Relationship to Other Chapters

Chapter II functions as the first technical chapter, establishing principles developed throughout the rhythmic section:

• Chapter I (Charm of Impossibilities): The discovery of nonretrogradable structure within rāgavardhana exemplifies the first "impossibility" previewed in Chapter I.

• Chapter III (Rhythms with Added Values): The added dot in rāgavardhana's retrograde leads directly to systematic exploration of added values.

• Chapter IV (Augmented or Diminished Rhythms): The asymmetrical augmentation/diminution observed in rāgavardhana becomes the basis for more complex proportional transformations.

• Chapter V (Nonretrogradable Rhythms): Fragment B of rāgavardhana introduces palindromic rhythmic structures, developed comprehensively in Chapter V.

• Chapter VII (Rhythmic Notations): The notational issues mentioned (precise values, bar-lines marking periods not measures) receive fuller treatment.

Additionally, this chapter establishes Messiaen's method of historical synthesis announced in Chapter I—appropriating techniques from distant traditions (here, thirteenth-century Indian theory) to generate contemporary compositional resources. This same approach governs his treatment of plainchant (Chapter XII) and Debussy (Chapter XIII).