Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus
OLIVIER MESSIAEN
Born December 10, 1908, Avignon
Died April 28, 1992, Paris

Messiaen composed Vingt Regards sur L’Enfant-Jésus in Paris between March 23 and September 8, 1944. That was one of the happiest moments in the history of that city–the liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation took place that summer–but there is absolutely no trace of such external events in this work.This music is concerned with quite a different sort of joy, one that exists outside time and human action–it is an expression of the devout Christian faith that lies at the heart of every note Messiaen composed. The title translates as “Twenty watches [or perhaps “observations” or “perspectives”] on the Infant Jesus.” Written specifically for Messiaen’s brilliant pupil Yvonne Loriod, who later became his wife, Vingt Regards is a collection of twenty pieces that last, collectively, about two hours.

These twenty pieces are unified in several different ways. First, three different themes run through the set: a simple chordal melody that Messiaen calls the “Theme of God,” a linear “Theme of the Star and of the Cross,” and a “Theme of Chords,” a sequence of four simple chords. Vingt Regards also reflects Messiaen’s lifelong interest in birdsong (he quotes the songs of specific birds) as well as his interest in canon. In its purest form, religious faith should be ecstatic, and Vingt Regards is ecstatic music: in its rhythmic freedom (there are no time-signatures here and few barlines), its incredible pianistic sonorities (much of it is written on three staves), and in its virtuosity–Yvonne Loriod was a superb pianist, and this music was written specifically for her abilities. In the preface to the score, Messiaen writes of Vingt Regards: “More than in all my preceding works, I have sought a language of mystic love, at once varied, powerful and tender, sometimes brutal, in a multi-colored ordering.”

The following is a general guide to the twenty movements of Vingt Regards. The quotations are from Messiaen’s own description in the score of each movement.

I. Regard du Père (“Watch of the Father”) Messiaen marks this “Extremely slow, mysterious, with love” and begins with the “Theme of God,” presented here as a quiet chordal melody broken by rhythmic interjections from the right hand. Messiaen prefaces the movement with the line “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well satisfied.”

II. Regard de l’étoile (“Watch of the Star”) is based on the “Theme of the Star and of the Cross,” heard near the beginning in widely-spaced octaves; Messiaen asks the pianist to create bell-sounds in the opening measures.

III. L’échange (“The Exchange”) depicts the “terrible commerce humano-divin”: the dealings between man and God are portrayed in a powerful movement that begins with the marking agrandissement asymétrique and ends quadruple forte.

IV. Regard de la Vierge (“Watch of the Virgin”): “Innocence and tenderness . . . woman of purity, woman of the Magnificat, the Virgin regards her child.”

V. Regard du Fils sur le Fils (“Watch of the Son over the Son”) opens with the “Theme of God,” here marked “luminous and solemn.” “Mystery, rays of light in the night . . . reflection of joy, the birds of silence . . .” High in the right hand, with chirping grace-notes, comes a passage marked “like the song of a bird.”

VI. Par Lui tout a été fait (“By Him Everything Was Made”). An extremely complex and brilliant fugue in which the subject and countersubject are different on each appearance.

VII. Regard de la Croix (“Watch of the Cross”) The Cross tells Jesus that he will be a “priest in my arms.” This movement begins with the “Theme of the Star and the Cross,” marked “expressive and grieving,” and gradually grows in intensity.

VIII. Regard des hauteurs (“Watch of the Heights”) is prefaced by the line “Glory of the heavenly hosts descending on the cradle like the song of the lark.” This is a brief and very fast movement (the marking is Vif), and–like Beethoven in the slow movement of the “Pastoral” Symphony–Messiaen quotes the songs of specific birds and identifies them in the score: lark, nightingale, and blackbird.

IX. Regards du temps (“Watch of Time”) Marked “Mystery of the plentitude of time . . . ,” this movement is written almost entirely in three staves and remains generally subdued.

X. Regard de l’Esprit de joie (“Watch of the Spirit of Joy”). Messiaen describes this as a “vehement dance” evoking the “joy of God blessed in the soul of Jesus Christ.” The composer notes that this movement is based on “oriental dance and plainchant,” but listeners may more readily be struck by its resemblances to jazz, particularly in its boundless energy and bouncy rhythms. This great rush of motion is interrupted by hunting-horn calls, and Messiaen asks that its final pages be played as if “in a great transport of joy.”

XI. Première communion de la Vierge (“First Communion of the Virgin”) Messiaen prefaces this movement, which begins with the “Theme of God: After the Annunciation, Mary adores Jesus . . . My God, my son, my Magnificat . . . my love without the noise of words.”

XII. La parole toute-puissante (“The Omnipotent Word”): “This child is the Word who sustains all things by the strength of his word.” Another movement written on three staves, this one is distinguished by its “percussion” sounds: deep in the left hand, the sound of a tam-tam rings throughout, and at moments Messiaen has the piano echo the sound of drum-rolls.

XIII. Noël (“Christmas”) Messiaen heads this movement: “The bells of Christmas give us the soft names of Jesus, Mary, Joseph . . .” As might be expected, this movement too is full of bell-sounds, though Messiaen marks one passage “like a xylophone.” The movement itself is marked “Very lively, joyous.”

XIV. Regard des anges (“Watch of the Angels”) is one of the best-sounding movements of Vingt Regards, full of explosive, shining sonorities. Structured on the “Theme of Chords,” it divides into a series of episodes separated by canons; Messiaen asks that one of these should sound “comme un oiseau.”

XV. Le baiser de l‘Enfant-Jésus (“Kiss of the Infant Jesus”) is a rapt slow episode that treats the “Theme of God” as a berceuse, or lullaby. Messiaen marks the movement “Very slow, calm” and then stipulates that it should be like “a dream.” This movement is in the home key of Vingt Regards–F-sharp major–and Messiaen sends the piano into its ringing high register as the music comes to a quiet, shimmering close.

XVI. Regard des prophètes, des bergers et des Mages (“Watch of the Prophets, Shepherds, and Magi”) Messiaen describes this as “Tam-tams and oboes, a concert enormous and nasal,” and it gradually accelerates as it proceeds. The sound of the oboe, sometimes marked “a little shrill,” cuts through the bell-sounds here.

XVII. Regard du silence (“Watch of Silence”) Messiaen describes this movement as “Silence of the hand, rainbow turned upside-down . . . each silence of the manger reveals musics and colors that are mysteries of Jesus Christ.”

XVIII. Regard de l’Onction terrible (“Watch of the Dread Unction”) Messiaen heads this movement “The Word assumes a certain human nature . . . ,” and his markings give us his sense of the violence in this music: “uprooted,” “like thunder,” “hammered.”

XIX. Je dors, mais mon coeur veille (“I Sleep but my Heart is Awake”). Silences play an important role in this long movement, which Messiaen calls “Poem of love, dialogue of mystic love.” Slow and generally very quiet, it proceeds along chordal melodies, and Messiaen’s markings underline its rapt atmosphere: “supple and sweet,” “very expressive,” “with charm,” and–at the quiet climax–“ecstatic.”

XX. Regard de l’Église d’amour (“Watch of the Church of Love”) forms the ecstatic climax of the entire work. Messiaen provides barlines here but no set meter, and the rhythm is quite free. This movement recalls all the principal themes heard earlier and builds toward a triumphant statement of God’s love. This is presaged by the cascading sound of ringing churchbells, and the music drives to a climax marked quadruple forte and described in the score as Triomphe d’amour et de joie. Messiaen creates a splendid piano sonority here: huge, slow chords mark this progression, and the cycle comes to its dramatic close on a great plunge downward.