Monodies en ¼ (quarts) de tons pour une onde Martenot seule, manuscript

The two quarter-tone monodies (French: Deux monodies en quarts de ton), II/15, are a work which were written in Paris in 1938. The pair stem from Messiaen's period of involvement with microtonal composer and specialist Ivan Wyschnegradsky (1893-1979). At the time, Messiaen was a professor at the École normale de musique and Schola Cantorum, both in Paris. They are in a variant of the early style of Olivier Messiaen and are his second work involving the Ondes Martenot (referred to here as 'Onde'). Here the 'Ruban' setting is used, which involves the famous 'ribbon' of the instrument. They are the only work of Messiaen's involving notes outside of the dodecaphonic system. He would later involve the Ondes Martenot in numerous succeeding works, where he brought the instrument great renown. As can be seen in the first monody, the 'Vasanta' Hindu rhythm appears (short-short-short-long-long-long); and it also contains a reference to Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)'s 'Rite of Spring'. In the manuscript, Messiaen attempted to write a 'monodic' interlude to easily transition into the second monody. However, he abandoned this. The original plan is still barely visible though. In the 2000s, a photocopied score of the manuscript resurfaced in the Fonds Jeanne Loriod (1928-2001); the property of the composer's sister-in-law, with the two monodies' première being on 27 July 2017 by Nathalie Forget (this recording). It is available at the Médiathèque Hector Berlioz of the Conservatoire de Paris. In 2022, Xinhao Zheng engraved the two from the original manuscript for the first time. For more information, please consult the dissertation of Christopher Brent Murray where he examines these two pieces.