The Theme of God: A Musical and Theological Discussion of Olivier Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to help both performers and liturgical musicians to better understand Messiaen’s musical style and theological inspiration. Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) is one of the most important composers of French keyboard music in the twentieth century. He composed numerous works in nearly every musical genre, many inspired by his Catholic faith. Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus (Twenty Contemplations on the Infant Jesus) is a two-hour masterpiece for solo piano written in 1944, and is one of the most significant of his works. The piece is constructed by using three main themes: the Thème de Dieu (Theme of God), Thème de l’étoile et de la Croix (Theme of the Star and of the Cross), and Thème d’accords (Theme of Chords). The “Theme of God” is based on an F-sharp major chord with chromatic passing tones in the inner voice. The “Theme of the Star and of the Cross” symbolizes the birth and death of Jesus by using chant-like monophony. The “Theme of Chords” is constructed on four chromatic and dissonant chords creating the sound of bells. Throughout the Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus, Messiaen uses a variety of rhythmic figures, including Greek rhythms, Indian rhythms, non-retrogradable rhythms, diminution and augmentation. He also created an inventory of scales, which he named the modes of limited transposition. This research will examine Messiaen’s Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus by focusing on the movements based on the “Theme of God,” namely movements 1, 5, 11, and 20. Following a musical discussion of these pieces, this research will then discuss the theological considerations in Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus using Messiaen’s own comments found in the score and in additional reference materials.