Quatuor pour la fin du temps is a piece of chamber music by the French composer Olivier Messiaen. In English -speaking countries it is often called by the English title Quartet for the End of Time. The piece is written for an unusual combination of four instruments: clarinet (in B-flat), violin, cello, and piano. There are 8 movements. It takes about 50 minutes to perform. The work was first performed in unusual circumstances in 1941. It is a very important work in the history of 20th century classical music.