Eternal Recurrence: Aspects of Melody in the Orchestral Music of Claude Vivier
Discourses in Music: Volume 2 Number 1 (Fall 2000) The importance of melody in the music of Claude Vivier (1948-1983) has been widely acknowledged by observers
and the composer himself.1 For some, this focus on a simple lyrical melodic line suggests a
backwards glance to the nineteenth century indicating that Vivier disliked contemporary music and felt "more
attuned" to turn of the century romanticism.2 Ligeti, on the other hand, acknowledges
Vivier's "modern" roots but recognizes a significant difference in his approach to melody than minimalists
such as Pärt or Adams:
In fact, Vivier's connection to the avant garde is closer than Ligeti would have us believe. Although many
of his musical works are appealing because of their apparent simplicity of construction, Vivier's
compositional techniques are informed by one of the avant garde's leading figures-Karlheinz Stockhausen.
This paper will explore Vivier's relationship with Stockhausen and their mutual interest in Asian music, as
well as trace Vivier's changing melodic compositional style and aesthetic as evidenced by his orchestral
music. During an extended period of study in Europe, Vivier became a pupil of Karlheinz Stockhausen in Cologne
between 1973 and 1974. The latter had recently completed his large formulaic work Mantra which represents a
significant change in thought from the purely intuitive works such as Aus den Sieben Tagen that precede it.
The period of the early 1970s witnessed Stockhausen's initial interest in melodies and their formulaic
manipulation over large-scale structures that would become one of the fundamental techniques in his magnum
opus-Licht. Upon his appointment at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne in 1971, Mantra became one of the
cornerstone works for analysis. Students were required to analyze the piece and compose their own work by
employing the general formulaic techniques.4 As a student of the German master, Vivier would
have been required to compose in this manner. That Vivier was familiar with Mantra is evident from his
performance notes written for the Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec in 1979. Although he does not
reveal the details of the work's composition, Vivier admits from the very start that he was profoundly
influenced by the music of Stockhausen.5
A few words about the basic construction of Mantra will serve to illustrate the creative
relationship between teacher and student. In Mantra, a single melodic idea, given as
Example 1, serves as
the foundation upon which the piece is built. The mantra provides all of the musical material for the piece
and recurs in various guises throughout the work. Stockhausen presents the melody in four "limbs" separated
by pauses of varying duration. In his sketch, he notes that the relationship between these pauses is
1:2:3:4-a ratio pattern that manifests itself in various ways throughout the piece. In addition to
recurring ratios, each note of the mantra has its own "form" that not only dictates how a particular note
will appear but may be expanded to govern whole repetitions of the mantra. For example, the "form" of the
first note is, on his sketch, regelmässige repetition. The eleventh note, B flat, is the kernel for a
trill. Later in the piece, repetitions of the entire mantra will occur in which all of the notes are
treated according to these general guidelines. All of the notes of the mantra may be repeated or trilled;
thus, the "form" of a part eventually affects the "form" of the whole. As the title suggests, continuous repetition forms the basis of Mantra's construction. Instead of
repeating the melody as it was originally presented, Stockhausen presents it in twelve expansions, each of
which draws its pitches from one of twelve alternative scales. Whereas the original mantra states the
twelve pitches of the chromatic scale, subsequent statements draw their pitches from scales in which the
intervals between pitches is greater than a half step. In the expanded mantra statements, the distance
between notes is stretched so that what was once a half-step becomes, for example, a whole step in one
expansion or a minor third in another. The original relationships between the individual notes of the
mantra remain although the physical distance changes. Stockhausen relates this procedure to a
three-dimensional wire sculpture: although the sculpture may be flattened, the connections between points
remains. Thus, neither variations nor developments of the mantra appear throughout the work rather,
different manifestations of the mantra itself.6
Lettura di Dante for soprano soloist and mixed septet is Vivier's earliest piece to display evidence
of formulaic thinking in the manner of Stockhausen's Mantra. Composed in 1974 immediately after his return
to Canada, Lettura shows the limits of Vivier's engagement with Stockhausen's formulaic compositional
technique. Like Mantra, the melody unfolds over a long period with the limbs of the melody separated by
pauses of varying duration (see Example 2. The piece consists of seven repetitions of the melody, six of which are sung by the soprano with only a few minor changes to the order of limbs. The penultimate
statement of the melody appears in the instrumental texture with the "limbs" superimposed and out of order.
