Messiaen Lyrics Follow
Messe de la Pentecôte ("Pentecost Mass") is an organ mass composed by Olivier Messiaen in 1949–50. According to the composer, it is based on twenty years of improvising at Église de la Sainte-Trinité, where Messiaen was organist since 1931.
Messiaen himself wrote that the work "corresponds almost exactly with the length of a low Mass, and its sections are intended to match with those of the service. The music shows different aspects of the mystery of Pentecost, the Feast of the Holy Spirit." The work was never officially premiered; Messiaen included it discreetly in the celebration of the Eucharist on the Pentecost Sunday of 1951.
The work is in five movements:
Entrée (Les langues de feu) - Entrance
Offertoire (Les choses visibles et invisibles) - Offertory
Consécration (Le don de Sagesse) - Consecration
Communion (Les oiseaux et les sources) - Communion
Sortie (Le vent de l'Esprit) - Recessional
The first movement uses "irrational values" applied to Greek rhythms. A motif from the fifth movement, labelled le vent ("the wind"), will reappear in Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte Trinité as "Le Souffle de l'Esprit" (The Breath of the Spirit).
There is an "imaginary" birdsong in bars 50–57 of the second movement. This passage is derived from the lines for flute and clarinet in Jardin du sommeil d'amour in Turangalîla-Symphonie; Messiaen described these as melodic "garlands" that resemble birdsong in slow-motion. Several more bird songs are found in the fourth movement. Here, they are based on observation, and some of the species can be identified: a nightingale (mm. 201–205) and a blackbird (identical to the birdsong phrase from Ile de Feu 1).
Source: Wikipedia
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- Livre d'orgure: I: Reprises par interversion
- Livre d'orgure: VI: Les Yeux dans les roues
- Livre d'orgure: II: Premiere piece en trio
- Livre d'orgure: VII: Soixante-quatre durees
- Livre d'orgure: III: Les Mains de l'abime
- Livre d'orgure: IV: Chants d'oiseaux
- Livre d'orgure: V: Deuxieme piece en trio
- La Nativite du Seigneur: VII. Jesus accepte la souffrance
- Messe de la Pentecote: III: Consecration
- La Nativite du Seigneur: IV. Le Verbe
- Les Corps glorieux: IV. Combat de la mort et de la vie
- La Nativite du Seigneur: VIII. Les Mages
- Messe de la Pentecote: IV: Communion
- La Nativite du Seigneur: IX. Dieu parmi nous
- Les Corps glorieux: V. Force et Agilite des Corps glorieux
- Messe de la Pentecote: V: Sortie
- Les Corps glorieux: I. Subtilite des Corps glorieux
- La Nativite du Seigneur: V. Les Enfants de Dieu
- Messe de la Pentecote: I: Entree
- Les Corps glorieux: VI. Joie et clarte des Corps glorieux
- Les Corps glorieux: II. Les Eaux de la Grace
- La Nativite du Seigneur: VI. Les Anges
- Messe de la Pentecote: II: Offertoire
- Les Corps glorieux: VII. Le Mystere de la Sainte-Trinite
- La Nativite du Seigneur: III. Desseins Eternels
- Les Corps glorieux: III. L'Ange aux parfums
- Apparition de l'Eglise Eternelle
- L'Ascension IV: IV. Priere du Christ montant vers son Pere
- Diptyque
- Le Banquet Celeste