Top > Other Musicians > Messiaen and Debussy: Modes and Harmony
This site introduces unknown composer Emanuel Bach (C. P. E. Bach). This English version was translated from Japanese one by ChatGPT.
Messiaen and Debussy: Modes and Harmony
Asked ChatGPT4o: "Messiaen composed music based on modes, but how does this affect harmony?"
Olivier Messiaenʼs music based on modes has the following effects on harmony.
1. Harmonic Stasis and Static Nature
Messiaen used “Modes of Limited Transposition.” These modes have a structure that allows only a few transpositions of a particular scale, making it difficult to create a completely new sense of tonality like major and minor scales.
- As a result, the strong sense of progression typical of traditional tonal music is weakened, and the harmony takes on a static and meditative quality.
- The cyclic nature of the modes contributes to the impression of “suspension of time” or “eternity” in the music.
2. Emphasis on Non-Functional Harmony
In Messiaenʼs modes, the relationship based on functional harmony between the tonic and dominant is weakened.
- Chords are used in a non-functional way, enjoying the sound without seeking resolution.
- This leads to harmony developing in an “acoustic” direction, focusing on the timbre and sound itself.
3. Expansion of Harmonic Color
Messiaen had a colorful sense of harmony and emphasized the color of harmony by using specific modes.
- The modes of limited transposition include unique interval relationships not found in major or minor scales, creating bright, radiant sounds or introspective, mystical sounds.
- He also associated specific chords or intervals with “colors,” making modes a means to embody “color” in harmony.
4. Adoption of Complex Chord Structures
Messiaenʼs modes also served as a foundation for creating complex chords. For example, the “added chords” and “divided scales” he often used are born from a modal foundation.
- As a result, it became possible to explore non-traditional sounds, creating multi-layered sounds different from traditional Western music.
5. Increased Symbolism
For Messiaen, modes were not just a technique but elements imbued with mysticism and religious symbolism.
- Harmony became a means to express religious ideas such as “eternity” or “divine light” through the structure of modes, emphasizing spirituality and sublimity.
Due to these influences, Messiaenʼs music significantly diverged from traditional tonality and functional harmony, establishing an innovative harmonic approach in contemporary music.
Asked ChatGPT4o: "How did Debussyʼs music, by abandoning conventional harmonic progression, affect the sense of tonality?"
In Claude Debussyʼs music, abandoning conventional harmonic progression has the following significant effects on the sense of tonality.
1. Weakening of Traditional Tonality
- Debussy consciously avoided the functional harmony of traditional tonic, dominant, and subdominant chords, which weakened the clear sense of tonal progression.
- Since the harmony lacks a traditional destination (resolution), the sense of tonality becomes ambiguous, creating a floating sound that seems directionless.
2. Use of Modes and Introduction of Non-Western Elements
- Instead of harmony based on major and minor scales, Debussy incorporated whole-tone scales, church modes, and even Asian pentatonic scales.
- This created a different sense of tonality from traditional tonality, diminishing the sense of belonging to a specific tonic. As a result, tonality itself took on a horizontal and static nature.
3. Enhancement of Harmonic Color and Impressionistic Role
- Debussyʼs harmony did not possess the power to progress but functioned as a means to create “color” and “atmosphere.”
- Chords were valued more for their acoustic beauty and independence than for their structural role in music.
- This approach treated tonality not as a structural framework but as part of the sound.
4. Introduction of Parallel Chords and Non-Functional Harmony
- Debussy frequently used parallel chords (chords that maintain their shape while progressing with the same interval relationships).
- This meant that harmony played little role in forming tonality, instead bringing the sound of the chords themselves to the forefront.
- Debussyʼs harmony lost its traditional progressive role, further enhancing the ambiguity of tonality.
5. Creation of a Sense of “Suspension of Time”
- In traditional tonality, harmonic progression emphasizes the flow of time through repeated tension and resolution.
- By avoiding the tension-resolution process of harmonic progression, Debussyʼs music brought about a sense of “suspension of time” or a “static feeling of eternity.”
6. Fragmentation of Tonality and Pursuit of Momentary Quality
- In Debussyʼs music, because it does not rely on traditional tonality, tonality may appear in short, fragmentary moments.
- Each chord or phrase focuses more on expressing the beauty of the sound at that moment than on constructing tonality.
Summary
In Debussyʼs music, tonality became ambiguous beyond the framework of functional harmony, resulting in a free and floating sound not achievable in traditional music. This established a unique aesthetic known as Impressionism and served as a bridge from tonal music to modern music.
Asked ChatGPT4o: “Compare Debussyʼs methods with Messiaenʼs methods.”
The music of Debussy and Messiaen both feature innovative methodologies that depart from traditional tonality and functional harmony, but there are clear differences in their approaches. Below is a comparison of their characteristics.
1. Handling of Harmony
Debussy
- Emphasis on Non-Functional Harmony
Debussy consciously avoided traditional functional harmony, treating chords as tools to express color and atmosphere.- He frequently used parallel chords and whole-tone scales, creating a “floating” sensation where harmony lacks a destination.
- Harmonic progression pursued the beauty of the sound itself rather than tension and resolution.
Messiaen
- Non-Functional Harmony + Symbolic Harmony
Messiaen treated chords as religious and spiritual symbols, emphasizing keeping the harmonic sound static.- By using modes and added chords, he eliminated specific tonalities, creating a unique “supra-tonal” sound.
- His harmony often “stops” time, creating a meditative space.
2. Modes and Scales
Debussy
- Adoption of Diverse Scales
Debussy flexibly used whole-tone scales, pentatonic scales, and church modes. This allowed him to blur tonality while incorporating non-Western sounds.- In whole-tone scales, the absence of semitones completely erases traditional tonality.
