by John William McMullen
The Miracle of Stalag 8A is the fascinating story of Olivier Messiaen's composition of his Quartet for the End of Time in Stalag 8A in Gorlitz, Germany, during the Second World War. Four French prisoners of war collaborate to create musical history in the most unlikely of places: a German Prison camp. The enigmatic Messiaen, an avant-garde composer-pianist and also a devout Catholic, along with Etienne Pasquier, an agnostic cellist, Henri Akoka, a Jewish Trotskyite Clarinetist, and Jean le Boulaire, an atheistic violinist, become the famous quartet of Stalag 8A. The first performance of the Quartet for the End of Time at Stalag 8A in January 1941 has become, in the words of Paul Griffiths, "one of the great stories of twentieth-century music". - From the Publisher
Advance Praise for THE MIRACLE OF STALAG 8A
"Captivating....A riveting story!" Alfred Savia, Music Director and Conductor of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra.
"We find Messiaen stripped of his natty-appearance not only as he dons his uniform which hangs on his thin frame, but also as he suffers through his trial as a POW and is reduced to rags, glasses so scratched that he barely see through them, and to a decimation of his health that would ruin most men. Yet, this almost saintly Messiaen finds joy as he embraces his suffering because it draws him closer to the suffering Christ.
"Most critics will wax rhapsodic as they praise McMullen for building his novel to the crescendo of January 15, 1941, the premier of the “Quartet,” and miraculously, that performance released both captives and captors, if only for a short time, from the brutality of their situation and moved them all to silence.
"But I am not a musician, but what I am is a lover of good writing, good story-telling, and good endings (not necessarily happy endings) that flow from the story that has been told. I believe that McMullen, consciously or not, has depicted a second miracle at Stalag VIIIA.
"The musical world interprets the miracle of Stalag 8A as the perfect performance of the "Quartet for the End of Time" in inhuman conditions by musicians suffering from cold and slow starvation. However, the miracle that McMullen also subtly chronicles is the coming together as one the four musicians: Messiaen, the faithful-Catholic and mystic composer; Pasquier, the fallen-away Catholic agnostic cellist; le Boulaire, the atheist violinist; and the irrepressible Akoka, warrior Trotskyite Jew and master of the clarinet." – Phillip E. Pierpont, Ph.D., Professor of English and former Academic Dean, Vincennes University, Vincennes, Indiana
"From the darkness of a 1940's German prison camp, McMullen’s narrative brings forth the illumination of optimism that only music and the arts can produce. The tragedy of war and the realism of life in Stalag 8A, coupled with the tale of such an innovative composer, reveals hopefulness in the midst of one of the most wretched periods in human history." - Stephen Rode, German and History Scholar, Evansville, Indiana
“World War II engulfed so many and so much in its darkness, and yet its upheaval also called some to create a revelation of faith and hope. John McMullen tells one of those stories—the story of the Quartet for the End of Time composed by Olivier Messiaen in a prisoner of war camp: Stalag 8A.
“The quartet’s title, “the End of Time,” refers both to unfolding tragedy of the war and also to the eternity beyond time where Christ stands as the beginning and end of all. Just as Messiaen’s music captures both this desolation and praise, so McMullen recreates with simple directness the human situation of Messiaen and his fellow prisoners and their triumphal first performance. His retelling invites us to a larger sense of humanity and of God so that we might embrace this master work of twentieth century music which transcends time.” - Rev. Harry Hagan O.S.B., Associate Professor of Scripture, Liturgy, Psalmody and Chant, Saint Meinrad Seminary, and author of the hymn anthology, AWAKE, MY SOUL: HYMNS FOR DAYS AND SEASONS (Oregon Catholic Press, 2002).
"McMullen is a master par excellence when it comes to historical fiction. His latest is worthy of the Shakespearean phrase, “if music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it.”
"This well-researched and impeccably recounted story of the composing of Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” in a German camp for prisoners of war during World War II is a deeply moving piece reminiscent of the dissonant sounds of the quartet itself, which breaks with temporality in order to touch the endless moment of timelessness. Mingled with undying faith in a time of horrors that induced disbelief in many, the music gives us a hope, in the words of the novel, for a “virginal peace pregnant with possibility.” – Steven C. Scheer, Ph.D., author of The Heart Ages, But It Doesn’t Grow Old and Dancing with the Daffodils
"In The Miracle of Stalag 8A, John William McMullen captures us with this story of the triumph of hope and compassion over despair and the evils perpetrated by Hitler’s Third Reich. McMullen’s research is exceptional and his presentation splendid. Never do we feel we are reading an antiseptic documentary, but a living, breathing story—a story that happens to be true. This is likely one of McMullen’s best works.” ― Mike Whicker, author, Invitation to Valhalla and Blood of the Reich
"A truly inspiring story of hope and faith, demonstrating the power of music to transcend obstacles and circumstances no matter how brutal." - Glenn Roberts, Executive Director Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra
“The Miracle of Stalag VIIIA seeks to fill-in the gaps between the known facts of Messiaen’s time in the army and as a prisoner-of-war. Moreover, it points to the way in which the composer’s music encapsulated yet transcended its circumstances to speak to people of diverse beliefs, and none.” – Dr. Christopher Dingle, Olivier Messiaen scholar, Assistant Course Director at Birmingham Conservatoire, and author of The Life of Messiaen (Cambridge University Press, 2007).
“Well-researched, the understated narration and dialogue in this novel allow the characters to reveal their true selves in extraordinary circumstances. I recommend this book for history buffs, musicians, music lovers and anyone unfamiliar with world war.” Barbara Sonnenberg, Saint Anthony Messenger book reviewer and retired Cincinnati public librarian.
McMullen’s work is important, not only for contribution to music history, but also in his depiction of the war, Messiaen’s life in the face of adversity, and the relationship between the members of the quartet. The four men who comprise the quartet represent the philosophical, political, and theological complexity of the twentieth century.
The enigmatic Messiaen, an avant-garde composer and also a devout Catholic, along with Etienne Pasquier, an agnostic cellist, Henri Akoka, a Jewish Trotskyite Clarinetist, and Jean le Boulaire, an atheistic violinist, become the famous quartet of Stalag 8A. These four very different men collaborated to create musical history in the most unlikely of places.
Messiaen’s Quartet, composed in a Stalag, transforms man’s inhumanity to man with hope. Yet to the avant-garde, he was too traditional and too religious; to the traditionalists and religious, he was too avant-garde. As a result he will always stand somewhere outside of Time. The first performance of the Quartet for the End of Time at Stalag 8A in January 1941 has become one of the great stories of twentieth-century music. - From the Publisher
“On 15 January 1941, in a German prison camp in Silesia, music triumphed over Time, breaking free of rhythm and liberating a quartet of French prisoners and their listeners from the horrors of their time. The Quartet for the End of Time has earned its place in the canon and history of Western music, but, more important, it has earned its place in our hearts. Its musical beauty, at once terrifying and sublime, exalts listeners and performers alike, and the story of its creators stands as a testament to the powers of music and human will to transcend the most terrible of times.” – Rebecca Rischin, Associate Professor, Ohio University School of Music, and author of FOR THE END OF TIME: THE STORY OF THE MESSIAEN QUARTET (Cornell University Press, 2003; 2006).
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