ABSTRACT
This chapter describes mechanical music that refers to any section of music in which; once the parameters have been set, no further compositional input is required for that feature. It explores some relationships between the passages as musical entities and to consider how and why Messiaen harnessed the fear and disquiet provoked by the mechanical. The chapter discuses the Un Vitrail et des oiseaux, with its closing statement that is 'More important than all the rest is the invisible aspect', is a simple example of the more usual penchant for the mysterious. It is a simple matter to state what is done during the consecration in a Mass, but a bald statement that the gifts are blessed and transubstantiation occurs does not even begin to address the nature of the mystery involved for its adherents. Messiaen states what musical procedures are involved, and even what they represent, but he rarely touches upon the resulting emotive effect.
