"Quartet for the end of time"

Quatuor pour la fin du temps (French pronunciation: ​[kwatɥɔʁ puʁ la fɛ̃ dy tɑ̃]), also known by its English title Quartet for the End of Time, is a piece of chamber music by the French composer Olivier Messiaen. It was premiered in 1941. The piece is scored for clarinet (in B-flat), violin, cello, and piano; a typical performance of the complete work lasts about 50 minutes. Messiaen wrote the piece while a prisoner of war in German captivity, and it was first premiered by his fellow prisoners. It has come to be recognized as one of his most important works.