It is an example of an extended American gamelan, featuring a very large array of percussion instruments that include gongs and bells from Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian and Thai origin.
[1] Canadian percussionist David Kent suggested Vivier to write a new work for him to perform, after returning from Indonesia with an assortment of gongs and other metallophones.
[5] The notes given by Vivier in the finished manuscript, with English translation below: Cinq chansons pour percussion signifie littéralement ce que suggère le titre.
Le mot « chanson » est pris dans son sens asiatique: cinq énoncés musicaux composés assez librement autour de quelques notes.Cinq chansons pour percussion literally means just what the title suggests.
The term "chansons" is used in the Asian sense and describes five musical statements based on a few notes each.