- Scales were treated as improvisational elements to create musical color and atmosphere rather than fixed forms.
Messiaen
- Systematization of “Modes of Limited Transposition”
Messiaen used the “Modes of Limited Transposition,” which he theorized. These modes are special scales that allow only a few transpositions of specific interval structures.- The modes themselves form the foundation of his music, used in a planned and structured manner.
- The limited transposability of the modes gives his music a symbolic and mystical quality.
3. Rhythm
Debussy
- Fluidity of Rhythm
In Debussyʼs music, rhythm departs from fixed beats and regular patterns, emphasizing a flowing, natural movement.- Rhythm often takes a poetic and free form, highlighting the beauty of the moment rather than the flow of time.
- It features a free sense of rhythm that matches the depiction of natureʼs movements and landscapes.
Messiaen
- Asymmetric Rhythm and Sanctification of Time
Messiaen transcended traditional concepts of rhythm, introducing asymmetric rhythms and rhythm patterns influenced by Indian **deci-tâla**.- Rhythm has a meditative nature, with the intention of treating time as sacred.
- Rhythmic techniques that create “suspension” or “expansion” of time in music are central elements of his music.
4. Purpose and Philosophy of Music
Debussy
- Impressionism and Aesthetics of Sound
Debussy, influenced by Impressionist painting, pursued music as a means to evoke sensory and visual impressions.- His music expresses scenes and atmospheres such as nature, landscapes, and dreams.
- He prioritized the beauty of sound itself, rejecting traditional forms and purposes.
Messiaen
- Religious and Spiritual Purpose
Messiaenʼs music, based on deep Catholic faith, was a means to express mystical revelations and spiritual experiences.- The music aims to lead the audience into religious meditation, with its sound carrying transcendental meaning.
- The form of the music is strict and symbolic, making it more theoretical and structured than Debussyʼs.
5. Use of Sound
Debussy
- Sound is used to express natural landscapes and emotional moments.
- The music aims to create a poetic and sensory experience.
Messiaen
- Sound is used to emphasize religious symbols and mystical experiences.
- The music has a philosophical purpose of illustrating the relationship between time and eternity.
Summary
The commonality between Debussy and Messiaen is their departure from the constraints of tonality and functional harmony to explore new sounds and musical languages. However, while Debussy pursued the sensory and impressionistic beauty of sound, Messiaen adopted theoretical and symbolic methods for spiritual and religious purposes, marking a significant difference between them.
Asked ChatGPT4o: "Are there other composers who attempted similar innovations as Debussy and Messiaen?"
Many other composers have made innovative attempts to transcend the traditional frameworks of tonality and harmony, similar to Debussy and Messiaen. Below are some composers and their characteristic innovations.
1. Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
- A contemporary of Debussy, often associated with Impressionism, Ravel was more conscious of form and structure than Debussy.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- Incorporation of jazz and Spanish music elements into non-traditional harmonic progressions.
- In works like “Pavane for a Dead Princess” and “Boléro,” he used repetition and sustained harmonic stasis while maintaining tonality.
2. Alexander Scriabin (1872–1915)
- Transitioned from late Romanticism to a unique mystical music, dismantling tonality completely.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- Pursued sounds beyond tonality centered around the “Mystic Chord.”
- In his later works (e.g., “Prometheus”), he attempted multisensory expressions linking light and color with music.
3. Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)
- Broke the tradition of tonality, adopting primitivism, neoclassicism, and later twelve-tone technique.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- In “The Rite of Spring,” he disrupted tonality through rhythmic and acoustic innovations.
- In his neoclassical period, he combined revivalist elements of tonality in non-traditional ways.
4. Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951)
- Completely abandoned tonality, pioneering atonal music and twelve-tone technique.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- Eliminated harmonic resolution, creating music that does not rely on “tension” and “resolution.”
- Pursued structural unity while eliminating tonality through twelve-tone technique.
5. Alban Berg (1885–1935)
- A student of Schoenberg, he used twelve-tone technique while retaining tonal and Romantic elements.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- In works like “Wozzeck” and “Lulu,” he blended atonality and twelve-tone technique with emotional expression and traditional harmony.
6. Edgard Varèse (1883–1965)
- Centered music around sound itself, emphasizing rhythm and timbre.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- Works like “Ionisation” prominently featured electronic sounds and percussion.
- Used “blocks of sound” in composition, free from the constraints of tonality and harmony.
7. Charles Ives (1874–1954)
- Intentionally ignored tonality and traditional forms, combining polytonality and different tunings.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- In “The Unanswered Question,” he contrasted traditional harmony with atonal elements.
- Simultaneously employed various tonalities and sounds in polytonality.
8. John Cage (1912–1992)
- Expanded the boundaries of music, incorporating silence and chance.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- In “4ʼ33”, performers do not play their instruments, treating the surrounding sounds of the audience as music.
- Completely eliminated the concepts of tonality and harmony, exploring sound itself.
9. Henry Cowell (1897–1965)
- Developed the technique of “string piano,” directly touching the inside of the piano.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- Ignored tonality, exploring new possibilities of sound.
- Created sounds unrelated to tonality using clusters (groups of notes).
10. György Ligeti (1923–2006)
- Used microtones and layered structures of sound.
- Characteristic Innovations:
- In works like “Atmosphères” and “Lux Aeterna,” he pursued a “cloud of sound” devoid of tonality and rhythm.
Summary
These composers each transcended the frameworks of tonality and harmony in their unique ways. While Debussy focused on nature and impressions, and Messiaen centered on spirituality, other composers innovated with different purposes and methods, contributing to the diversity of 20th-century music.