Cinq Méditations sur l'Apocalypse

Celui qui a des oreilles, qu'il écoute - ll était, Il est et Il vient - Visions prophétiques - Oh oui, viens, Seigneur Jésus - La Cinquième trompette

Published by Bornemann (France) in 1974. Page 17 of this book has been modified in a reprint, following Jean Langlais indications; later Bornemann has been bought by Alphonse Leduc, in 1979, before Jean Langlais death.

1rst recording by Marie-Louise Jaquet-Langlais in 1975 at the Ste Clotilde organ under the direction of Jean Langlais. Recorded from the manuscript, before publication. Mp3 available for free on demand to ml.langlais@wanadoo.fr

Olivier Messiaen sent a long letter to Jean Langlais about this new work: "Paris, April 7, 1974 : My dear Friend,I received your Cinq Meditations for organ. Beautiful publication, and a dedication that is too kind! I just red the score with growing interest. You have magnificently understood this magnificent text. I especially appreciated the second piece with its repeated note, its "bacchian and dochmiae" rhythms, and its garlands on quintaton, flute 4' and tierce 1 3/5. The "Prophetics Visions" are varied as they should be, and the "Fifth Trumpet" is really very astonishing, very terrifying and very original...With all my admiration and affection, your old comrade : Olivier Messiaen"

CORRECTED ERRORS in the PUBLISHED SCORE. List established following the manuscript and compiled with help from Bruno Mathieu, Olivier Vernet and James Roman.

I - CELUI QUI A DES OREILLES, QU'IL ECOUTE. Manual indication is lacking. The entire movement should be played on the Récit.

p.2, mes.2, add crescendo to get to the f in mes.3 // p.2, mes.15, pedal, 3rd beat, F# and not F natural.

p.3, mes. 2, soprano, 6th note, the A is#, it is not natural.

2 - IL ETAIT, IL EST et IL VIENT, p.4, mes.2, the F should remain on the Récit for all this section.// p.4, add breaks in the melody, left hand, between mes. 6 and 7, and 15-16.

p.5, mes. 6, left hand, the C is a double sharp, not a sharp // p.5, mes. 16, tempo indication is lacking. It should be Quarter=112 //p.5, mes.20, left hand, 4th beat, the E should be one octave higher // p.5, mes. 21, 3rd beat, Pedal, the eighth should be A, not G# // p.5, mes. 22, 3rd beat, right hand, both A should be A#.

p.6, mes.15, right hand, third beat, the second chord should be D flat-G-C and not D natural-G-C // p.6, mes.16, right hand, 1rst beat, second chord, middle note should be A-natural.

p.7, mes.10, ignore R/Pos indication // p.7, mes. 10, right hand, 2nd beat G is an eighth note not a quarter, and the following rest comes just after, before the B flat 3rd beat, on the pedal A.

p.8 - Tempo same as beginning of the piece, Quarter = 92.

p.9, mes.7, left hand, the first E is natural (in the preceding measure, it was flat)

p.10- Registration, the lack of 8' foundations in Récit is intentional // p.10, mes. 14 - Add Pos/Ped // p.10, mes.16, right hand, the chord is D flat-F natural, not D#-F natural // p.10, mes 20-21, left hand, the chord is tied to the next one.

p.11, mes. 2, right hand, first chord should be D-natural, G-natural, B-flat, same as mes. 3, and second chord should be the same as in mes. 3, D#-G#-B natural..

p.12, mes. 8-9, soprano D last beat should be tied to the next measure, as the alto G# to the following one. // p.12, mes. 10-11, the B flat, alto and soprano, both hands, should be tied.

p. 15, mes.11, Final # before the last A in measure is not necessary.

3 - VISIONS PROPHETIQUES

p.17, mes. 8-9, in the first edition modified by a following print, there are octaves at the right hand in both measures and the chords A#-C#-D#-F# left hand have an extra note: A naturel. The version without octaves right hand of the first edition is much better. // p.17, at the end of mes. 10, add the indication "Fine" // p.17, mes.14, left hand, the chord is G#-D#-E natural, not E# // p.17, mes. 15, 16 and 19, : both hands should be played together, not one after the other as it is indicated in the first edition of 1974 and in the manuscript. The composer changed his mind and asked the publisher to print another version of this page, which has been done in a following print by Bornemann.

p.18, at the the Piu Lento, the metronomic marking can be faster, but this solo has to remain very expressive.

p.19, mes. 10, right hand, the last chord is F natural-B flat-D flat and not D natural..

p.20, the tempo at Piu Vivo should be Quarter = 126, not 116 //p.20, mes. 17-18, left hand, 2nd beat, should be D#-A#-D# and not C#-G#-C#.

p.21, mes. 2 to 5, the G whole note, left hand, is tied for these 4 measures.

p.22, mes.5, the 2 last notes in the left hand have to be switched, A#-D# instead of D#-A# // p.22, mes.6, left hand, the third eighth is D#, not D natural // p.22, mes. 16, the C#, left hand,1st beat, has to be a whole note, note a quarter.

p.23, mes.7, left hand chord should be, from the bottom up, B flat- C- E flat-G // p.23, mes.9, the left hand chord is G#-A#-B natural-D#; the sharp should be before the A and not before the B.

4 - OH OUI, VIENS SEIGNEUR JESUS

p.24, mes.17, pedal chord is F#-C#, not F natural-C natural.

p.25, mes .6, the last note of the soprano, F natural, should not be staccato as printed.

p.26, mes.2, the last chord right hand is A#-D# (and not natural)-F# // p.26, mes.3, left hand, the chord is F#-G#-A-C#, like in the following measure.// p.26, mes.10, first note of the soprano is A flat, not A natural.

5 - LA CINQUIEME TROMPETTE

p. 27, title in English, Fift should be Fifth // p.27, registration: in case of a big chamade existing on the organ, change the solo on the Récit, with trumpet 8, clarion 4 and mixtures, to a chamade stop alone // then, p.27, mes.18, the F natural has to be played alone on a chamade and the chord must be played on another manual.

p.31, mes.9, Pedal solo should be a C#, not a C natural // p.31, mes. 10, Pedal registration is missing: + flute 4+ Pos/Ped // p.31, last chord of the page, left hand, the B should be B flat.

p.33, ms.11-12 should be played one octave higher // p.33, last measure, last chord left hand should be E flat- A flat- C natural.

p.34, mes. 1 to 4, and mes. 17 to 20, if the tutti is too powerful, play the left hand on another manual and the right hand on the Great // p.34, mes. 13 to 16, add stops each measure to go to the Tutti //p.34: mes. 15, both hands are whole notes.

p.36, mes.1, left hand, the chord is E-A-C# and not F-A-C#.

p.37, mes.1, right hand, the 7th sixteenth note is D# and not F#.

p.41, mes. 8-9, play the right hand octave alta // p.41, mes. 9, F-C# staccato, like the bar before.

p.42, bar 4, left hand, last 16th note should be F natural // p.42, bar 11, 6th note should be B flat and not natural, like the following measure. Same thing page 43, bar 10; the 6th note is B flat and not natural , the same p.46, mes. 10.

p.45, bars 1, second and third triple eighth notes should be D-C# and not E-; same thing for the 18th and 19th notes in the same mes.

p.47, mes. 1, in the third group of 32nd notes, a "5" is missing // p.47, mes. 14-15, left hand, the chord should be F-A flat-B natural-E.