''Zipangu'' is a 1980 work for string orchestra by Canadian composer

Claude Vivier Claude Vivier ( ; baptised as Claude Roger; 14 April 19487 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 ...

. Inspired by traditional ''

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

'' theatre, it is considered by many to be the composer's most aggressive and "unforgiving" piece, as it features a plethora of

extended technique In music, extended technique is unconventional, unorthodox, or non-traditional methods of singing or of playing musical instruments employed to obtain unusual sounds or timbres.Burtner, Matthew (2005).Making Noise: Extended Techniques after Exper ...

s for strings (i.e. snap pizzicato and bow overpressure) and denser harmonic content atop a complex melody, similar to the string compositions of

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best-known works include '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', '' ...

.Bridle, Marc (2022)
"Zipangu and Lonely Child: Two Claude Vivier masterpieces in magnificent performances by the London Sinfonietta"
''Opera Today''. Retrieved 6 July 2022. A typical performance lasts around sixteen minutes.

History

Vivier visitied ''kabuki'' theatres in the

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

area during a 1976 voyage to Japan, and was struck by the ritual-like nature of both the music and physical performance. ''Zipangu'' was later written in 1980 as a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

-infused work for string orchestra, with elements of South Indian

Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

(dronal imitation of the

tanbur The term ''Tanbur'' can refer to various long-necked string instruments originating in Mesopotamia, Southern or Central Asia. According to the ''New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowa ...

, rhythmic '' tala'', further ''

raga A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. It is central to classical Indian music. Each raga consists of an array of melodic structures with musical motifs; and, fro ...

'' manipulation and ''

chalanata Chalanata (pronounced chalanāta) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 36th ''Melakarta'' rāgam in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is one of the few rāgams referred by ...

'', etc.)Bratby, Richard (2022
"Claude Vivier ought to be a modern classic. Why isn't he?"
''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

''. Retrieved 6 July 2022. — the name of the piece is taken from a former and antiquated

exonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

for Japan, roughly translated to mean "the land of sunrise". The piece was completed in Vivier's

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

apartment on 13 August 1980, and premiered on 4 April 1981, as part of the "New Music Concerts" program at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. The conductor, Robert Aitken, was a friend of Vivier's and had his endorsement to conduct the premiere.

Composition

Analysis

The piece begins with a ''senza vib.''

drone Drone or The Drones may refer to: Science and technology Vehicle * Drone, a type of uncrewed vehicle, a class of robot ** Unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial drone *** Unmanned combat aerial vehicle ** Unmanned ground vehicle or ground drone ** Unma ...

on the note E in the bass, cellos, violas, and seventh violin. The harmonics and timbral content of the drone gradually changes as Vivier calls for bow positions and pressure to slowly and repetitively move in a cycle. The composition's metre is entirely built around divisions of the quarter note; it has several measures in time, as well as , , , , and so on.Claude Vivier - Zipangu
on ''Boosey and Hawkes''. Retrieved 27 July 2022.

Program notes

The notes given by Vivier in the finished manuscript, with English translation:

« Zipangu » était le nom donné au Japon à l'époque de Marco Polo. Autour d'une mélodie, j'explore dans cette oeuvre différents aspects de la « couleur ». J'ai tenté de « brouiller » mes structures harmoniques par l'emploi de différentes techniques d’archet. Ainsi s'opposent un bruit coloré obtenu par pression exagérée de l'archet sur les cordes et les harmoniques pures losqu'on revient à la technique normale. Une mélodie devient couleur (accords), s'allège et revient peu à peu comme purifiée et solitaire.

"Zipangu" was the name given to Japan at the time of
Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...
. Within the frame of a single melody I explore in this work different aspects of colour. I tried to "blur" my harmonic structure through different bowing techniques. A colourful sound is obtained by applying exaggerated bow pressure on the strings as opposed to pure harmonics when returning to normal technique. A melody becomes a colour (chords), grows lighter and slowly returns as though purified and solitary.

These program notes are the first recorded example of Vivier's later fascination with Marco Polo. Before his death, he had begun working on an ''opéra fleuve'' (lit. "river opera") portraying the explorers life, entitled ''Rêves d'un Marco Polo'' — only the prelude has survived, and it remains one of his most performed compositions.

Instrumentation

The work is written for a miniaturized string orchestra, with thirteen performers. ;

Strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

Violins The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino pic ...

Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

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Cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

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Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

References

Citations

Sources

* * * *

External links

* {{portal bar, Classical music, Music, Japan 1980 compositions Compositions by Claude Vivier Compositions for string orchestra Compositions that use extended techniques Modernist compositions