Furthermore, whereas the pitch of each limb remains fixed through the six vocal repetitions, they undergo
operations of transposition and inversion in the instrumental statement. The rigidity of pitch that Lettura displays reveals a fundamental difference between teacher and
student and suggests either a misunderstanding of the mantra principles or an intended over-simplification
of the compositional process. One of the primary aesthetic concerns for Stockhausen in Mantra is the
emphasis on relationships through differing musical material. This is in direct contrast to variation and
development techniques of a single musical idea that characterizes much of the Western art music tradition.
Mantra reveals this aesthetic concern through the different pitch material of its twelve expansions while
being governed by the same ratios, forms, and relationships. Vivier's Lettura di Dante, however, submits to
traditional procedures by presenting simple variations of the original melody. Each limb undergoes its own
variation procedure but the pitches of the melody remain fixed throughout the work. Example 3 shows the manner in which the second limb of the melody is developed through the work. Notice that the pitches remain consistent in each statement. Nowhere in Lettura does the original melody expand or contract, nor do the characteristic transformations of each limb extend to other limbs or statements of the melody. Thus, although surface features of Stockhausen's Mantra techniques are clearly present, Vivier's is a simplified application. In his first orchestral work, Vivier continues to employ some of the superficial features of
Stockhausen's mantra formula. Siddhartha (1976) centres on the constant repetition of a single melody
constructed of several limbs. At the outset, the melody emerges from a single pitch and unfolds gradually
by adding pitches. Unlike Lettura di Dante, Siddhartha's melody expands and contracts much like Mantra.
Despite its increased affinity to Stockhausen's work, Siddhartha continues to evidence Vivier's
simplification of the mantra technique. Whereas Stockhausen draws the pitches of his mantra from a series
of expanding scales, resulting in little or no audible similarity between repetitions, Vivier maintains an
aural connection between repetitions by retaining the melodic shape and some characteristic intervals.
Example 4 shows the melody as it unfolds at the beginning of the piece and Example 5 shows its final
statement at the end of the work. Notice, for example, the similar interval content of limbs (d) and (e).
The final measures of limb "f" are also audibly similar. Thus, while much of the melody undergoes dramatic
expansion, some significant intervals remain unchanged as a means of making the expansion process audible as
well as firmly and audibly establishing melodic continuity throughout the work. In Siddhartha, the confluence of two important musical sources from which Vivier was to draw many of
his later works become apparent. On the one hand is his continued application of mantra-like principles
rooted in the constant repetition of a single melody; on the other is his growing interest in non-Western
music and mysticism. It has been suggested that Vivier's appreciation for non-Western cultures was fostered
by his studies with Gilles Tremblay in Quebec in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Having spent some time in
a Catholic seminary, Vivier also had keen interests in spirituality and mysticism. According to Tannenbaum,
this places him in the role of "spiritual heir" of Tremblay and, by extension, of Messiaen for their shared
interest in spiritual mysteries influenced by both Catholic and Eastern philosophies.7 What
this presumed lineage fails to recognize is the significance of Stockhausen's interests in Eastern cultures
and mysticism that grew throughout the 1960s. Ligeti speculates that it was this shared interest that
fuelled Vivier's desire to study with Stockhausen in 1973.8 The latter had already spent
considerable time in Japan and traveled extensively throughout Asia by the time Vivier took up studies with
him in Cologne.9 Mantra is a direct result of Stockhausen's contact with Eastern musical
cultures particularly in its endless repetition of limited musical material. Although Stockhausen avoids specific pitch material that would overtly reference the east, he admits
that at times the scale expansions of Mantra produce sounds that resemble Balinese modes.10
Likewise, Siddhartha shows evidence of not only mantra-like repetition but also typically "eastern" pitch
collections. Example 6a and Example 6b show two common pentatonic modes derived from the seven note pelog scale of the Balinese gamelan tradition. Example 6c is an example of a limited pitch melody from Siddhartha (see also Example 6d. Although it does not employ a specific Balinese mode, the unique flavour of Balinese music is achieved by
means of characteristic features of pelog scale-types-most noticeably the juxtaposition of relatively wide
and narrow intervals.11 Vivier composed Siddhartha before his trip to Bali. That it should
so clearly refer to non-Western musical sources is evidence of his growing interest in the East. Vivier's use of eastern modes reached a climax following his travels through the Middle East and
Bali in the winter of 1976-1977. Pulau Dewata (1977), the first piece he completed on his return to Canada,
employs pitch collections that mimic, but do not reproduce, Balinese modes (see Example 7a and Example 7b. Vivier's interest in the surface features of non-western music, such as pitch collections, waned following his return
to Canada; however, he discovered more fruitful techniques that he would retain throughout his career. While in Bali, Vivier became interested in the technique of kotekan or interlocking melodies. In
Balinese music, two or more melodies, each consisting of a pattern of rests and attacks, occur
simultaneously to create the effect of constant interlocking attacks. Although this is primarily a rhythmic
device, Vivier was interested in its melodic applications. In the second of his two letters written in Bali
for the publication Musicanada, Vivier writes:
He contrasts this natural process with contemporary serial techniques that, in the formulation of relations
between voices, desperately seek to extract horizontal and vertical implications not found from the
beginning. He concludes that if the composer were able to compose a melody that, from the beginning,
contains complementary melodies the compositional work may take place simultaneously on several planes.
