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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI Date:___________________ I, _________________________________________________________, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: in: It is entitled: This work and its defense approved by: Chair: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ THE INFLUENCE OF BALINESE GAMELAN ON THE MUSIC OF OLIVIER MESSIAEN A document submitted to the The Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS in the Keyboard Division of the College-Conservatory of Music 2008 by Amelia Puspita B.M., University of Missouri in Kansas City, 2002 M.M., University of Cincinnati, 2004 Committee Chair: bruce d. mcclung, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Olivier Messiaen gave many interviews throughout his life, in which he revealed the influence of many foreign cultures. However, the only time he mentioned the influence of the Balinese gamelan was in the sleeve note of an RCA recording of the Turangalîla-Symphonie played by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa. Although his connection to Balinese gamelan seems tenuous, Messiaen was nevertheless influenced strongly by this culture. He might have encountered and witnessed live performances of Balinese dance and gamelan in the 1931 Paris Colonial Exhibition, whose evocation might have influenced him in evocating the sound of Balinese music in his works. The document provides a general history of Bali Island and also explains the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the 1931 Colonial Exhibition. A brief description of the Balinese society, their music and the gamelan instruments is included to give readers a general understanding about the music. It analyses all types of connections that Messiaen had with Balinese gamelan and provides a thorough methodology in determining the exact evocation of Balinese music in Messiaen’s works. The analysis of six major works follows, using three of the major piano works (Vision de l’Amen, Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jésus, and Quatre Études de Rhythme) and as many of the orchestral works (Trois Petites Liturgies, Turangalîla- Symphonie, and Chronochromie). Two comparison tables between Balinese gamelan instruments equivalent to Western instruments are available to aid in finding Balinese evocation in Messiaen’s music. iii iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the arduous time of writing this document, I have lost three people who are dear to me. Therefore, I would not be able to complete this project without the support of generous and kind people around me, who gave me their time and understanding during those difficult times. Many thanks to Dr. bruce mcclung, my mentor; his expertise combined with kindness and patience inspired me to start this project, and his time and energy have helped me throughout the writing process. This project would not have emerged and been completed without him. Sincere gratitude to Prof. Weinstock and Prof. Chertok, who were always supportive no matter what situation I was in; to my husband, Andreas, whose undeterred love helped me going through all kinds of life situation; and finally, to my Mom, who has given me the love of learning for the sake of learning itself. v To Mulyosantoso, Magda Hasan, and Adrian vi Musique sérielle, musique dodécaphonique, musique atonale; le résultat est identique. On a aboli la resonance. Le reste, fonctions tonales ou formes sonates, disparaît sans que cela me préoccupe. Mais, sans resonance, seul demeure un sentiment de noirceur. Serial music, dodecaphonic music, atonal music: the result is identical. We have abolished the resonance. The rest, tonal functions or sonata forms, has disappeared without me worrying. But, without resonance, what remains is only a feeling of blackness. Messiaen, Conversations with Claude Samuel vii CONTENTS ABSTRACT…………………………………..……………………………………………. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………….…………………………………………………. v LIST OF EXAMPLES…..….……………………………………………………………. x LIST OF TABLES…………..……………………………………………………………... xi CHAPTER INTRODUCTION…………………….…………………………………………. 1 1. THE ARRIVAL OF GAMELAN IN EUROPE…………………………. 6 2. BALINESE GAMELAN………………………………………………… 17 Life and Philosophy……………………………………………… 17 The Music and the Instruments………………………………….. 19 The Double-Headed Drums……………………………… 22 Metallophones with Many Keys…………………………. 22 The Gongs and the Cymbals…………………………….. 23 The Flute and String Instrument………………………… 24 The Tuning System.……………………………………………... 25 Form……………………………………………………………... 26 Tempo and Dynamic…………………………………………….. 27 The Kebyar Style……………………………………………….... 28 3. MESSIAEN AND BALINESE MUSIC…………………...…………….. 30 Methodology……………………………………………………... 40 4. GAMELAN EVOCATION IN THE PIANO WORKS…………………… 45 Vision de l’Amen…………………………………………………. 