Theological aspects of the libretto "St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan Scenes" by Olivier Messiaen

Azarova Valentina Vladimirovna ORCID: 0000-0003-1049-2259 Doctor of Art History Professor; Department of Organ, Harpsichord, and Carillon; Saint-Petersburg State University 199034, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Universitetskaya Naberezhnaya 7-9 azarova_v.v@inbox.ru Other publications by this author

"St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan Scenes (1975-1983) is an opera by Messiaen based on his own libretto, which the composer called a "poem". "In all my works with text, I always wrote poems myself," the author clarified ^{[1, p. 67]}. The duration of the "poem" is the last two years of the life of St. Francis (1224-1226). The birthplace of the saint is Umbria, near the city of Assisi. The events take place on the forest road leading to the monastery, in the monastery, in the leprosarium, in a cave at the foot of a rocky mountain. On the left side of the road in the center of the stage is the entrance to the monastery of the Franciscan brothers; on the right is a small grotto. "Mountains turn blue in the background, deep in the stage," Messiaen designated one of the spatial coordinates of the "Franciscan Scenes" ^{[2, p. 66]}.

The composer described the process of working on the work in this way: "I have been thinking about my plot for thirty years and could not even imagine that it would be completed, but I composed a poem in a few months <...> I composed music for four years, and four more years were spent on orchestration and rewriting of orchestral parts" ^{[1, p. 67]}. As a result, a dramaturgically multilayered theological musical and theatrical concept was completed, in which the chorus parts are of particular importance: the finale of the poem contains a spiritual message to the contemporaries of the composer, who turned to the verses of Holy Scripture.

The author's idea and structure of the "poem"

Recalling the origin of the idea of the "musical performance", Messiaen noted: "I confess that I have always dreamed of writing either Passion or The Resurrection of Christ" ^{[1, p. 67]}. The composer formulated the essence of the artistic idea of the Franciscan Scenes in the following way: "I wanted to capture in a sequence of eight paintings the evolution of grace in the soul of the saint" ^{[1, p. 67]}. A well-known representative of the philosophy of Thomism, Jacques Maritain, revealed the understanding of the aspects of the named sacrament in this way: "...grace <...> produces its purely supernatural effect on us <...> because it bears the purest wounds of the Savior" ^{[3, p. 151]}.

In the theological concept of the "Franciscan Scenes" Messiaen received the realization of the idea of Christian revelation and the increase of grace in the soul of St. Francis of Assisi. The manifestation of stigmata on the body of the saint and the increase of grace in the "poem" are presented as mutually conditioning phenomena. The idea of grace dominates the space of the theological meaning of the "Franciscan Scenes".

The libretto is "St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan scenes" consists of three acts and eight paintings: "The Cross", "Lauda", Kiss of the Leper", "Angel traveler", "Angel Musician", "Sermon to Birds", "Death and a New Life". Acts I and II contain 3 paintings each; Act III consists of two paintings. The score — opus magnum — includes 8 volumes; its volume is about two thousand pages; the total playing time of the opera is 3 hours 57 minutes.

The Metamorphosis of the Chorus in the Poem

Various dramatic functions in the Franciscan Scenes are performed by the choir, for which the composer composed verbal and non-verbal parts. The choir is a multifaceted "character" of the work, and the metamorphosis of its image is a remarkable feature of the "poem". From the beginning of act I to the finale, the transformation of the stage image, the performing and semantic functions of the choir takes place.

In an interview, drawing the attention of a journalist interlocutor to the importance of the role of the choir in Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov opera or in the Japanese traditional Noh theater, Messiaen defined the special task of the choir in the Franciscan Scenes: "A choir playing the role of a commentator, which, like a Divine Voice, constantly performs" ^{[1, p. 67]}.