While an accompanying melody may create a kotekan, it may also be a development of the melody itself.
Complementary melodies may not be merely interlocking, but may be embedded within the original melody and
thus be a form of simultaneous development.
The simultaneous expansion and contraction of parts of the whole is a technique also employed in
Stockhausen's Mantra. That Vivier came to understand this principle only after visiting the Orient and not
through his years under Stockhausen's tutelage is interesting to note. Some of the most transparent applications of Vivier's new melodic thought can be found in Pulau
Dewata. One of the simplest means of extracting a complementary melody is through canonic techniques.
Example 8 shows Vivier's use of canon to give the sense that two melodies interlock and Example 9a and Example 9b shows how portions of a melody may be re-ordered to create a complementary melody. These techniques, however, appear in a superficial manner in Pulau Dewata and lack the development that Vivier espouses in his letter. Further development of these melodic ideas takes shape in his 1979 orchestral work Orion that
reveals a synthesis of the melodic techniques he learned from Stockhausen and the insights gleaned from his
Balinese experiences. The melody in Orion, like Mantra and Lettura di Dante, is divided into limbs
separated by pauses of varying length. Within each limb there is some repetition though for the most part
the initial statement of the melody is its simplest. Example 10 shows the initial presentation of the melody. Vivier notes that the piece consists of six sections: "statement of the melody," "first development of the melody about itself," "second development of the melody about itself," "meditation on the melody,"
"memories of the melody," and "the melody on two intervals." In each of these sections, Vivier transforms
the melody in various ways much like Stockhausen's Mantra. In the second section ("first development of the
melody about itself"), the transformational character is increasing repetition of pitches. Example 11 shows how each of the notes of the first limb of the melody is repeated twice then three times. Further in
the section, the pitches recur up to eight times in immediate succession. While repetition and reliance on the simple ratio of 1:2:3 clearly point to Stockhausen's influence,
Vivier's construction of complementary melodies reveals a practical application of his post-Bali thoughts.
One of the simplest methods is through canonic procedures, already evident in Pulau Dewata. Example 12 shows the use of canon at the beginning of the second section of Orion. Vivier uses a second melodic device at this same point in the piece. While the first violins play the original pitches of the melody, the
violas state the pitches arrived at through the operation T3 and the contrabass's pitches are the result of
operation T7I (see Example 13). Thus, complementary melodies may be derived from the original through operations of transposition and inversion. The pitches of the second violin bear a similar relationship to
the original melody as the expansions and contractions of Stockhausen's Mantra. Moreover, this simultaneous
contraction of the melody realizes one of Vivier's melodic insights that resulted from his trip to Bali:
complementary melodies, if derived from the original, could represent simultaneous development of that
melody thereby permitting compositional activity to occur on more than one plane. In his letter from Bali, Vivier suggests that composing a melody whose properties allow it to
provide its own complementary melodies allows the composer to simultaneously develop individual sections of
a melody. This is a significant technique in Orion. At rehearsal 5 (Example 14a and Example 14b) the trumpet states limb (c) with long pauses between sections. Accompanying this are limb (d) with wider intervals in the violins,
limb (b) in long note values, and modified versions of the latter half of limb (c) in the winds. In this
latter material, we can see elements of Stockhausen's Mantra expansions, as the intervals between pitches of
this limb are greater than the original. Intervallic expansion and contraction of the melody occurs
throughout the work though perhaps most apparently in the final section: "the melody on two intervals."
