orgue. Although in these pieces Messiaen works within a much stricter set of rules

than in his previous work, he still retains a remarkable flexibility and freedom in

2 Bell 100

3 Ibid 100

4 Dingle 122

5 Ibid 122

6 Ibid 124

comparison to the 12-tone serial method of the Second Viennese School.7 It is out of

these serial experiments that Livre d’Orgue is born.

! Movement VI of Livre d’Orgue, Les Yeux dans les Roues (The Eyes in the Wheels)

refers to the biblical prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the “wheels within wheels” from

Ezekiel I:

16 The appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form, their appearance and workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. 17 Whenever they moved, they moved in any of their four directions without turning as they moved. 18 As for their rims they were lofty and awesome, and the rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about. 19 Whenever the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. 20 Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go in that direction. And the wheels rose close beside them; for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.8

The movement is a wild, relentless toccata, and according to Messiaen it evokes “all the

details of the vision of Ezekiel: a whirlwind, a great cloud of fire, the turbulence of high

water, four living beings, running in every direction like lightning, extraordinary

wheels, living, with eyes all about...”.9 The manual parts exemplify the dizzying

spinning and whirling of the wheels, while the pedal represents the “eyes peering out

from within the wheels.”10 The entire piece is played with the full power of the organ at

triple forte and quadruple forte for the manuals and pedals, respectively, which indeed

results in a terrifying fiery effect. The piece uses what Messiaen calls a “very special

7 Dingle 124

8 New American Standard Bible

9 Messiaen 214

10 Gillock 186

dodecaphonic language.”11 The three parts (right hand, left hand, pedals) each cycle

through different 12-tone series in such a way that they do not really interact with each

other, resulting in a chromatically-saturated texture of extreme complexity, yet singular

artistic vision and intent. In order to understand this “special” 12-tone method, let us

begin with the pedal part, since it is easiest to understand.

! The pedal part uses strictly 6 permutations of a single 12-tone row, each

permutation happening only once, and thereby creating the form of the piece (each

iteration is separated by one bar of 7 16th notes).

This results in an entire length for the piece of 546 16th notes: 6 iterations of 78 plus 6

interpolated bars of 7). Each pitch is assigned a specific duration, to which it is

inextricably linked for the entire movement. The durations are derived from a chromatic

series of one 16th note, 2 16ths, 3 16ths, etc... up to 12 16ths. These durations are then

paired with a descending chromatic scale, resulting in the following gamut of “sound-

durations” or “sons-durées.”12

11 Messiaen 214

12 Messiaen 215

As a result, each pitch always is of a specific duration, yet can appear in any register.

The 5 permutations of the main row are attained through the process that Messiaen calls

interversion.13 He chooses the permutations of the main row according to a specific

permutational process in order to have “the most simple, the most immediately

accessible, that is to say those that are possible with 3 units.” Eleanor Trawick has aptly

named this permutational process the fan function.14 It enables Messiaen to attain 5

permutations using only “3 units” in this way: beginning with the main row, re-order it

by taking the first pitch, the last, the second, the penultimate, etc... One can see the

resemblance to the visual metaphor of a fan opening up.

The next permutation on the original row is exactly the same, except starting with the

last pitch instead of the first. The third permutation begins in the middle and moves

outward (take the 7th pitch, the 6th, the 8th, the 5th, etc...) which is the same as the first

permutation in retrograde. The 4th permutation is the same except it starts on the 6th

note instead of the 7th, which results in the retrograde of the 2nd permutation. Finally,

13 Bell 102

14 Trawick 19

the 5th permutation is simply the original row in retrograde, which results in the pedal

part having a quasi-palindromic structure overall.15 The result of all these permutations

is that there are really only 3 rows: the original and its retrograde (iterations 1 and 6),

the 1st permutation and its retrograde (2 and 4), and the 2nd permutation and its

retrograde (3 and 5). The six iterations of the row in the pedal part are the basis for the

form of the piece, and act as the foundation around which the manual parts relentlessly

swirl. Messiaen explains the reasons for the freedom of register in the pedal part:

melodic interest, keeping with the disjointed feeling of the manuals, and facilitating

(relative) ease of playing.16

! Somewhat in contrast to the construction of the pedal is the construction of the

manual parts. Messiaen is more cryptic about the method of their composition than that

of the pedal, and for good reason: they are much more difficult to explain. In the Traité,

he offers this inconclusive statement: “One could think of [the technique of this piece] as

a superposition of 3 series.” Although it is obvious that each series corresponds to each

part, here we find a clue that not all is technically straightforward in the manuals.