In scenes 1-3 of Act I and in scene 5 of Act II, the choir performs the roles of Franciscan monks. Also, an invisible choir (hidden in the depths of the stage) in these paintings functions as a commentator on the action. In Scene 5 of Act II, an invisible choir is present on stage, singing with its mouth closed; together with the orchestral part, the choir participates in the organization of the sound space. Against the background of non-verbal choral parts, the Angel, visible only to the main character, begins to play the music of the Invisible on the viola. A part of the choir singing with its mouth closed is placed off stage (in the studio). In Scene 7 of Act III, "Stigmata", Messiaen used non-verbal chorus parts along with verbal (colloquial-declamatory) ones. Invisible (talking and singing) The choir is endowed with a "personality", since the choral part "in the first person" conveys the meaning of Christ's words. According to Messiaen's plan, in the scene of Christian revelation, an invisible choir discovers the presence of God near St. Francis and conveys the meaning of transcendence — the mystical union of the saint with the Savior. The speaking choir expresses the state of despair and sorrow of Christ during the death penalty. According to researcher G. Halbreisch, the choral lines "in the name of Christ" represent "imitation of the words of Christ" ^{[4, p. 522]}. Having chosen individual texts of the Holy Scriptures as the primary source, Messiaen used the technique of paraphrasing. In the final part of the scene of Christian revelation (picture 7, the tragic climax of the "poem"), St. Francis of Assisi perceives the gift of the Holy Spirit — the increasing influence of grace. In the 8th painting "Death and a New Life", the parts of the invisible choir singing with their mouths closed and open characterize the atmosphere of the mystical mystery of grace.

In the process of developing the action of the "poem", the chorus from the invisible (hidden in the depths of the stage) becomes partially visible, illuminated by various shades of light and color. In the apotheosis of the poem, the final stage of the chorus's metamorphoses coincides with the culmination of the development of the drama of light. The protagonist choir placed in the foreground is illuminated by a bright light. The increasing intensity of the illumination symbolically conveys the progressive influence of grace in the soul of St. Francis of Assisi.

The metamorphosis of the stage image and the role of the choir reveals a Catholic interpretation of the concept of the "poem". In the choral apotheosis of the Franciscan Scenes, the theological basis of the poem is stated as its "integrating part" ^{[5, pp. 337-338]}. The final chorus of the Franciscan Scenes conveys the meaning of St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians, thereby designating the Catholic faith as the dominant spiritual life of Christians in the present and in the future. Relying on the opinion of the author of the essay "Choir" G. K. Chesterton, we summarize: "The choir <...> the same goal as the Greek choir" ^{[6, p. 227]}. The multifunctional, variously interpreted role of the choir "connects this, this story with the world, with the philosophical essence of things" ^{[6, p. 227]}.

The "dancing form" as a reflection of the archaic form of religious action

In discovering the theological meaning of the "poem", the dramatic function is performed by an Angel — a representative of the Christian picture of the world, a celestial. The image of the Angel — the defender of man — symbolizes a spiritual form accessible to sensory perception. The Messenger of God is the mediator between man and God. As St. Augustine noted, the nature of angels is completely subordinated to the service of God. "It is not by chance that a Christian angel is called a guardian, because his mission is to protect a person from demons attacking him, i.e. of a different spiritual essence, despite the fact that man himself is understood as godlike, partaking of the divine essence" ^{[7, p. 27]}.

In the author's commentary on the opening scene of Scene 4 of Act II "The Angel Traveler", Messiaen came into contact with the problem of the Angel's movement in space: "The angel is motionless. Then he takes a few steps. It's like he's dancing without touching the ground" ^{[2, p. 66]}. With the help of the "dance" context, the composer solved semantic and artistic problems, saturating the artistic text of the "poem" with a variety of meanings and allusions. Since ancient times, dance has served as an element of religious action (ritual, rite). "Dance began to be given a special mystical role: it promoted communication with higher powers," noted art critic O. Naumova ^{[8, p. 5]}. The expression "dancing form" conveys "a complex interaction of form and space subordinated to the laws of dance" ^{[8, p. 10]}.

In paintings 3, 4, 5 and 8 of the Franciscan Scenes, the appearing and disappearing Angel takes part in the development of events, affirming the theological idea of interaction between the world and God. Messiaen showed that the Angel's speeches addressed to the main character opened up the opportunity for St. Francis to contemplate the heavenly world and hear the music of the Invisible.

The dramaturgy of light is a conceptual constant of the "poem"

Messiaen presented in the poem a conceptual theological development of the drama of light, which previously had musical, aesthetic, poetic and spiritual implementation in the musical and theatrical works of Debussy and Duke. Messiaen's attitude to the operas of Duke and Debussy based on M. Maeterlinck's plays was characterized by researcher M. Wyatt: "Messiaen adored them, repeatedly recognized them as models for his Francis of Assisi" ^{[9, p. 8]}.

