Mort du nombre is a dialogue between soprano and tenor, with an opening key signature suggesting d minor; however, as is usually the case with Messiaen, the music is more modal than tonal. The piece is a mixture of aria and recitative, in which the two voices, each representing a spirit or soul, lament their separation, and express hope at being reunited. The vocal lines are both evocative, though opposed in character: the tenor part is dramatic, emotional and pessimistic, expressing deep sorrow over the separateness of the two souls, while the soprano line is gentle and comforting, singing reassuringly of peace and patience. The piece passes through a number of keys, including D major, E major, and finally B major, though in each case the tonal key is coloured by one of Messiaen¹s chromatic modes. Musicologists have noted two important features of the work: firstly, the key and character of the dialogue is suggestive of Wagner¹s Tristan und Isolde; secondly, the strange title of the work hints at Messiaen¹s increasing interest in the dissolution of time in his music, the ³death of number² or regular metre.

© Alexander Carpenter, Rovi