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Key Concepts

This chapter introduces four key concepts establishing added-note harmony as a central principle:

  1. Added Notes (Notes Ajoutées) - Pitches added to conventional chord structures that function as integral chord members rather than nonharmonic tones requiring resolution

  2. The Added Sixth and Added Augmented Fourth - The two most characteristic added-note sonorities in Messiaen's harmonic vocabulary

  3. Relation Between Added Notes and Added Values - A conceptual and aesthetic parallel between harmonic and rhythmic enrichment

  4. Use of Added Notes in Messiaen's Own Music - The compositional application of added-note harmony in Messiaen's works, particularly Pelleas and melodic movements