In the clavier of the opera "Ariana and Bluebeard", written by Duke himself, the composer placed a remark: "A dazzling silence ensues, in which the whisper of the sea coming from outside, the rustle of the wind in the foliage, the singing of birds and the bells of a village herd passing in the distance are distinguishable" ^{[10, p. 136]}. The atmosphere of the musical pastoral is rapidly replaced by a climax — a kind of dazzling sound stream of light. Exploring the idea of Duke's opera and its music, Messiaen formulated a statement about the spiritual content of this work: "The whole play of Maeterlinck seems to be summarized by the magnificent words of St. John," Messiaen noted ^{[11, p. 80]}. The image of Ariana embodies the side of light in the "light—darkness" dichotomy: "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not embrace him" (John 1.5). Analyzing Duke's opera, Messiaen included this gospel text in the article as an epigraph: "La Lumière luit dans les ténèbres et les ténèbres ne l'ont pas compromise" ^{[11, p. 79]}. The same gospel verse completes Messiaen's article, framing its form. Messiaen symbolically interpreted the image of the main character of the opera "Ariana and Bluebeard" as "The Truth" ^{[11, p. 82]}. The musical characteristic of Ariana, presented in the form of a leittheme symbol, embodies "Light" (La Lumière) ^{[11, p. 82]}. Duke's opera and Messiaen's "poem" Franciscan Scenes are united by the development of the dramaturgy of light.

Light is a through-and-through symbol in the mystery of the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by d'Annunzio and Debussy (1911). For example, in Camp III, The Council of False Gods, d'Annunzio marked the beginning of an episode of a celestial eclipse with a remark: "It is as if a ribbon of visible light sweeps through the ears of wheat into the field and stirs the majestic golden cloth of the ears" ^{[12, p. 51]}. Another remark conveys the vision of Saint Sebastian, as in reality experiencing the event of the Resurrection of Christ: "The young man is blinded by the light, he can barely stand on his feet because of the dizzying light, like the light of an inflamed desert, where the air vibrates from the chirping of grasshoppers" ^{[12, p. 56]}.

The sound symbol of light has a continuous development in the music of the mystery "The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian" by Debussy. Choral finale "Paradise", to the text 150 In the work of Debussy, the psalm conveys the universal rejoicing of the heavenly forces of light ("Alleluia!"), singing: "Praise Him on the tympanum and organ..." ^{[13, p. 98]}.

Both in Debussy's mystery and in Messiaen's "poem", the sound and visual (light-color) sign of the cross symbolizes the immortality of the soul. In Scene 1 of the first act of the Franciscan Scenes, the black cross by the road appears to Saint Francis stretching from earth to heaven. In painting 7 of the poem, the cross turns from black to gold, sparkling. In the form of a spatial-light symbol, Messiaen represented a shining cross in the choral apotheosis from the 8th picture of the libretto. The light rays emanating from the cross placed above the stage form a bright spot of light on the stage, indicating the place where the body of St. Francis was located. The semantic analogue of the spiritual substance "light" in this interpretation can only be the faith of St. Francis of Assisi.

The famous West German philosopher H.-G. Gadamer, who relied on the teachings of St. Augustine, reasoned about the spiritual and sensual origin of light. Gadamer noted: "It is only at the creation of light that God begins to speak for the first time. He [Saint Augustine] interprets this utterance of God as the spiritual emergence of light (Lichtwerdung)" ^{[14, p. 558]}. The idea of the nature of spiritual light was presented by an outstanding representative of the French philosophical and theological Catholic school, P. Teilhard de Chardin: "This light is not accessible to simple perception <...> this is a smooth and strong radiance generated by the union in Christ of all the elements of the world" ^{[15, p. 104]}.