Messiaen only offers one twelve-tone row for each manual part in the diagram in his

Traité (which he admits contain “chromatics”), and he explains that “the rigor of the

pedal part contrasts with the incoherence of the upper parts.”17 What later analysts have

15 Trawick 25

16 Messiaen 215

17 Ibid

discovered (including Heiß and Trawick) is that the manual parts actually each consist

of a “meta-row” of 6 distinct 12-tone rows (equalling 72 pitches) that repeat, albeit with

missing notes (perhaps these are Messiaen’s “chromatics”).18 In addition, the first note

of each of the 12 total distinct rows in the manuals form yet another row via identical

interlocking hexachords.

This creates a nesting phenomenon: 1) the 72 pitch “meta-row,” 2) the first note row (the

“exploded” row), and 3) the lowest level, the 12 rows themselves. Trawick postulates

that the lowest level 12 rows are derived from the fan function of the chromatic scale,

thereby linking them to the “exploded” row.19

!

!

18 Trawick 33

19 Ibid 32

! The majority of the technical inconsistencies in this movement are to be found in

the manual parts. Although the cycling of the meta-row is consistent and not

particularly difficult to find, Messiaen freely omits notes, switches their position, and

uses drastic changes in register. As postulated by Trawick, we find a clue in his

reasoning behind omitting notes in the fact that there is only one pitch-class doubling in

the entire piece (the D natural in the pedal and left hand 3 16ths from the end). As Heiß

has noted, an examination of the theoretical missing notes reveals that many of them

would cause pitch-class doublings, which would pop out of the texture and detract

from the chromatic saturation.20 As far as Messiaen’s reasoning regarding which manual

part from which to omit notes, Heiß observes, “It is unlikely that the composer was able

to make a safe decision in a given individual case, whether the elimination of the upper

or the lower pitches would be a better solution [...] Furthermore, the perceived effect of

a certain isolated decision is so minimal as to not be worthy of consideration.”21

Messiaen uses similar motion and contrary motion in near-equal percentages, and there

are only two places where true parallel motion occurs between the hands. It is a

reasonable assumption that this avoidance was intentional, and perhaps explains the

other omitted notes and thus the “incoherence” of the manual parts.

! A partial inventory of the vertical sonorities made by all three parts reveals

another avoidance: that of triads and other consonant three-note structures. However,

20 Heiß 25

21 Ibid

those that exist could have been avoided in the same manner as doublings, so it is

difficult to determine whether Messiaen intentionally kept them to a minimum, or

whether the lack of more is a mere statistical result of the random interaction of the

cycling rows in each part. Messiaen’s comments discussed previously regarding the

“incoherence” of the manual parts seem to indicate that he was not highly concerned

with the interaction of the three parts (with the exception of avoiding doublings), and

they give this analyst confidence that there are no missing structurally important

patterns to be found in the vertical sonorities.

! Now that I have discussed the technique and structure of the piece, I will now

consider the programmatic idioms and symbolisms inherent in this technique and

structure.

! The most obvious programmatic associations to be made bear a brief mention.

