Three of the four pieces that make up Messiaen¹s cycle L¹Ascension—³Majesté du Christ,² ³Alléluia sereins,² ³Transports de joie,² and ³Priere du Christ²—were orginally composed as orchestral works: nos. 1, 2, and 4 were transcribed from the orchestral scores, but no. 3 was entirely recomposed for organ. Written shortly after he was appointed organist at the church of the Holy Trinity in Paris, L¹Ascension exemplifies important aspects of Messiaen¹s evolving compositonal style, with its chromatic modal harmonies and use of plainsong melodies, and also shows his love for the organ. Harmonically, L¹Ascension consists of a tense interplay between modal and conventional tonality. Melodically and texturally—particularly in no. 2—monody has prominence, a reflection of Messiaen¹s strong interest in Medieval plainsong. Typical of Messiaen, the work features asymmetrical phrasing, and is rhythmically challenging, with frequent sycopations. Messiaen attempted, in his transcriptions, to duplicate the colours of the orchestral original, and is said to have ultimately preferred the orchestral version. Some of the pieces benefit from the transcription, as the organ adds a certain warmth and allows for more relaxed phrasing; however, in seeking to recapture the essence of the orginal, parts of the organ transcription become technically awkward. While it has been argued that this relatively early work is not truly indicative of the direction Messiaen was to take as a mature composer, L¹Ascension nonetheless reveals many of the composer¹s seminal ideas about his musical language.

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