ABSTRACT
The Oliver Messiaen's own analyses are an attempt to locate and understand his techniques in works, and their fundamental purpose is to explore whether the composer's own analyses can be viewed as a model for further exploration of his entire output. To demonstrate the veracity of his analytical approach, works from varied periods in Messiaen's career will be examined: Quatuor pour la fin du temps, Canteyodjaya, Reveil des oiseaux, Le chocard des Alpes and Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum. The Quatuor pour la fin du temps contains many of Messiaen's mature harmonic and rhythmic techniques and is an important landmark in the development of his style given the early appearance of specific devices. Although Quatuor pour la fin du temps features heavily in The Technique of My Musical Language, a study of the harmonic aspect of the work through the use of pitch-class set analysis will reveal the fine detail of this seminal composition.
