Definition
Olivier Messiaen described in the treatise Technique de mon langage musical (1944) seven modes of limited transposition: symmetrical scales that, when transposed, return identical after fewer than 12 transpositions. They are built by repeating a group of intervals that divides the octave into equal parts. Messiaen spoke of their “charm of impossibilities” (charme des impossibilités): they cannot be transposed indefinitely nor, in their complete form, develop a traditional tonality.
The seven modes (semitones and notes on C)
| Mode | Repeated group | Notes on C | Notes per octave | Transpositions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 (×6) | C D E F# G# A# | 6 | 2 (whole-tone scale) |
| 2 | 1-2 (×4) | C Db Eb E F# G A Bb | 8 | 3 (half-whole octatonic) |
| 3 | 2-1-1 (×3) | C D Eb E F# G Ab Bb B | 9 | 4 |
| 4 | 1-1-3-1 (×2) | C Db D F F# G Ab B | 8 | 6 |
| 5 | 1-4-1 (×2) | C Db F F# G B | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | 2-2-1-1 (×2) | C D E F F# G# A# B | 8 | 6 |
| 7 | 1-1-1-2-1 (×2) | C Db D Eb F F# G Ab A B | 10 | 6 |
Mode 1 is the whole-tone scale, Mode 2 is the octatonic; Messiaen considered Mode 1 already widely exploited by Debussy and Dukas and mainly used Modes 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7.
How they work
- Each mode is the union of transpositions of a small nucleus: Mode 3 is three copies of the group 2-1-1 a major third apart; Mode 5 and Mode 4 are symmetrical at the tritone.
- Each mode can be read starting from any note (its rotations), but the distinct transpositions are limited.
- Messiaen associated precise colors with the modes (he was a synesthete): for him each transposition had its own hues (e.g. Mode 2 in a “blue-violet” transposition).
Harmony
Messiaen harmonizes the modes with chords internal to the mode (often chords with added fourths, the “chord of resonance” and the “dominant chord with all the notes of the major scale”) and superimposes them on pedals and on rhythms of his own: the non-retrogradable rhythms (rhythmic palindromes) and the added values, the other “impossibility” of his language.
Works to listen to
- Quatuor pour la fin du temps (1941): modes 2 and 3 in many movements, non-retrogradable rhythms in the “Danse de la fureur”.
- Vingt regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus (1944), for piano.
- Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946–1948): modal chords and complex rhythms, with ondes Martenot.
- La Nativité du Seigneur (1935), for organ.
Use for a producer and composer
- Pads and textures: Mode 3 (nine notes) and Mode 7 (ten) generate dense but “colored” chords, perfect for ambient and harmonic sound design.
- Film and video game music: the symmetry produces suspension and wonder (many science-fiction soundtracks use Mode 2 and Mode 3).
- Modern jazz: Mode 2 is the diminished scale; Mode 3 is used by some jazz players as a color over maj7#5 and over triads a major third apart.
- Generating melodies: choose a nucleus (e.g. 1-4-1 of Mode 5) and build phrases that move by tritone.
Common mistakes
- Thinking of them as “exotic scales for improvisation”: for Messiaen they were a harmonic system, linked to timbre and rhythm.
- Confusing Mode 3 with the augmented scale (which has six notes, 3-1).
- Using them without a pedal or a rhythmic idea: they become an indistinct buzz.
Exercise
- Write Mode 3 on C and build three four-note chords inside the mode; use them as pads for 16 bars.
- Create a melody in Mode 2 that repeats transposed by minor thirds (C, Eb, F#, A) over a C pedal.
- Listen to the “Liturgie de cristal” (1st movement of the Quatuor) following the score (IMSLP does not have it, because it is under copyright: use a Durand edition).
Related
Whole-tone scale; Diminished scale; Augmented scale; Set theory (1) and (2); Polyrhythm, hemiola and polymeter.