In Act III of the Franciscan Scenes, Messiaen discovered the mystical nature of spiritual light by applying a strategy of dramatic development and metamorphoses of light and color. The composer posted in the libretto a detailed commentary on situations involving the transformation of light and color elements. Messiaen's commentary on the synthesis of interacting elements of light and color reveals in the libretto of the Franciscan Scenes the logic of the end—to-end development of the drama of light - "the way of being of light" ^{[14, p. 557]}. In the 7th painting "Stigmata", the dramaturgy of light has a conceptual connection with the verb of God. Messiaen applied the strategy of initial transformations of light and color elements in the tragic climax of the poem as a visual phenomenon denoting the invisible presence of Christ. In the 7th painting Stigmata, Messiaen integrated light-color radiation (in the form of "formulas") into the space of a darkened scene. "Here the scene will light up with a pale, strange, disturbing light," the author of the "poem" noted at the beginning of the dialogue between St. Francis and Christ, listening to the plea of the main character ^{[2, p. 90]}. The development of this dialogue is accompanied by transformations of light and color elements: "It gets brighter. Dark green and pale yellow reflections appear" ^{[2, p. 90]}. The projection of light rays indicates the appearance of stigmata on the body of St. Francis: "Red and purple radiance illuminates the entire scene. Four rays of light emanate from the Cross and strike the hands and feet of St. Francis. Five bloodstains are visible on the arms, legs and side of St. Francis. It's getting very light. The whole stage is illuminated with orange-red light" ^{[2, p. 90]}.

Synthesizing the verbal and light-color aspects of drama, Messiaen conveyed the mystical atmosphere of the scene of Christian revelation. The light crescendo in the tragic climax of the "poem" (picture 7) symbolizes the idea of "transcendence" — "the transition from finite existence to infinite being" ^{[16, p. 125]}. In the final 8 of the painting "Death and a New Life", the protagonist choir is placed in the foreground, commenting on the event of the resurrection of St. Francis "in power, glory and joy". The verbal layer of choral commentary is inseparable from the crescendo strategy of light drama. The development of the drama of light distinguishes the theological concept of "Franciscan scenes" par excellence.

On the interpretation of the scene of the Christian revelation. The Theocentrism of the "poem"

The scene of Christian revelation is presented by Messiaen in an atmosphere of "ultimate spirituality — Divine Omnipresence" ^{[15, p. 95]}. Describing this atmosphere, the thinker P. Teilhard de Chardin noted: "All the elements of the universe touch each other with what is in them the deepest and most final" ^{[15, p. 86]}. In the 7th painting "Stigmata", the presence of God near St. Francis creates a spiritual continuum or "Christianized universe" ^{[17, p. 615]}. Messiaen consistently discovers the presence of a transcendent reality, which Saint Francis of Assisi came into contact with shortly before his death. "The ministry to which St. Francis devoted himself became more and more like Passion and Crucifixion for him," noted G. K. Chesterton ^{[18, p. 74]}. The prayer of the saint addressed to the Savior is followed by a dialogue between St. Francis and Christ. In prayer, the Messianic revealed the saint's desire to experience the crucifixion of Christ. The motive of the voluntary sacrifice that St. Francis is ready to make out of love for Christ, informs the theological interpretation of the scene of Christian revelation in the poem. As Chesterton noted, "martyrdom itself was the goal, because the last goal for him [St. Francis] was closeness to Christ" ^{[18, p. 75]}. The saint's desire for martyrdom in the theological understanding of the author of the "poem" meant readiness for death or the first attempt at transcendence — overcoming time and communion with eternity. The second experience of transcendence was for Francis of Assisi his dying prayer: "Goodbye, created Time! Goodbye, created Space!" ^{[2, p. 94]}. Messiaen's implementation of the liturgical form (prayer) is characterized by novelty. The theatrical liturgy recreates in the "poem" the reality of St. Francis' experience of the Passion: the crucifixion, the agonizing suffering and death of Christ. Prayer is represented by Messiaen as a form of temple sacredness, relevant to the theological concept of the "poem". The prayer of the protagonist addressed to Christ and the dialogue between St. Francis and Christ, presented by Messiaen in the tragic climax of the Franciscan Scenes, are the semantic dominant of the poem and affirm its theocentrism. In the tragic climax of the painting "Stigmata", the word of the Savior is represented as the personification of truth, according to the word of Holy Scripture: "I am ... the truth" (John 14:6).

