Claude Vivier

Claude Vivier (French: [klod ‘vivje] VEEV-yay; baptised as Claude Roger; 14 April 1948 – 7 March 1983) was a Canadian composer, pianist, poet and ethnomusicologist of Québécois origin. After studying with Karlheinz Stockhausen in Cologne, Vivier became an innovative member of the “German Feedback” movement, a subset of what is now known as spectral music. He was also among the first composers in either Europe or the Americas to integrate elements of Balinese music and gamelan in his compositions, alongside Lou Harrison, John Cage and fellow Québécois Colin McPhee.Despite working at a slow pace and leaving behind a small oeuvre, Vivier’s musical language is vast and diverse. His place in the spectral movement of Europe allowed for manipulations of the harmonic series, and led to music that incorporated microtones to replicate these frequencies; a compositional technique he would later refer to as the jeux de couleurs. He is also known for incorporating elements of serialism and dodecaphony, musique concrète, extended techniques, surrealism, traditional Québécois folk songs, and more. The themes of Vivier’s pieces are largely seen as autobiographical – often centering around loneliness and ostracization, the search for love and companionship, and the voyaging of foreign lands. He used his personal experiences to advance an avant-garde style, having written multilingual vocal music and devising his so-called langues inventées (invented languages). He is considered to be among the greatest composers in Canada’s history – György Ligeti would revere Vivier as, “the most important and original composer of his generation”.Vivier lived as an openly gay man until his sudden murder in Paris, France at the age of 34. His death became a cause célèbre in both Europe and North America, and he is considered one of the most high-profile victims of homophobic violence in contemporary history. He is seen by many to be a martyr for the historical struggles of the LGBT community.

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