49 Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jésus………………………………… 56 Quatre Études de Rhythme……………………………………..... 65 5. GAMELAN EVOCATION IN THE ORCHESTRAL WORKS……..…. 71 Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine…………..…………. 74 Turangalîla-symphonie…………………………………………... 80 Chronochromie…………………………………………………... 88 viii CONCLUSION……………………………………………………..…………… 96 BIBLIOGRAPHY…………...…………………………………………………………… 100 ix LIST OF EXAMPLES Example Page 4.1. Vision de l’Amen No. 1, Amen de la création, mm. 1–4……….……………..……... 50 4.2. Vision de l’Amen No. 2, Amen des étoiles, de la planète à l’anneau, mm. 87–91...… 52 4.3. Vision de l’Amen No. 4, Amen du désir, mm. 87–91………………………………… 52 4.4. Vision de l’Amen No. 4, Amen du désir, mm. 167–71……...……………………….. 53 4.5. Vision de l’Amen No. 5, Amen des anges, des saints, du chant des oiseaux, mm. 145–7………………………...………………………………………………… 54 4.6. Vision de l’Amen No. 7, Amen de la consommation, mm. 81–3…………………...… 55 4.7. Vision de l’Amen No. 7, Amen de la consummation, mm. 105–6……………………. 55 4.8. Vingt Regards No. 1, Regard du Père, mm. 8–11………………………...…………. 58 4.9. Vingt Regards No. 2, Regard de l’étoile, mm. 1–4………………………...…………59 4.10. Vingt Regards No. 12, La parole toute puissante, mm. 1–9……………….………… 61 4.11. Vingt Regards No. 12, La parole toute puissante, mm. 22–4………………………... 61 4.12. Vingt Regards No. 13, Nöel, mm. 19–24…………………………………………….. 62 4.13. Vingt Regards No. 16, Regard des prophètes, des bergers et des Mages mm. 1–9…. 63 4.14. Rhythmic accelerando (a) and decelerando (b)…...……………………………....… 63 4.15. Vingt Regards No. 18, Regard de l’onction terrible..................................................... 64 4.16. Vingt Regards No. 16, Regard des prophètes, des bergers et des Mages, mm. 43–51…………………………………………………………………………... 65 4.17. Quatre études de rhythme, Ile de feu 1, m. 1………...………………………………. 67 4.18. Quatre études de rhythme, Ile de feu 1, m. 20………………..……………………... 68 4.19. Quatre études de rhythme, Ile de feu 1, mm. 25–6…………..……………………… 68 4.20. Quatre études de rhythme, Mode de valeurs et d’intensités, mm. 25–60………….… 69 4.21. Quatre études de rhythme, Neumes rhythmiques, m. 34……………………………...70 5.1. Trois petites liturgies, Mvt. I, mm. 61–3…………………………..………………… 76 5.2. Trois petites liturgies, Mvt. II, mm. 52–6……………………………….…………... 77 5.3. Trois petites liturgies, Mvt. III, mm. 51–2……………………………….………….. 78 5.4. Trois petites liturgies, Mvt. III, mm. 74–5……………………………….………….. 79 5.5. Turangalîla-Symphonie No. 1, Introduction, mm. 53–5……………….……………. 82 5.6. Turangalîla-Symphonie No. 1, Introduction, mm. 80–3……………….……………. 83 5.7. Turangalîla-Symphonie No. 4, Chant d’amour, mm. 11–2……………….………… 84 5.8. Turangalîla-Symphonie No. 4, Chant d’amour 2, mm. 164–5…………….………… 85 5.9. Turangalîla-Symphonie No. 5, Joie du sang des étoiles, mm. 314–21…………..….. 86 5.10. Turangalîla-Symphonie No. 8, Développement de l’amour, mm. 271–3……………. 87 5.11. Chronochromie, Instrument Disposition…………...…………..……………………. 90 5.12. Chronochromie Mvt. II, mm. 11–2………………………………………………...… 92 5.13. Chronochromie Mvt. IV, mm. 9–10…………………………………………………. 93 5.14. Chronochromie Mvt. VII, mm. 51–3………………………………………………… 94 x LIST OF TABLES Table Page 3.1. Shared Values between Messiaen and the Balinese………………………………...… 40 4.1. Parallelism between Vision de l’Amen and Vingt Regards sur L’Enfant Jésus……..... 56 4.2. Three-staff structure in Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jésus……………………………. 57 4.3. Western instrument substitution of the Balinese Gamelan ………..…………………. 60 5.1. Expanded Western instrument substitution of Balinese Gamelan instruments............ 73 xi INTRODUCTION At first glance, the relationship between Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992) and Indonesian music seems tenuous. After all, the composer was open about his compositional process, as evident in the publication of the book The Technique of My Musical Language,1 which does not contain any references to Indonesian music. However, at closer observation, other considerations may appear in support of this argument. We have known that Claude Debussy (1862–1918) was certainly influenced by Javanese gamelan music in his compositional process.2 In turn, he influenced several generations of composers in the twentieth century, including Messiaen, who had already received a score of Pelléas et Mélissande when he was ten years old.3 It is intriguing to think that a similar culture that influenced Debussy may have also found its way into Messiaen’s music. It is the intention of this document, therefore, to discuss the exact evocation of the Balinese gamelan in Messiaen’s music. In finding published sources concerning this subject, many scholarly works about Messiaen’s music exist, but only a handful discussed the specific influence