Features of the implementation of the idea of synthesis of artistic elements of the mystery

The translation of the meaning of the ancient mystery of the XIV – XVI centuries in the tragic climax of the "Franciscan Scenes" has signs of similarity with the dramatic solution of the tragic climax in Debussy's mystery "The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian" to the text of the poem of the same name by G. d'Annunzio (1915), created in line with the search for the French synthetic theater of the 1910s and 1930s. Understanding d’Annunzio and Debussy's ideas of the synthesis of the constituent elements of the mystery are reflected in the poetic interpretation of the "archaic-anthropomorphic features of the idea of God" ^{[19, p. 78]}. Artistic images of pagan gods (Adonis, Osiris and Hades), presented surrounded by many idols, side by side with the image of the Christian confessor Sebastian. The synthesis of elements of ancient paganism and Christianity leads to the formation of an antinomic unity of semantic components in the lyrical and poetic concept of the mystery "The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian". Part II "The Magic Room" of the Mystery of D'Annunzio and Debussy contains a detailed exposition of images and symbols of archaic paganism. The authors' understanding of the idea of synthesizing the artistic elements of the mystery corresponded to the aesthetic and lyrical-poetic vision of the mystery.’Annunzio of the image of the Holy Martyr Sebastian. Interpretation of the events of the Mystery of d’Annunzio corresponded to the modern idea of a transitional era from paganism to Christianity, about the meeting of "Athens" and "Jerusalem". In Part III (No. 4) of Debussy's mystery, Saint Sebastian creates a plastic image of the Passion of Christ on stage. In the text of the mystery of d’Annunzio, who is making a sacrifice to Christ, Saint Sebastian says: "I'm dying <...> to be reborn forever!" ^{[12, p. 50]}. The author of the article The Mystery of Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint-Sébastian Megan Sarno noted: ""Death occupies a central place in the drama" ^{[20, p. 14]}. The Christian confessor Sebastian's transition from life to death is commented on by a chorus of Syrian mourners and Adoniasts (adherents of the cult of Adonis). The choir sings about the approach of the martyr Saint Sebastian, who died by death, to the "dark gates of Hades" ^{[13, p. 58]}. Debussy included in the V part of the mystery ("Paradise") a vocal-symphonic episode that combined the parts of a solo soprano, a four-voice choir (soprano, contralto, tenor and bass) and an orchestral part. Among the parts of the orchestra and the voices of the choir repeating "Sebastian!", the voice of a solo soprano ("Sebastian's soul") is distinguishable with the words: "I'm going up. I have wings. Everything is white..." ^{[13, p. 95]}. An authoritative researcher of Debussy's work, a supporter of Neoplatonism, Bergsonian V. Yankelevich shrewdly noted: "The soul is now only the singing of a bird" ^{[21, p. 75]}. The innovation of Debussy's "The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian" score delighted the famous composer and music writer A. Honegger: "He [Debussy] created a completely new type of composition with a hitherto unheard-of atmosphere, which remains unsurpassed by the power of poetic charm to this day" ^{[22, p. 32]}.

The dominant meaning of the theological constants in the libretto of the Franciscan Scenes led Messiaen to a different understanding of the idea of synthesizing the artistic elements of the mystery. In contrast to the aesthetic (symbolism), musical and poetic interpretation and artistic embodiment of the idea of the synthesis of arts in the mystery of d’Annunzio — Debussy Messiaen presented a religious, theocentric interpretation and implementation of the idea of synthesizing the artistic elements of a musical performance in the mystery genre. In the scene of Christian revelation from the "poem" of Messiaen, Christ "reveals" <...> to a person the secrets of the world and His will in an act of personal "mercy"" ^{[5, p. 337]}. "In the light of the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas," the theological concept of "Franciscan scenes" was considered by researcher V. P. Benitez (2019) ^{[23, p. 21]}.

The mysteries, the meaning of which Saint Francis comprehended, Messiaen presented in the part of the choir, based on the presentation in the form of paraphrases of the "sayings" of Holy Scripture. The doctor of Catholic Theology, thinker Romano Guardini interpreted the origin of spiritual texts in this way: the word of Holy Scripture "is born from Revelation" ^{[24, p. 4]}.

In the scene of the Christian revelation, the speaker (reciting) The chorus exclaims, "It's Me, it's Me! I am the Alpha and Omega! I have been before and I will remain <...> I am the "after" that was before. Everything was created by Me. It was I who conceived time, space, all the stars and everything visible and invisible: angels, people, all living beings. I am the Truth from which all things come" ^{[2, p. 92]}.