Where the original melody opens with a whole tone and a tritone, its accompanying melody opens with a
semi-tone and tritone. New material is interpolated in places where the original melody repeats a single
pitch. This technique appears again in Zipangu for string orchestra, completed one year later in 1980.
Again, the melody unfolds over a long period of time and seems to emerge from a single note. Durational
relationships follow Stockhausen's model at the very outset of the piece where the first pitch repeats
itself in decreasing note values. Immediately following the first statement of the melody, it is veiled by
various performance techniques such as heaving bowing, as well as simultaneous statements of altered
versions of itself. Example 15 shows Vivier's application of simultaneous expansion and contraction in the second statement of the melody in Zipangu. While the first violin states the opening three pitches (G#, A#, B), the second violin states the melody under operation T8 while the third violin presents a slightly
intervallically expanded version. The fourth violin is a further expanded version of the orginal trichord
while the sixth violin compresses the trichord to two semi-tones. The similarities among his works would suggest that some conclusions may be drawn with respect to
Vivier's melodic aesthetic. While only the orchestral works from his later years have been explored here,
many of the same fundamental principles are present in his vocal woks Prologue pour un Marco Polo and Lonely
Child. Vivier points out one of the most salient features of his compositions:
The non-teleological and non-dialectical nature of Vivier's music is at once evident. Rather than a
goal-oriented development of melody, Vivier merely presents the melody in different guises. Sometimes it is
hidden in a thick texture or unusual timbral environment and at other times, it appears longer, larger, or
disproportional. Furthermore, the melody stands alone with no contrasting material. His music therefore
avoids the melodic contrast and conflict that characterizes so much of Western art music. If Vivier's
melodic single-mindedness seems to stand outside the dialectic Western tradition, its affinity to eastern
aesthetics is unmistakable. As we have seen in Siddhartha, Orion, and Zipangu, Vivier's melodies tend to
unfold gradually over a span of time often emerging out of a single pitch. The initial melodic statement
provides most, if not all of the musical material for the piece in a germinal state thus the composition as
a whole would seem to extend naturally from this original melody. The similarity with Indian raga
procedures is obvious.15 To suggest, however, that Vivier's melodic aesthetic is a direct
result of his contact with eastern traditions would be a gross oversimplification. Many of the compositional techniques Vivier identifies and employs, although recognized through
Balinese music, share significant commonalities with the Western music with which he was already deeply
engaged. His reliance on a single melody may be traced to Stockhausen but also to his Catholic heritage and
fascination with plainchant.16 His manipulation of melodies to produce fruitful complementary
melodies is again attributed to his Balinese sojourn but seems rather to confirm Stockhausen's techniques of
simultaneous development and use of simple melodic material as the basis for illuminating relationships.
Thus, although the significance of Balinese music on Vivier's compositional techniques cannot be overlooked,
it seems Indonesian music served less as a wholly new inspiration and more as a catalyst for developing
techniques with which he was already engaged.17
Vivier's non-dialectic repetition of melodies, although exhibiting affinities to Stockhausen's
techniques, displays one of the fundamental differences between the two, perhaps affected by his gamelan
studies. The changes Vivier makes to his melodies are simple and the relationship between modified versions
and the original is always audible. Unlike Stockhausen, whose expansion of the mantra are esoteric and
indiscernible, Vivier simplifies the basic technique resulting in the immediate audibility of the
compositional process. If Mantra attempts to mimic the ritual from which it borrows its title, the
composer's extreme intellectualization of the compositional process prevents it from attaining its goal.
