# Diptyque (Messiaen)

Diptyque : essai sur la vie terrestre et l'éternité bienheureuse (French: Diptych: essay on earthly life and blessed eternity) is a bipartite essay for organ in C minor by French composer Olivier Messiaen. Written from 1929 through 1930; it is inspired by the theology of his Catholic faith.

## History

In autumn of 1929, Messiaen acquainted himself with Charles Quef, then-titular-organist at the Église de la Sainte Trinité in the ninth arrondissement of Paris. Through this, he was able to play two small organ recitals in Tencin, just northeast of Grenoble. These were his first organ recitals, which took place on 15 and 22 September.
The Diptyque was dedicated to two of the most influential composers and teachers of Messiaen: Marcel Dupré and Paul Dukas. It was premiered by Messiaen himself in a concert for Les amis de l'orgue on 20 February 1930, at the Église de la Sainte Trinité. It immediately caught the attention of fellow musicians and was published shortly afterwards in May 1930, by Éditions Durand. This publication was followed by some of his other compositions (the Préludes were released in June and the Trois mélodies in October). It is Messiaen's only organ work published by Durand.
Messiaen later became critical of his own earlier style. In an interview with Karin Ernst held on 24 October 1977, Messiaen referred to the Diptyque as a "sin" of his youth.

## Structure

Although the Diptyque is in one movement, it has two thematically related sections. Many scholars and performers thus consider it a two-movement work out of convenience. Being diptychæan, the first section - at under five minutes (after the metronome mark) - is followed by the second section also taking a little under five minutes. It is scored for solo pipe organ, requiring two manuals and pedals. The second section also requires a manual of sixty-one notes, with a top C, unless one could manœuvre octaves through higher-pitched registration.
It is also worth noting that there are inconsistencies, errors or questionable notes (evidenced by redundant accidentals and parallel passages later) in bars 16, 18, 22, 28, 48, 50, 52, 76, 91, 95.
Marked Modéré (andante, ♩ = 50; time signature $^2$ $_4$) in the key of C minor, its first section, "La vie terrestre, avec ses agitations inutiles" (The Earthly life, with its arid encumbrances) is a rapid-paced toccata with a repeating seven-note motif. Unlike his later style, neither the tempo nor the time signature present any changes in this section. Here, the composer attempts to express 'the anguish and useless torment of life'.
Its second section, "Le paradis" (Paradise) is marked Très lent (largo, ♪ = 58; time signature $^4$ $_4$) and is in the former section's parallel major. According to Messiaen, it is "an adagio in C major, based on a single serene ascending phrase", which "expresses the peace and charity of Christian paradise". Le paradis was rearranged (from memory) for violin and piano for the eighth and last movement ("Louange à l'immortalité de Jésus"; "Praise to the immortality of Jesus") of his 1940-1941 Quatuor pour la fin du temps. However, for this transcription, Messiaen significantly slowed the movement's tempo, marking it as Extrêmement lent et tendre, extatique (grave; ♪ = 36), a tempo the composer followed in his own recording of the original organ work.

### Errata

Messiaen manually corrected the following errors in his copy of the published score:
* 28: The penultimate semiquaver in the left hand is D♭.
* 50: The final semiquaver in the left hand is D♭.
* 95: The second semiquaver in the left hand is D♭.