On Claude Vivier’s Zipangu

I just put up an old paper on Claude Vivier’s piece Zipangu. I think I wrote it in Carl Morey’s Music in Canada seminar back at U of T. I’m posting it (it’s in the “Writing” section of the web site) for a couple of reasons. Vivier’s life and career were both cut short in 1983, and he’s not terribly well-know outside of Canada. Which is a shame, because he wrote some really amazing music. This piece in particular, really struck me, and stuck with me. If you don’t know his music, it’s a great place to start. The paper isn’t an exhaustive analysis, but it does shed light on how the piece is put together. When I dug into the piece, I was startled at formalist it actually was. Would love to hear your comments on both the piece and the paper.