On the fall of France in 1940, Messiaen was made a prisoner of war, during which time he composed his Quatuor pour la fin du temps ("Quartet for the end of time") for the four available instruments—piano, violin, cello and clarinet.
En 1940, na batalla de Francia, Messiaen converteuse en prisioneiro de guerra, e mentres estaba encarcerado compuxo o seu Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Cuarteto para o fin dos tempos) para os catro instrumentos dispoñíbeis alí: piano, violín, violoncello e clarinete.