MESSIAEN Olivier (1908 - 1992)

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Lot n° 133
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50000 - 60000 EUR
MESSIAEN Olivier (1908 - 1992)
MUSICAL MANUSCRIPT autograph "Olivier Messiaen", Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum (1964) ; one volume in-fol. of 2 leaves and 80 pages (plus 5 title leaves), interleaved with crystal paper serpents, all bound in brown cloth with title label. Orchestral score of this great work inspired by the Resurrection of the Dead. In October 1963, André Malraux, Minister of Cultural Affairs, commissioned Messiaen to write a sacred work in memory of the dead of the two world wars. Messiaen will focus on the theme of the Resurrection of the dead, and compose his score for woodwind orchestra, brass, and metal percussion. Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum was mainly written in the summer of 1964 in Petichet (Isère), and completed at the end of the year. The work, which lasts 30 minutes, was premiered at the Sainte-Chapelle on May 7, 1965 by the Percussions de Strasbourg and instrumentalists under the direction of Serge Baudo, in the presence of André Malraux and a hundred or so personalities from the musical world; It was officially performed again by the same performers on June 21 at Chartres Cathedral in the presence of General de Gaulle, following the solemn mass; a public performance was given on January 12, 1966 at the Domaine musical (at the Odéon theater) under the direction of Pierre Boulez. It was published by Alphonse Leduc in February 1967, and was immediately a great success. Messiaen said of this work: "Its instrumental composition makes it suitable for vast spaces: churches, cathedrals, and even the open air and the high mountains... It is perhaps not useless to recall that at the time when he wrote his score, the author surrounded himself with strong and simple images: pyramids with stairs in Mexico, temples and statues in Ancient Egypt, Romanesque and Gothic churches; that he reread the texts of Saint Thomas Aquinas on "the Resurrection" and "the World of the Risen", that he worked in the Hautes-Alpes in front of these powerful landscapes which are his true homeland". The manuscript is very carefully written in black pencil on Durand paper with 28, 30 or 32 lines. It is divided into five parts, each preceded by a biblical quotation. A preliminary sheet bears: "Score written to Petichet in 1964. Score written in real sounds and real octaves". On the back, the Nomenclature of the instruments. WOODS : 2 small flutes, 3 flutes, 3 oboes, 1 English horn, 1 small clarinet in E flat, 3 clarinets in B flat, 1 bass clarinet in B flat, 3 bassoons, 1 contrabassoon; 18 players. CHEWERS: 1 small trumpet in D, 3 trumpets in C, 6 horns in F, 3 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba in C, 1 bass saxhorn in B flat; 16 performers. METALLIC PERCUSSIONS: 3 sets of cencerros (3 performers), 1 set of tubular bells (1 performer), 6 gongs (1 performer), 3 tam-tams (1 performer); 6 performers. In total : 40 performers. The manuscript consists of the following five parts, each preceded by a title page bearing a biblical quotation. We give after each part a brief commentary by Messiaen. I. "From the depths of the abyss I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice" (Psalm 130, v. 1 and 2) (8 p.). "Theme of depth in the low brass - harmonization by the 6 horns in colored complexes - cry of the Abyss!" II. "Christ, risen from the dead, dies no more; death has no more dominion over him" (Saint Paul, Epistle to the Romans, chap. 6, v. 9) (14 p.). "Melody by lacks: the cessations of sounds give the outline. The cencerros and bells work a decîtâla from India under a melody of the trumpet - the latter springing from the colorful complexes of the woods. Some silences, as important as the music. Conclusion by the solo clarinet and English horn. III. "The hour is coming when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God..." (Gospel according to Saint John, chap. (Gospel according to Saint John, chap. 5, v. 25) (11 p.). "This voice that will raise the dead is here symbolized three times. First symbol: entrusted to the group of woods, the disjointed song, with contrasting dynamics, of the mysterious Uirapuru, bird of the Amazon. Second symbol : the permutations of the bells. Third symbol: a long and powerful resonance of tam-tam". IV. "They will rise again, glorious, with a new name - in the joyful concert of the stars and the acclamations of the fi ls of heaven" (Saint Paul, 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, chap. 15, v. 43 - Apocalypse of Saint John, chap. 2, v. 17 - Book of Job, chap. 38, v. 7) (35 p.). "The three mysterious blows, the three resonances, the pianissimo or fortissimo sounds of the tom-toms, which continuously interrupt the musical discourse, symbolize both the solemn moment of the resurrection and the distant melody of the stars. The Easter Introït of the bells and cencerros, the Alleluia of the trumpets with its halo of harmonics, sym
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