Melodic Techniques: Quick Reference

A practical guide to Messiaen's melodic language.

Core Principle: Melodic Supremacy

Melody is "sovereign"—the generative element from which rhythm and harmony emerge.

• Harmony must be "true" (wanted by the melody)
• Rhythm remains "pliant," serving melodic development
• The melody teaches you its harmonic needs

1. Preferred Intervals

The Descending Tritone (Augmented Fourth)

• Acoustically justified: 11th partial of harmonic series
• Characteristic resolution: F♯ → C (down, not up)
• Creates distinctive Messiaen gesture

The Descending Major Sixth

• Historical precedent: Mozart's melodic practice
• Connected to added sixth chord
• Open, consonant quality contrasts with tritone

Chromatic Formulas

• Small chromatic inflections within modal contexts
• "Returning" chromatic gestures (Bartók influence)

2. Melodic Contours

Cadential Formulas (from Ch. VIII)

Contour Types

3. Source Materials

Plainchant

What to extract: Melodic contours, phrase shapes, modal character How to transform: Reharmonize with modes of limited transposition; apply added values Not to imitate: Actual chant melodies, chant rhythm literally

Hindu Ragas

What to extract: Unexpected contours, ornamental character, characteristic gestures How to transform: Combine with Western rhythmic/harmonic techniques Note: Messiaen's approach is impressionistic, not systematic raga study

Folk Songs

What to extract: Structural principles, interval preferences, phrase organization How to transform: Pass through "deforming prism"—complete transformation Goal: "Destroy resemblance to the model"

Bird Song

What to extract: Rhythmic freedom, melodic unpredictability, ornamental density, registral extremes Process: Transcription → Transformation → Interpretation Not: Literal imitation (birds use microtones; "ridiculous to servilely copy nature")

4. Development Techniques

Elimination

Process: Repeat fragment while progressively removing notes Direction: Complete → reduced → schematic (often single note) Model: Beethoven Fifth Symphony Effect: Concentration, intensification, "crisis"

Theme:        8 notes
First pass:   4 notes (same material, fewer)
Second pass:  2 notes
Final:        1 note or minimal gesture

Interversion

Process: Reorder pitches while maintaining pitch-class content Effect: Same "ingredients," different "recipe" Works well with: Modes of limited transposition (bounded pitch content)

Original:     C - E - G - B♭
Interversion: G - C - B♭ - E
Interversion: B♭ - G - E - C
(etc.)

Change of Register

Process: Extreme octave displacement—low ↔ high Effect: Textural transformation, new character Combined with augmentation: Creates "crushing power"

Original:     c' - e' - g'  (middle register)
Transformed:  c''' - E - g'  (extreme displacement)

5. Sentence Structures

Song-Sentence (ABA')

Binary Sentence (ABAB')

Ternary Sentence (ABCBA)

6. Bird Style Characteristics

Key insight: Bird style provides melody freed from human conventions of singability and phrase balance.

7. The "Deforming Prism"

Messiaen's metaphor for transforming sources:

Input: Any melodic material (folk song, raga, plainchant, other composers)

Process:

1. Extract structural principle (not surface features)
2. Apply personal harmonic language (modes)
3. Apply personal rhythmic language (added values, etc.)
4. Filter through personal aesthetic

Output: Material that sounds like Messiaen, not like source

Test: Can you identify the source? If easily yes → not enough transformation.

8. Integration with Other Parameters

Melody + Added Values

Apply rhythmic added values to melodic phrases:

• Elongated preparations before melodic peaks
• Slackened descents after climaxes

Melody + Modes

Write melodies using only pitches from chosen mode:

• Mode determines available intervals
• Characteristic mode intervals become melodic fingerprints

Melody Generating Harmony

1. Write complete melody first
2. Analyze its interval content
3. Determine what harmonies it "wants"
4. Supply those harmonies (from modes, added-note chords, etc.)

Historical Models Referenced

Quick Diagnostic

Is your melody "Messiaen-esque"?

• Uses characteristic intervals (tritone, M6)?
• Avoids regular metric accent?
• Fits within a mode of limited transposition?
• Contains some element of unpredictability?
• Can undergo systematic development (elimination, interversion)?
• Suggests its own harmony?
• Transforms sources beyond recognition?