What is the Quartet for the End of Time about?
In a prisoner-of-war camp during the early days of World War II, French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992) created his chamber music masterpiece Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time). Rooted in his deeply Christian faith, it is inspired by the New Testament Book of Revelation.
When did Messiaen write Quartet for the End of Time?
1940
Quatuor pour la fin du temps/Composed
Messiaen wrote the Quartet for the End of Time while he was a German prisoner-of-war in Silesia in 1940-42. He had managed to keep with him some music paper, and the act of composition provided him with a means of sustaining his psychological well-being.
How long is Quartet for the End of Time?
50 minutes
| Quatuor pour la fin du Temps | |
|---|---|
| English | Quartet for the End of Time |
| Performed | 15 January 1941: Görlitz |
| Duration | 50 minutes |
| Movements | eight |
How it was possible for Messiaen to compose music while a prisoner in a concentration camp?
When he was initially searched, the guards were astonished to find not weapons or supplies, but musical scores in his pockets. His status allowed him special ‘privileges’, including permission to play the camp organ, as well as access to writing materials, which enabled him to compose.
Where was Quartet for the End of Time premiered?
Stalag VIIIA prisoner
The piece premiered on January 15, 1941, at the Stalag VIIIA prisoner-of-war camp, in Görlitz, Germany, where the composer had been confined since his capture in May 1940.
Which group of four instruments outlines the quartet?
String Quartet
Instruments in a String Quartet The four instruments played in a string quartet include two violins, a viola, and a cello. All of these instruments are played by either plucking the strings or by using a bow.
How do you pronounce Messiaen?
It turns out that it is simply an [ɑ᷉], just like in “Saëns”.
Was Messiaen in a concentration camp?
After the fall of France in 1940, Messiaen was interned for nine months in the German prisoner of war camp Stalag VIII-A, where he composed his Quatuor pour la fin du temps (“Quartet for the end of time”) for the four instruments available in the prison—piano, violin, cello and clarinet.
Who is the father of pianoforte?
Bartolomeo Cristofori
Piano/Inventors
Why is Haydn’s String Quartet Op 76 No 3?
Haydn’s String Quartet, Op. 76, No. 3 is nicknamed “Emperor” because: the theme in the second movement is based on a hymn written for the Austrian emperor.
Why did Elliot Carter give up writing vocal music in the 1930s?
And then after that my music became much more elaborate and complicated and I stopped writing choral music, because I found that the pieces I had written were very difficult for most choruses to sing – in America.
What style is Messiaen?
As a composer he developed a highly personal style noted for its rhythmic complexity, rich tonal colour, and unique harmonic language. Messiaen was the son of Pierre Messiaen, who was a scholar of English literature, and of the poet Cécile Sauvage.
Who is the composer of the quartet for the end of time?
Quartet for the End of Time, French Quatuor pour la fin du temps, quartet in eight movements for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by French composer Olivier Messiaen.
When was Quatuor pour la fin du temps premiered?
The quartet was premiered at the camp on 15 January 1941 in front of about 400 prisoners and guards. Messiaen claimed that 5,000 people attended the performance and that the musicians had decrepit instruments, but those claims are now considered “somewhat exaggerated”.
What is the fifth movement of Messiaen’s Quartet for the end of time?
The fifth movement, “Praise to the Eternity of Jesus,” is a sequence of long, disembodied phrases, sometimes with no clear underlying beat; there Messiaen used only the cello and the piano. The sixth movement, “Dance of Wrath, for the Seven Trumpets,” conveys its fury with driving rhythms and much syncopation.
Why did Olivier Messiaen name his quartet there shall no more time?
Messiaen dedicated the quartet “in homage to the Angel of the Apocalypse, who raises his hand towards Heaven saying ‘There shall be no more time.’ ” The movement titles were drawn from the biblical Revelation to John. Olivier Messiaen.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.