Code to joy

Many composers have embedded coded messages in their music – and some still remain a mystery

- Claire Jackson

The solo cello carves out a slow-moving phrase. It's not a melody as such, but it becomes a refrain, passed on to the accompanying six cellos. The listener becomes Hercule Poirot, picking out clues hidden within the score. Boulez's Messagesquisse (Message-Sketch) is exactly as the title suggests: a series of musical ciphers and codes, laid out for investigation. Was it Mrs Peacock in the drawing room with the candlestick and crotchets, or Colonel Mustard with the dagger and diminuendo? The recurring motif comprises a row of notes (E flat-A-CB-ED) that appears preserved, yet altered, throughout four short movements. A Da Vinci Code translation reveals that the notes spell out 'eS-A-CH-E-Re' (Es is E flat in German; H is B in German; Re is D in French). This is what became known as the 'Sacher hexachord', the six-note invocation of philanthropist Paul Sacher's surname. The number six is also reflected in the use of a sextet. And as Columbo might innocently enquire: just one more thing, remind me why Boulez did this?

The 1976 work is one of 12 pieces commissioned by cellist Mstislav Rostropovich (12 Hommages à Paul Sacher) to celebrate Sacher's 70th birthday. While the use of rows was daily bread to a serialist like Boulez, some of the other composers dug in the cipher deeper still. Britten, who was a good friend of Rostropovich and had become close to Sacher as the two had supported their Russian colleague in the wake of political persecution, contributed Tema 'Sacher'. The compact piece is just one minute in duration, blending urgent repeated notes with a plunging finale. Similarly, in Sacher Variation Lutosławski repeats sections and uses a triplet figure to add interest. The collection was published together under the title Dank an Paul Sacher (Thanks to Paul Sacher), in recognition of the titular individual's support of contemporary music.