What is Quartet for the End of Time?

Quatuor pour la fin du temps
Quatuor pour la fin du temps (French pronunciation: ​[kwatɥɔʁ puʁ la fɛ̃ dy tɑ̃]), also known by its English title Quartet for the End of Time, is a piece of chamber music by the French composer Olivier Messiaen. It was premiered in 1941.

Where was Quartet for the End of Time premiered?

Stalag VIIIA prisoner
The piece premiered on January 15, 1941, at the Stalag VIIIA prisoner-of-war camp, in Görlitz, Germany, where the composer had been confined since his capture in May 1940.

Who composed Quartet for the End of Time?

Olivier Messiaen
Quatuor pour la fin du temps/Composers
In a prisoner-of-war camp during the early days of World War II, French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908–1992) created his chamber music masterpiece Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time).

How it was possible for Messiaen to compose music while a prisoner in a concentration camp?

When he was initially searched, the guards were astonished to find not weapons or supplies, but musical scores in his pockets. His status allowed him special ‘privileges’, including permission to play the camp organ, as well as access to writing materials, which enabled him to compose.

Who is the composer of the quartet for the end of time?

Quartet for the End of Time, French Quatuor pour la fin du temps, quartet in eight movements for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano by French composer Olivier Messiaen.

Why did Messiaen name his quartet the end of time?

Messiaen dedicated the quartet “in homage to the Angel of the Apocalypse, who raises his hand towards Heaven saying ‘There shall be no more time.’ ” The movement titles were drawn from the biblical Revelation to John. Olivier Messiaen. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

What happens in the seventh movement of the quartet for the end of time?

For the seventh movement, “Tangle of Rainbows, for the Angel Announcing the End of Time,” the angel returns amid floating, open harmonies that manage to be both airy and suspenseful. The waiting mood gives way to a sudden pulsing energy.

What does Quatuor pour la fin du temps mean?

II. ” Vocalise, for the Angel who announces the end of time”, for the full quartet. The first and third parts (very short) evoke the power of this mighty angel, a rainbow upon his head and clothed with a cloud, who sets one foot on the sea and one foot on the earth. In the middle section are the impalpable harmonies of heaven.