The first is the choice of registration: tutti, the full power of the organ, with all possible

couplings engaged. This serves to exemplify both the beautiful and terrifying nature of

the vision: “a whirlwind, a great cloud of fire, the turbulence of high water, four living

beings running in all directions like lightning...”22 The incessant driving motion and

total chromatic saturation, somewhat counter-intuitively, create a feeling of blistering

motion and complete stasis at the same time, perhaps representing Ezekiel’s frozen and

confused state, eyes locked on the awesome vision. This stasis is created through the

22 Messiaen 214

constant and uniform registral changes in both the pedal and manual parts (there is no

progression of register: all registers are used from beginning to end), the constant

driving 16th notes without textural change, and the total chromatic saturation without

any regard for a progression of dissonance and resolution.

! According to Messiaen, and as both Heiß and Trawick have noted, the pedal part

represents the “spirit within the wheels.”23 This symbology is derived from the contrast

of the pedal part with the manual parts (making it a foreground element that at times

swallows the manual parts), the completeness of the pedal part (all pitches and all

durations representing the completeness of God), and, as Heiß observes, the “life” of the

Holy Spirit is represented by the constant permutation of the pitches.24 Gillock has a

slightly different interpretation: he states that the theme in the pedal represents the eyes

peering out from within the wheel, each note symbolizing a locked gaze of a specific

duration.25 The permutational process can also be seen as representing the “living

beings” running in all directions like lightning, as the melodic contour is highly

unpredictable, and each member of the row is always in a new position when repeated.

! The manual parts represent the fiery, swirling wheels, one within another.

Trawick and Heiß have presented both obvious and not so obvious interpretations of

the symbology of the manual parts. First, the overall structure is cyclical: the 6 rows in

23 Messiaen 215

24 Heiß 26

25 Gillock 187

each part repeat over and over in a cycle, like a spinning wheel.26 There are two cycles

happening at once, and as Heiß has noted, the simultaneity of the top and bottom

manual parts represents the juxtaposition of the wheels.27 I propose yet another level of

metaphor within the manual parts. As mentioned above, they are constructed in a

nested fashion, so that there are three levels: the meta row, the “exploded” row, and the

12 distinct rows. Messiaen goes one level further in the construction of the “exploded”

row. As Heiß has explained, when extracted, the two hexachords of the row are identical

and interlock to form a chromatic scale (see previous example on p. 7). Heiß does not

mention that this is yet another layer of nesting, such that even the rows themselves are

nested within each other. There are rows within rows at every level of the piece.

! Another form of interlocking occurs due to the registration of the organ. Because

all voices are coupled, each part only plays one pitch at a time, but several additional

octaves are sounded. For example, the pedal part includes the 16, 8, 4, and 32 foot stops.

The 8 and 4 foot stops place many of the pedal notes directly in the range of the manual

parts. This results not only in audible interlocking of parts, but also aural shadowing,

whereby the pedal part blocks our “auditory view” of the manuals, and vice versa. This

adds another layer of visual metaphor.

! As far as the “four living beings” (with four heads, four wings, etc...), Messiaen

does not comment further on any representation of them in the piece. In the Traité

26 Trawick 25

27 Heiß 26

chapter, he argues that only William Blake had the courage to represent the eyes in the

wheels, while other artists have “betrayed” the representation of the vision by focusing

only on the living beings and excluding the eyes, the wheels, and the fire.28 Perhaps this

explains his lack of specific imagery for the living beings and his focus on the wheels

and eyes.

! Finally, I will attempt to place Les Yeux dans les Roues in the context of Messiaen’s

other work, noting both similarities and differences with his ouvre as a whole, and

showing that, somewhat contrary to Bell’s statement that the Livre d’Orgue is “extremely

technical, severe in style, and cerebral in approach,”29 it is both aspects of Messiaen’s

composition in this movement (rigid serial/permutational techniques and freedom/

inconsistencies) equally contribute to the piece’s expressive power.

