ABSTRACT
This chapter plays an integral structural role and require an extended period to complete a predetermined pattern. Compared to many of the elements of Olivier Messiaen's musical language, the rhythmic pedal lacks the scope for potential development. Rhythmic canons usually function in a similar capacity to rhythmic pedals, providing a substructure over which the primary element may be added. A double rhythmic pedal in canon on the first piano concludes at 80/1. Non-retrogradable rhythms appear most extensively in the mid to late 1940s, although the technique is employed across a wide range of Messiaen's output. The conception of anacrusis, accent and termination appears early in Messiaen's output but it never attained a central position in his technical arsenal. The most common type of chromatic duration is a straightforward presentation, such as 1, 2, and 3 and so on. Interversions can be both melodic and rhythmic, although Messiaen favoured the rhythmic form of the technique.
