Concept
Trois Petites Liturgies de la Présence Divine (proper capitalisation Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine; English: Three Small Liturgies of the Divine Presence) is a cantata by Olivier Messiaen for women's voices, piano solo, onde Martenot, percussion battery, and small string orchestra, in three movements. Its libretto was written by Messiaen himself, who composed the work from 1943 to 1944. In spite of its sacred texts, it is not a liturgical work and is primarily designed for concert purposes; though the composer stated that at least individual movements of it could be played during a Catholic service. The work was revised twice; in 1952 and 1990. It was published by Éditions Durand. The Trois petites liturgies were commissioned by Denise Tual, daughter of Henri Piazza, for the Concerts de la Pléiade in Paris and composed during World War II, between 15 November 1943, and 15 March 1944. Messiaen originally conceived the piece as a work for two pianos, as he had achieved success in that format previously with Visions de l'Amen. The sung words evoke the presence of God in himself and in all things, as indicated by the title. According to Messiaen, each movement describes a different facet of God's presence: The principal idea is that of the divine presence, with each section dedicated to a different kind of presence. The first section, 'Antienne de la conversation intérieure' ('Antiphon of the Interior Conversation') is dedicated to the God who is present within us; the second section, 'Sequence du verbe, cantique divin' ('Sequence of the Word, Divine Song') is dedicated to the God who is present in Himself; and the third section, 'Psalmodie de l’ubiquité par amour' (Psalmody of the Ubiquity of Love) is inscribed to the God who is present in all things. These inexpressible ideas are not expressed but remain of the order of a dazzling display of color. The work was premiered during the Concerts de la Pléiade at the Ancien Conservatoire on April 21, 1945, by Ginette Martenot (ondes Martenot), Yvonne Loriod (piano), the Yvonne Gouverné Chorale, and the Orchestra of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, under the direction of Roger Désormière.
