twelve-tone technique. Vivier differed from his teacher and contemporaries like Pierre Boulez, however, by continuing to use melody as the driving force of his compositions. He had also begun composing experimental electroacoustic music inspired by his first semester in Utrecht, all of which for tape. The first piece he wrote while under Stockhausen's tutelage was Chants (1973) for seven female voices, which he would describe as, "the first moment of my existence as a composer". Vivier became familiar with a precedent to the type of approach he would adopt in future compositions – the use of ring modulation. Stockhausen's Mantra (1970) for two pianos and electronics relates most strongly to Vivier's musical occupations. Style shift Between 1972 and 1973, Vivier dramatically shifted his musical language. He had come to reject twelve-tone music as "too restrictive" and began furthering his own unique style. He explored the possibilities of monody and homophony in his vocal works, and more confidently applied his and multilingual texts. His works for larger ensembles like orchestras began to show the timbral influence of Arnold Schoenberg in his application of klangfarbenmelodie, and the lushly post-romantic expressivity of Gustav Mahler. Vivier once stated that Mahler was perhaps the musician who he had most in common with; Chopin and Mozart were two others he would relate himself to in terms of musical application. Return to Canada In 1974, Vivier returned to Montreal to begin establishing a career as a freelance composer in his home country after years of little to no recognition. He took a job as an organ teacher for a local school, Galipeau Musique, to pay for the rent of his new inner-city apartment, but would continue to struggle financially as he readjusted to life in Quebec. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) commissioned an orchestral piece from Vivier the same year, to be played by the National Youth Orchestra of Canada under Marius Constant. The resulting piece, Siddhartha (1976), was completed nearly two years later after many revisions. It was his most ambitious project up to that point, and as noted by György Ligeti, was his first foray into Asian music, specifically the raga. The Youth Orchestra contacted Vivier soon after receiving the score, saying the work was far too complex and technically difficult to be performed – it would remain unperformed until several years after his death. He took up other professorial and pedagogical jobs during this