Paralanguage and the Beatles
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Trinity College, University of Dublin Paralanguage and The Beatles Bláithín Duggan This thesis is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Music School of Creative Arts Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Supervisor: Dr Simon Trezise 2020 Declaration 1 declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this, or any other University, and that the thesis is entirely my own work. I agree to deposit this thesis in the University's open access institutional repository or allow the library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library conditions of use and acknowledgement. __________________________________________________________ Bláithín Duggan Summary Chapter 1 gives the subject and topic of this study: The Beatles and paralanguage. Following a theoretical review of nonverbal communication in relation to existing popular song theories, methods, and practices, The Beatles are evaluated as a research topic. Questions arising from this study are given alongside related methods for analysis. This is a general framework and specific methods are given in the relevant chapters. In Chapter 2 The Beatles’ engagement with cover songs, from across the Atlantic, is highlighted as a major influence on their early vocal style. Examples from the ‘Golden Era’ and early 1950s rock’n’roll artists contextualise certain features of paralanguage. The influence of African-American music comes to the forefront and continues to arise in sociology and historical studies of popular song. Whilst introducing the cover song as a learning tool, it simultaneously gives a study of select artists who influenced The Beatles. The influence of these artists contributes to their use of paralanguage, alongside harmonies, melodies, rhythms, and lyrics. Chapter 3 analyses primary voice qualities in relation to The Beatles’ vocal style. These person-identifying features are shown to contribute to expression in their songs. By approaching the recording as a soundscape, and focusing on arch-shaped intonation, the analysis gives examples from their songs and cover songs. Terminology, derived from architecture, is employed for clarity in subsequent chapters. It is proposed that pitch bends, characteristic of arch-shaped intonation, probably stemmed from a country- western influence. Chapter 4 examines the content of voice, that is vocal qualifiers alongside tone-colour. Building on Barthes’ ‘Grain of the voice’, the physiological process of vocal-fry, falsetto, and head voice are examined alongside a narrative interpretation. The qualifiers are shown to date back to early American song with an Afro-Arabian influence. The types of qualifier are further explored through themes of despair, gender, and mockery. Chapter 5 takes a parallel path and analyses the process of stop time and pause in interaction through vocal alternants. Stop time, a centuries old technique, is shown to communicate beyond pitches and words in song. The types of alternants developed from The Beatles’ emulation of their predecessors, are developed into narrative markers in their own songs. Chapter 6 synthesises the previous three chapters in terms of differentiators. These are the emotional characteristics of speech, which carry psychological states of mind. They not only show the presence and function of paralanguage in The Beatles’ songs and cover songs, they are developed alongside their song-writing. It suggests that the soundscape, arising from paralinguistic primary qualities, qualifiers, and alternants, may be understood through Tensegrity. Chapter 7 gives an interpretation of differentiators, modified by the expressive tropes from Chapters 3-5, and introduces dialect as a differentiator in performance. The Beatles’ mid-late period and solo albums are compared alongside examples from their demos and outtakes. The combination of paralanguage and persona gives rise to multiple interpretations of The Beatles’ songs and their solo output. The final chapter draws together the expressive tropes explored throughout the study in terms of paralanguage as expressive devices. The importance of these tropes, giving rise to personae, are evaluated in the broader study of performance and learning theory. This builds toward several avenues for further research in popular song. Paralanguage and The Beatles Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. i Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ iii 1. Introduction 1.1 Overview .................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Theoretical Review .................................................................................. 7 1.3 The Beatles as Research Topic ............................................................... 11 1.4 Theorising Popular Song ........................................................................ 19 1.5 Methodological Framework ................................................................... 33 2. Context, Cover Songs, and Key Figures in American Popular Song 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 45 2.2 Beginnings ............................................................................................. 47 2.3 The Cover Song ..................................................................................... 59 2.4 The Beatles and the Cover Song ............................................................. 65 2.5 Selected Influences ................................................................................ 73 2.6 The Cover Song and Vocal Performance ............................................... 86 3. Primary Voice Qualities 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 88 3.2 Theoretical Overview ............................................................................. 90 3.3 Methodology .......................................................................................... 95 3.4 Analysis ............................................................................................... 101 3.5 Arch-shaped Intonation and Expression .............................................. 149 4. Voice Qualifiers 4.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 152 4.2 Theoretical Overview .......................................................................... 153 4.3 Methodology ........................................................................................ 162 4.4 Analysis, Part One: Vocal Fry .............................................................. 165 4.5 Analysis, Part Two: Falsetto and Head Voice ...................................... 195 4.6 Qualifiers as Expressive Devices ......................................................... 213 i 5. Vocal Alternants 5.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 215 5.2 Theory .................................................................................................. 216 5.3 Methodology ........................................................................................ 225 5.4 Analysis ............................................................................................... 230 5.5 Stop-time and Pauses as Vocal Alternants ............................................ 257 6. Differentiators .................................................................................................. 261 7. Paralinguistic Personae 7.1 Introduction .......................................................................................... 272 7.2 Theoretical Outline .............................................................................. 276 7.3 Methodology ........................................................................................ 283 7.4 Analysis, Part One: Paralanguage as Sound Terms .............................. 289 7.5 Analysis, Part Two: Dialect and Personae ............................................ 311 7.6 ‘Something in the way [they] sing’....................................................... 337 8. Conclusion 8.1 Overview .............................................................................................. 340 8.2 Future Research ................................................................................... 350 8.3 Final Thoughts ..................................................................................... 353 Bibliography................................................................................................................. 358 Discography ................................................................................................................. 366 Software ....................................................................................................................... 368 Filmography ................................................................................................................. 369 Websites ....................................................................................................................... 369 ii Acknowledgements It is with a humble heart that I acknowledge those who supported the process of this thesis. Firstly, my Supervisor, Dr Simon Trezise. Supervisor