A fragment of the Stigmata scene, which mentions the immortality of the soul, contains a paraphrase: "Many desire my Kingdom of Heaven, but few agree to bear my cross" <...> Is there anything so painful that should not be endured for the sake of eternal life?" ^{[2, p. 92]}. The axiom of the immortality of the soul was formulated by St. Thomas Aquinas in Chapter 79 of the Theological Summa. "The sayings of the Holy Scriptures, which testify to the immortality of the soul, are innumerable," summed up the modern researcher of the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, K. V. Bandurovsky ^{[25, p. 97]}.

The space of the theological meaning of the "Franciscan Scenes" was formed in the process of Messiaen's comprehension of canonical spiritual texts, as well as after reading an impressive body of research on history and religious philosophy. The composer's reading circle included modern studies in theology. In an interview in 1986, Messiaen noted: "... I spent a lot of time reading the Bible and psalms. I have read both the Testaments and the Apocalypse many times. In addition, I have read many theological works — medieval and modern. In particular, the "Sum of theology" by Thomas Aquinas. I have read the most important parts of this book many times. I have also read modern theologians, in particular the works of the German theologian with the Italian name Romano Guardini, the Belgian theologian Marmion, the American Merton living in France and the greatest of them, the German theologian Hans Urs Balthazar living in Switzerland" ^{[26, p. 188,189]}.

New forms of Theatrical Liturgy in the Poem

In the liturgical scene from the 8th painting "Death and a New Life", Messiaen presented a new embodiment of the form of responsory, revealing the dramatic layering of the theological concept of the "Franciscan Scenes". The composition of the named scene is formed by two prayers of the main character, framing the responsory, as well as a choral fragment ending the scene. The responsory is a repetition "at a distance" of the liturgical scene from the 2nd painting "Lauda", in which the reading of the responsory was part of the morning liturgy. The performance by the three soloists and the choir alternates with the lauds of St. Francis, who blesses the Lord for the bestowed creations — wind, water, fire and earth. Monks Sylvester, Rufinus and Bernard read the opening phrases of the responsory, and the choir continues and completes the phrase. The lauds of St. Francis and the text of the responsory form the space of temple sacredness. At the end of the third lauda, the choir concludes the reading of the responsory with a three-fold exclamation: "Holy! Holy! Holy!" ^{[2, p. 54],[27, p.38-39]}.

The reading of the responsory alternates with a symphonic refrain ^{[27, pp. 15-17; 25-27; 38-42]}. A symphonic refrain with a new text from the Old Testament forms a deep layer of musical drama. The sound space of the liturgical episode was described by researcher G. Halbreisch as "the gloomy atmosphere of the crypt" ^{[4, p. 492]}. The monks who are near St. Francis read (recto tono) the beginning of verses 3, 5 and 7 of the 141 psalm. The choir (also recto tono) continues and completes the reading of the named verses. The method of paraphrasing (with rearrangement of the lines of the original source and a combination of words) determines a new form of responsory, in which the semantic formulas of the psalm text freely chosen by the author are arranged in a different order compared to the text of the original source. In a textual paraphrase, Messiaen outlined the semantic formulas of selected verses of the 141 psalm, conveying the direct speech of King David "when he was in the cave." Semantic formulas integrated into the author's paraphrase are quoted accurately. The semantic emphasis that arises in the process of paraphrasing reveals the state of despair of the Old Testament man before death and the hope for God's help, which gives the human soul deliverance from suffering.

The symphonic refrain frames the form of the liturgical episode in the following way:

1. Fragment of the orchestral part — introduction (c. 54) ^{[28, p. 59]}.

Verse 1 (c. 55) of the Trio: "My despair before You ...".

Chorus: "... but You know my way."

2. Fragment of the orchestral part (c. 56).

Verse 2 (c. 57) Trio: "You are my refuge and my part..."

Chorus: "... in the land of the living."

3. Fragment of the orchestral part (c. 58).

Verse 3 (c. 59) Trio: "The righteous will gather around me..."

Chorus: "... when You show me a boon."

4. Fragment of the orchestral part (c. 60).

Verse 4 (c. 61) Trio: "...free my soul from prison."

