Rebecca Rischin. For the End of Time: The Story of the Messiaen Quartet. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2003. xii + 167 pp. $28.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-8014-4136-3.
Reviewed by Charles Johnson (Department of History, Valdosta State University)
Published on H-German (October, 2004)
For the End of Time, During the End of Time
What is the apocalypse and when--if ever--is it going to happen? For many, four horsemen will signal its arrival. For millions, however, it occurred over sixty years ago in Europe under a dark symbol created by a man and his followers determined to create a nightmare world for those who did not fit into their concept of the perfect race. During this dark moment in human existence, four horsemen of a different nature performed a symphony of hope--one played by many since, yet the background of which has never been fully understood.
Fortunately we now have Rebecca Rischin's fine book to serve as a proper guide toward understanding one man's vision as well as the journey of four men through the end of time, during the end of time. Rischin, an accomplished clarinetist and associate professor of music at Ohio University, has not only provided a clear and concise understanding of the events surrounding the premier performance of Oliver Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" on January 15, 1941 in Stalag VIIIA. She also affords the reader with the opportunity to experience the spirit of the artist in a quest to interpret and understand a dark world, as she thoughtfully elucidates and recounts the creative process that Messiaen went through as he composed his music. No better guide to our understanding of the history of music composed within the prison and death camps of the Third Reich can be found than within musicians themselves. Rischin follows in the tradition of many current performance artists such as Susan Eischeid who, through her lectures on and recordings of the music of composers during the Holocaust, keep alive the music that reflects a time in which musicians shed light on a nightmare world existing beyond the scope of human imagination.
While it might be a cliche to state that the creator serves as a reflection of his creation, in this case such a description is most apropos. Messiaen was one of the great French composers of the twentieth century who, with his devout Catholic background and deep interest in mysticism, composed a work that reflected his perception of the world around him during a time of death and destruction. In appendix A, Rischin quotes Messiaen as saying: "This Quartet comprises eight movements. Why? Seven is the perfect number, the Creation in six days sanctified by the divine Sabbath; the seventh day of this repose extends into eternity and becomes the eighth day of eternal light, of unalterable peace." For Messiaen, captured towards the end of the German conquest of France, the war and his subsequent captivity represented both an end and a new beginning--just as in the biblical apocalypse.
The author spends little time discussing the actual performance itself. For her, that is not where the true story of the Messiaen Quartet lay. Instead, its significance is based upon the people involved, events surrounding the performance, and the impact of that concert--then and after--on the lives of those involved. In this aspect lies one of the many strengths of the work. Composed as a three-part symphony performed in eight chapters, the book presents an introduction (events leading up to Messiaen's capture), a middle (life within Stalag VIIIA), and an end (the post-prison life of the musicians involved in the quartet). Rischin relies heavily on interviews with quartet cellist Etienne Pasquier, violinist Jean de Boulaire, Messiaen's wife Yvonne Loriod, and relatives of clarinetist Henri Akoka to weave her story. These first-hand accounts provide the reader with a heightened awareness of the significance of the composition and performance on the performers and those who were at the event as well as how the music stayed with them for the rest of their lives. By focusing on the events before, during, and after the actual performance, Rischin breaths life into the piece and successfully places it not only within the cannon of musicology, but also within historical works that document the cultural and spiritual side of life for those in the prison and death camps of the Third Reich.
Another interesting aspect of the book, and one that might have been unintentional on the part of the author, is the human side she portrays of some of the Germans. It is evident in Rischin's description of the actions of many camp guards and officers who went out of their way to support the musicians and provide them with items not normally available to prisoners of war. One of the main reasons for this aid--according to Rischin--is the high status traditionally accorded to classical music within German culture and the musicians that composed and performed such works. The author also details the humane side of one camp guard in particular, Karl Albert Bruell, who on many occasions supported and helped the work of Messiaen and his musicians--even to the point of risking his own life.
Are there weaknesses in the book? As with any volume the answer is yes. One could easily fault the author for giving glancing coverage to the performance itself--in essence portraying it as a minor aspect of the overall story. Such criticism, however, is void of any context given the actual intent of the author. In the end, the work presented provides the reader with insight into a virtually unknown performance done in a desolate barracks of a German POW camp by men who perceived that their music could transcend the world around them. More importantly it was composed by a man who viewed time as coming to an end, but yet quickly assuming a new beginning.
For the End of Time is accessible to a wide ranging audience, both academic and non-academic. Anyone interested in understanding the human spirit in the face of adversity will find this book a fascinating and eye-opening account of a heretofore untold story. The "Quartet for the End of Time" is the account of a piece written over a period of time, from conflict to capture, to internment, to freedom. It not only is a significant contribution to the historical scholarship on culture and the arts during the Second World War, but also a work that takes us beyond war and conflict to demonstrate the lasting power of one man's vision--of himself and others--beyond the scope of war.
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Citation:
Charles Johnson. Review of Rischin, Rebecca, For the End of Time: The Story of the Messiaen Quartet.
H-German, H-Net Reviews.
October, 2004.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=9898
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