Chapter XIII: Harmony, Debussy, Added Notes

Original: Pages 47–49 in Satterfield translation

Musical Examples:

• Example 183
• Example 184
• Example 185
• Example 186
• Example 187
• Example 188
• Example 189
• Example 190
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• Example 192
• Example 193
• Example 194
• Example 195
• Example 196
• Example 197
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• Example 200

Overview

Chapter XIII inaugurates Messiaen's discussion of harmony by establishing the concept of "added notes"—pitches that enrich chords without requiring traditional preparation or resolution. Messiaen positions Claude Debussy as the decisive figure who liberated these sonorities, transforming what earlier composers treated as ornamental appoggiature into structural chord members. This chapter establishes a foundational harmonic principle that will inform all subsequent discussions of modal and polymodal harmony.