Chorus: "Blessed be Thy holy name."

5. Fragment of the orchestral part — conclusion (c. 62) ^{[28, 61]}.

The fourth psalm verse ends with the formula of the prayer canon ^{[2, 96]}. The meaning of the prayer "in the first person", presented by Messiaen in the liturgical form of responsory, represents a new form of theatrical liturgy.

The symphonic refrain, which conveys the meaning of the textual paraphrase, reveals the multilayered dramaturgy of the "poem" ^{[28, pp. 54-61]}. The method of paraphrasing the responses associated with the development of the plot of the 8th painting "Death and a New Life" reveals the commonality of the semantic formulas of the Old and New Testaments. The semantic subtext of the symphonic refrain reveals the meaning of the process of mystical contemplation by the dying saint of the mystery of death that takes place during the evening liturgy. Transcendence reveals to Francis of Assisi "the most powerful phenomena of existence — the mysteries of life and death" ^{[24, p. 2]}. The symphonic refrain thus reveals the meaning of "a specific form of religious communication" ^{[16, p. 123]}. The sacred space containing the "absolute truth of being" corresponds to the "sacred time" ^{[16, p. 124]}.

The composition of the responsory combines the principle of speech (pronounced recto tono) and symphonic (timbre-layered) dramatic layers of a musical and poetic whole. As a result of this interaction, the composer created a special type of adaptation of a textual paraphrase to an instrumental-symphonic refrain. The theatrical and liturgical two-dimensional form of the responsory is distinguished by a certain similarity with such forms of organ hymnal antiphons of the XVI – XVII centuries, in which the initial verse of the chant is performed by the choir, and then the solo organist enters. As an unsurpassed virtuoso performer and improviser on the organ, Messiaen, as you know, was a research musician and the creator of a huge number of compositions for the organ, including the organ mass in honor of the feast of Pentecost.

The commenting choir, completing the liturgical scene from the 8th painting, conveys the ecstatic appeal of man to God. Messiaen created a paraphrase in the form of a choral commentary by integrating semantic formulas from the opening verses of Psalm 141 into the author's text. The combined presentation of phrases in the choral part contains an alternation of pauses and expressive exclamations: "I called out, 'Ah!' <...> and my voice: "Ah!"" ^{[2, p. 96]}. According to S. S. Averintseva, "psalmodic ecstasy" distinguishes a person's plea to God for salvation: "... and my voice screams and says: "Ah!" to the Lord! <...> whom I pray!" ^{[28, pp. 76-83],[2, p. 96]}.

The chorus "I called..." from the 8th painting of the Franciscan Scenes is comparable in emotional impact to the episode of the prayer to the Lord for salvation from the prologue of the dramatic oratorio "Jeanne d'Ark at the stake" by A. Honegger, written on the text of the eponymous "musical poem" by P. Claudel: "Save us from the lion's mouth and the paws of the unicorn, / Save us, Eli, Fortis, Iskiros!" ^{[29, 9-10]}. Following Claudel, the composer stressed the initial syllables in words (contrary to the existing norms of the French language). This arrangement of accents is explained by the general logic of the rhythmic and intonational organization of phrases in Claudel's poetic speech. The poet established special principles for the correlation of syllables containing expressive vowels and consonants. Honegger, in turn, was guided by the principles of rhythmic interaction of speech accents of verse, rhythmic and phonetic organization of sound tissue.

Following Claudel and Honegger, the author of the Franciscan Scenes adapted the sound of the verbal text of the poem to the rhythmic and intonational features of musical syntax. "Musical Poem" and dramatic oratorio "Jeanne d'Ark at the Stake", Claudel's mystery "The Good News of Mary" and the theological "poem"by Messiaen" St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan scenes"have a common spiritual meaning. The works of Claudel, Honegger and Messiaen are distinguished not only by the similarity in understanding the ways of adapting the text to the logic of musical composition, but also by the similarity of embodying the idea of synthesizing artistic elements of musical, theatrical, and mystery action.

