Olivier Messiaen's rhythmic kaleidoscope: visions, misreadings and reconceptions of theories of time

Abstract

In this paper, we comment the reconceptions of Messiaen's theories of time and contextualize them in the broad repertoire of theories created in the twentieth-century. In the argumentation, emphasis is placed on processes often used by the composer, such as borrowing and misreading compositional materials in a myriad of Western and Eastern repertoires from different historical periods. Also included are extracts from his compositions, accompanied by his considerations and those of other scholars of his work, to relate his theoretical production to

his musical composition. Are mentioned tools that the composer used to transform material that he collected and borrowed from other works. This study shows an overview of the processes developed by Messiaen, whose emphasis is the use of the additive rhythm to the detriment of the divisible. The sound sources that generate his ametric music are: description of the energetic history of natural events; bird songs; rhythmic colors conceived from biblical narratives; rhythms of the new languages (atonalism, serialism). In order to deepen our studies, we included three sources generally treated as separate elements: rhythms of ancient prosodies (feet, neumas, de?c?i-ta?las).