The Primacy of Melody

Definition: The assertion that melody, not harmony or rhythm, constitutes the fundamental element and point of departure in musical composition.

Messiaen's Treatment: Messiaen positions melody as sovereign, with rhythm and harmony serving as "faithful servants" rather than co-equal parameters. This hierarchy inverts the traditional academic emphasis on harmony as the generative foundation. He argues that melodic truth exists in a latent state, with harmonies emerging as consequences of melodic motion rather than predetermined progressions generating melodies.

Modern Context: This stance anticipates post-tonal thinking about the autonomy of musical parameters and prefigures the late-20th-century move away from harmony-centric analysis. In contemporary terms, Messiaen privileges linear (horizontal) organization over vertical sonority, though he does not thereby reduce harmony to mere byproduct—his complex chord structures demonstrate sophisticated vertical thinking that complements rather than contradicts melodic primacy.

Examples: Throughout Volume 2, melodic lines are presented as generative elements with harmonic support following melodic logic.