On the conceptual connectedness of the semantic elements of the "Franciscan scenes"

The conceptual coherence of semantic motifs borrowed by the composer from spiritual texts is the principle of the author's strategy. In Messiaen's "poem", the elements of temple sacredness, light and color, as well as the plastic form of dance, which are in dynamic balance, interact. In the considered type of synthesis of artistic elements, there is a relationship between the author's commentary and the textual paraphrases of the "poem", which preserve compliance with the meaning of the verses of Holy Scripture. The conceptual kind of synthesis of the artistic elements of Messiaen's "poem" is close to Claudel's understanding of the idea of synthesis presented in Claudel's opus magnum — the mystery "The Good News of Mary" (1912-1948). The similarity lies in the authors' elaboration of the principles of theatrical liturgy, as well as in the theological interpretation of the scenes of the sacrament of Christian revelation. Following the tradition of Claudel's dramaturgy, Messiaen included in the "poem" a mystical scene of Christian revelation — a dialogue between man and God.

Messiaen represented the space of the theological meaning of the "Franciscan scenes" by paraphrasing, integrating elements of temple sacredness into the text of the "poem": prayers, spiritual chants (lauds), exclamations "Alleluia!" ("Praise the name of the Lord!"), poetic praises of the works of St. Francis of Assisi and semantic formulas of psalm verses. In the tragic (picture 7) and lyrical-dramatic (picture 8) climaxes of the "Franciscan Scenes", elements of temple sacredness are in the foreground of the dramatic development of the "poem". In scenes 7 and 8 of Act III, Messiaen created a conceptual kind of synthesis of the artistic elements of the theological "poem". The text of the author's commentary located before the beginning of each painting interacts in Messiaen's libretto with textual paraphrases and a strategy for converting visual elements of light and color, as well as with elements of plasticity and poses, facial expressions and gestures of performers. Applying the definition of S. S. Averintsev, the idea of synthesis embodied in Messiaen's libretto, can be described as a "mobile unity" ^{[30, p. 242]}.

The conceptual coherence of the semantic elements of the poem is a distinctive feature of the Franciscan Scenes. Connections "at a distance" unite the form of a theological concept, giving it integrity. The "Poem" has the properties of completeness and completeness of the metaphysical picture of the world and the comprehensive space of spirituality in which St. Francis contemplated the Divine Omnipresence. Messiaen's interpretation of metaphysical reality in the libretto of the Franciscan Scenes is in line with the ideas of Claudel's grandiose theatrical and musical synthesis. In the poetic "Preface to the Satin Slipper" (1930), the Catholic thinker Claudel formulated the idea of a deep connection between all elements of the visible and invisible world: "If there is a connection here, catch it! — says the painter, she jumps like a flea from every point" ^{[31, p. 31]}. Messiaen's theological "poem" is characterized by a conceptual understanding of the connectedness and interaction of music and colorful light elements of the visible world, as well as the language of birds and the mysteries of the invisible world.

Having considered the manifestation of the "colorfully sensual sound of supersensible religious ideas" in the musical world of Messiaen, researcher K. V. Zenkin interpreted the nature of this phenomenon in this way: "The word Messiaen returns music to music and directs it even higher — into those spheres of meaning, against which even music will seem too concrete and "material"" ^{[32, p. 19]}. The libretto is "St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan Scenes" Messiaen discovers the "sign" of the Divine Omnipresence as a manifestation of the spirit in the world. Turning to the conclusions, we note:

1. In the libretto "St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan Scenes" Messiaen presented a theological interpretation of the main aspects of Christianity — grace, the joy of resurrection and the idea of a synthesis of time and eternity.

2. The space of spiritual meaning of the libretto "St. Francis of Assisi. Franciscan Scenes" is formed by the poetic imagination of Messiaen on the basis of a deep understanding and theological interpretation of the canonical texts of Holy Scripture, as well as the teachings of modern theologians and authoritative Christian thinkers.

3. A special feature of the theological concept of the "Franciscan Scenes" is the dramaturgy of light, based on the strategy of transforming the elements of light and color.

4. Messiaen's new understanding of the idea of synthesis as the basis of a musical performance was manifested in the fact that the composer integrated elements of temple sacredness into the artistic text of the libretto and presented new forms of theatrical liturgy in the form of responsories in 2 and 8 paintings.

5. The meaning of the verses of the Holy Scriptures discovered by Messiaen in the "poem" is relevant in the light of the contemporary cultural, historical and spiritual orientation of the composer.