The ritualistic purpose of repeating the mantra disappears as the mantra itself becomes increasingly
disguised and eventually imperceptible. Thus, Stockhausen's piece would seem to be at odds with the
spiritual and mystic concerns that prompted its composition. In Vivier, however, the element of ritual is
stronger, due largely to his willingness to simplify and make audible his compositional procedures. About Orion, Vivier writes: "eternal recurrence, like History with a capital `H' always impatiently
awaiting the return of its hallowed redeemers and of its dictators." Eternal recurrence is certainly the
primary melodic feature of Vivier's orchestral compositions. Its apparent simplicity, however, disguises
its significant achievement in reconciling the techniques of one of the avant garde's most intellectual
composers with what Vivier recognized as natural in the music of the east. 1. See, for example, György Ligeti, "Sur la Musique de Claude Vivier" Circuit 2 (1991): 12,
Claude Vivier "Trois Lettres de Bali" Circuit 2 (1991): 77, Peter Tannenbaum "The Brief and
Turbulent Life of Claude Vivier." Music Magazine 9 (May-June 1986): 13, Claude Vivier Et je
reverrai cette ville étrange. Saint-Nicolas (Québec): Les Éditions Doberman-Yppan, 1994. 2. Tannenbaum, 13. 3. Ligeti, 12. 4. Michael Kurz, Stockhausen: A Biography, trans. Richard Toop (London: Faber and Faber,
1992), 194. 5. Claude Vivier, "Mantra de Stockhausen" Circuit 2 (1991):93-95. 6. Cott, 232. 7. Tannenbaum, 14. 8. Ligeti, 10. 9. In 1969 Stockhausen visited the Middle East and in 1970 Bali and Ceylon as well as an extended
stay in Japan for the Osaka World Fair. 10. Cott, 233. 11. This characteristic of Balinese modes is identified by Michael Tenzer, Balinese Music
(Berkeley and Singapore: Periplus Editions, 1991), 31. 12. Claude Vivier, "Trois Lettres de Bali" Circuit 2 (1991): 77. 13. Ibid., 78-79. 14. Claude Vivier quoted in "Hommage à Claude Vivier 1948-1983" Almeida International Festival of
Contemporary Music and Performance. June 8-July 8, 1985, Islington, London. 15. Ligeti sees Indian music as one of the most significant influences on Vivier's melodic
development. See Ligeti, 11-12. 16. Ligeti, 9. 17. A similar relationship between Balinese music and Western composers has been pointed out by
Mervyn Cooke who notes that for both Britten and Debussy, the gamelan served to confirm musical notions
rather than introduce entirely new ones. See Mervyn Cooke, "'The East in the West': Evocations of the
Gamelan in Western Music," The Exotic in Western Music ed. Jonathan Bellman (Boston: Northeastern
University Press, 1998), 280.Eternal Recurrence: Aspects of Melody in the Orchestral Music of Claude Vivier
By Janette Tilley
Vivier est un compositeur moderne qui n'est ni néo, ni rétro (malgré les quelques
éléments wagnériens et scriabiniens), mais en même temps totalement en dehors de
l'avant-garde.3
Depuis longtemps je m'intéressais au kotekan mais pas encore [sic] je n'y avais vu d'application
pratique; mais en voyant ces enfants je me suis rappelé ma propre enfance au collège chantant des messes de
minuit, étant transporté par une musique finalement simple, et même aujourd'hui en tant que compositeur je
me souviens toujours de ces moments merveilleux. En fait ma propre formation, mon enfance, m'avait formé
surtout sur la mélodie et l'harmonie, et aujourd'hui ma musique est construite sur la mélodie et l'harmonie!
J'avais appris ce jour-là une grande leçon: moi, le mélodiste découvrais que tout comme une mélodie peut
contenir une harmonie qui est inhérente, elle peut aussi contenir des mélodies complémentaires-ces mélodies
complémentaires étant directement reliées à la mélodie principale par des liens tout aussi inhérents et
"naturels."12
À partir de ce moment, chacune des voix peut prendre son envol, digresser, revenir, se
développer indépendamment, vivre des expériences extraordinaires comme Alice au pays des merveilles et
toujours nous aurons cet ensemble dont la tête peut prendre des proportions exagérées et les pieds devenir
presque inexistants mais toujours nous aurons la vie. Ceci est l'une des conclusions de mes recherches à
Bali.13
My music is a paradox. Usually in music, you have some development, some direction, or some
aim. . .which in my music happens less and less. I just have statements, musical statements, which somehow
lead nowhere. Also on the other hand, they lead somewhere but it's on a much more subtle
basis.14
Notes