! At it’s heart, Les Yeux is a essentially a programmatic, expressive work. When

asked by Claude Samuel about the reception of daring works such as Livre d’Orgue by

priests at Sainte Trinité, he replied “They weren’t horrified because the truths I express,

the truths of the Faith, are equally daring; they are fairy tales, in turn mysterious,

harrowing, glorious, and sometimes terrifying, always rooted in radiant, unchanging

reality.”30 There is other evidence to suggest that Messiaen valued expression above

technicality. In speaking about serialism, he says “The most successful pieces in the

28 Messiaen 213

29 Bell 100

30 Samuel 25

serial field are Webern’s because, in spite of the dogmatism of the writing, he still

managed to compose very pretty, even ravishing music.”31 About Berg, he says “...Lyric

Suite is a programmatic work, based on the true story of a desperately hopeless love, so

the beauty of the score touches me even more.”32 He goes on about Berg’s opera Lulu,

“The subject of Lulu is repugnant and should have been treated as an example of

madness. But its realization is academic and as a result, a failure.”33 One can see that

Messiaen holds a respect for “dogmatic,” technical writing, but only in the service of

artistic expression.

! Within the context of the seven movements of the Livre, Les Yeux stands out as

having an affinity with Messiaen’s output as a whole because of its overtly liturgical

nature (for the day of Pentecost). Bell writes, “...his musical structure usually conveys a

logical and continuing thought process very often descriptive of events, miracles, or

holy images inherent in Roman Catholicism.”34 The rhythmical techniques in Les Yeux

are especially representative of Messiaen’s usual language: irregular lengths, quasi non-

retrogradable rhythms (the pedal part as a whole), and the “accumulation of durations

rather than division of time into equal parts.”35 However, the constant 16th notes in the

manuals are an anomaly for the sake of expressive power (Messiaen was insecure about

31 Samuel 50

32 Ibid

33 Ibid

34 Bell 23

35 Bell 5 and Samuel 79

them, saying the 16ths in retrospect “confused me” and that the idea that they make the

durations of the pedal easier to perceive is a “mauvaise excuse...”).36

! The serial aspect is the main connection with the “experimental” period, but it

also plays an important role in the expression of the piece. Dingle suggests that serial

aspects are an analogy for the “impenetrable manifestations of the divine.”37 The sheer

chromatic complexity certainly exemplifies the awesome mystery of Ezekiel’s vision.

The symbolic possibilities of the cycling of rows have already been discussed.

! In conclusion, I posit that the seemingly contrasting aspects of Messiaen’s style in

this movement - rigid serial and permutational techniques juxtaposed with free

inconsistencies and expressive license - equally contribute to the piece’s expressive

power. Messiaen is not using technique for technique’s sake in this piece: every decision

is based on the desire to create a work of singular expression.

36 Messiaen 215

37 Dingle 125

Works Cited

Bell, Carla Houston. Olivier Messiaen. Boston: Twayne, 1984.

Dingle, Christopher. The Life of Messiaen. Cambridge UP, 2007.

Gillock, Jon. Performing Messiaen’s Organ Music. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2010.

Healey, Gareth. “Messiaen-Bibliophile.” Olivier Messiaen: Music, Art, and Literature. Ed.

! Christopher Dingle and Nigel Simione. 159-171. Burlington: Ashgate, 2007.

Heiß, Hellmut. “Struktur und Symbolik in Les Yeux dans les Roues aus Olivier Messiaens

! Livre d’Orgue.” Zeitschrift für Musiktheorie, 3 (2) 1972: 22-27.

Messiaen, Olivier. Traité de Rhythme, de Couleur, et d’Ornithologie, vol. 3. 213-217. Leduc,

! 1996.

Samuel, Claude. Olivier Messiaen: Music and Color. Portland: Amadeus, 1986.

Trawick, Eleanor. “Serialism and permutation techniques in Olivier Messiaen’s Livre

! d’Orgue.” Ex tempore, 9 (2) 1999: 64-77.

Works Consulted

Ericsson, Hans Ola. Messiaen: Complete Organ Works (sound recording). BIS 2009.

Rößler, Almut. Contributions to the Spiritual World of Olivier Messiaen. Gilles and

! Francke, 1986.

Zacher, Gerd. “Livre d'orgue - eine Zumutung.” Musik-Konzepte. 28: Olivier

! Messiaen. 92-107. 1982.