Abstracts
Abstract
Claude Vivier’s Chants is considered by many to be his first significant musical composition, yet very little exploration has been undertaken to determine what techniques and ideas flow from this work into his mature musical style. This article provides an in-depth analysis of Chants’ pitch organization and the influence of the principal melody on the work as a whole, followed by an analysis of the manipulation of musical layers and the use of processes as signals for formal change in the work. These qualities bear strong similarities to Vivier’s later works, demonstrating that Chants was pivotal in his development as a composer.
Résumé
L’oeuvre de Claude Vivier intitulée Chants est considérée par beaucoup comme étant sa première oeuvre importante. Toutefois, très peu d’études ont tenté de déterminer quelles techniques et quelles idées se sont transmises de cette oeuvre à ses compositions plus tardives. Cet article présente une analyse approfondie de Chants du point de vue de l’organisation des hauteurs et de l’importance de la mélodie principale dans toute la composition. Cette analyse est suivie d’un examen de la manipulation des différentes couches musicales ainsi que de l’utilisation de certains procédés musicaux pour annoncer les changements formels de l’oeuvre. L’auteur avance que ces caractéristiques se retrouvent de façon importante dans les oeuvres ultérieures de Vivier, ce qui montre que Chants a bien été une oeuvre cruciale dans le développement du compositeur.
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Appendices
Biographical note
Brian Harman is a composer, teacher, and scholar. He received his Doctor of Music in Composition from McGill University in 2012. His research focuses on elements of ritual in music, intersections of music and architecture, and the analysis of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Canadian music, especially the music of Ana Sokolovic and Claude Vivier. His compositions are frequently inspired by extra-musical ideas such as architecture, dance, speech, language, and concepts of ritual, and have been performed by such ensembles as Vienna’s Wiener Jeunesse Kammerchor, the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. Since 2014, he has served as president of the Canadian League of Composers.
Bibliography
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- Rhéaume, Martine. 2009. “Stylistic Transitions in Vivier’s Emergent Musical Style.” British Postgraduate Musicology 10, http://britishpostgraduatemusicology.org/bpm10/rheaume_martine-stylistic_transitions_in_viviers_emergent_musical_style.pdf.
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- Vivier, Claude. 1976. Siddhartha. New York: Boosey & Hawkes.
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- Vivier, Claude, and Véronique Robert. 1991. “Les écrits de Claude Vivier.” Circuit 2 (1): 39–136.