And Imaginaerum (2011)
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A semiotic analysis of Nightwish’s Dark Passion Play (2007) and Imaginaerum (2011) Suzanne Strauss A THESIS SUBMITTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC DEGREE IN THE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES, ODEION SCHOOL OF MUSIC, AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE FREE STATE January 2018 Promoter: Dr M.J. Thom Wium Co-Promoters: Prof M. Viljoen Prof R. Walser Statement of originality I declare that the dissertation hereby submitted for the qualification Doctor of Philosophy in Music at the University of the Free State is my own independent work and that I have not previously submitted the same work for a qualification at/in another University/faculty. 26 January 2018 Signed: Suzanne Strauss Date: i Acknowledgements I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to the following individuals who have made significant contributions to my thesis: Dr Matildie Thom Wium, my promoter, for her time, help, unwavering support, patience and valuable analytical observations; Prof Martina Viljoen, my co-promoter and mentor, for her time, help, unwavering support, patience and valuable guidance, especially concerning the theoretical- philosophical frameworks; Prof Robert Walser, my co-promoter, for his expert advice and time; Mr Tuomas Holopainen and Mr Pip Williams, for their gracious willingness to share their work on Dark Passion Play and Imaginaerum with me; Mr John Smit, for his help with the identification and labelling of various sound-effects; Mr Jako Olivier, for his help with the design of the 3-D soundbox diagrams as well as his saint-like patience, friendship and unceasing support; Mr Johannes Deetlefs, for the careful editing of the 3-D soundbox diagrams as well as his unwavering support and friendship; Mrs Carol Keep, for editing my thesis with great care; Mrs Estie Pretorius, for her willingness and uncanny ability to locate sources that no mortal can find; and My friends and family (here and far away), for their love, time and support. I dedicate this thesis to my loving mother and best friend, Franette Strauss, and my grandmother, Suzanne Pienaar, who has always supported all my endeavours. Words are insufficient to describe how grateful I am to you all! ii Abstract Despite the ever-increasing interest in scholarly research on metal, the sonic investigation of metal songs remains essentially neglected. My study aims to contribute to the musicological investigation of metal. In this regard, my study is an analysis of four of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish’s songs from two of their most recent studio albums, Dark Passion Play (2007) and Imaginaerum (2011). These four songs are “Scaretale” (Imaginaerum); “Turn Loose the Mermaids” (Imaginaerum); “The Poet and the Pendulum” (Dark Passion Play); and “Meadows of Heaven” (Dark Passion Play). I show how Philip Tagg’s commutative analytical model – specifically designed for the analysis of popular music – aids in the contextual reading of the selected Nightwish songs. In addition to Tagg’s model, I employ Allan Moore’s idea of the soundbox in two of the analyses, in order to uncover how in-studio sound effects influence the aesthetics of a song. Tagg’s model encompasses a mode of analysis where musemes or museme stacks and their connotations of the analysis object (AO) is compared to that of other material (interobjective comparison material or IOCM), in order to establish shared paramusical fields of connotation (PMFCs). Tagg’s model relies on a high degree of intertextuality and genre is a deciding factor in selecting IOCMs. I expand both Tagg’s model and Moore’s visual representation of the soundbox. In terms of Tagg’s model, I contextualise each analysis within a broader range of theoretical/philosophical discourses. Intertextuality plays an integral role in my analyses. It is an essential and inherent part of Tagg’s model, but I extend the role of intertextuality in my thesis as it serves an additional role as an overarching theoretical frame of reference. Furthermore, I expand the role of genre à la Umberto Eco, so that genre serves as a “road map” that informs and governs Nightwish’s construction (and communication) of meaning in their songs. In terms of Moore’s soundbox I add a second perspective of the textual space: a view from above. This tilted view gives a better idea of where the emitters and sound effects are placed within the textural space. iii I identify six main themes in the selected songs by means of Tagg’s model, namely: fantasy, horror, violence, escapism, children and childhood, and nature. I show how these six themes are intertextually connoted and how they complement and influence one another to communicate meaning to the receivers (audience). Fantasy is an especially central theme and features in all four of the selected songs. Escapism has links with fantasy, fiction and nostalgia. Childhood and nature are associated with escapism and fantasy, while horror is linked to Gothic horror and fantasy in the songs. Violence has a connection with fantasy and the band communicates violence differently from the violence associated with extreme metal subgenres. Thus, fantasy, escapism, nature and childhood act as “counterbalances” to horror and violence. These themes interact lyrically and sonically to create a unique listening experience for Nightwish fans and other receivers across the globe. The themes are recurring and in this way, the band creates a narrative link between songs. Thus, they actively establish, maintain and explore the band’s self-created Nightwish mythology. The Nightwish ‘world’ creates a space where fans, based anywhere in the world, can share in the experience of the band’s songs, while forming part of a subculture community. My study is an example of a musicological investigation into the sonic features of metal songs. It demonstrates the types of insights that Tagg’s model yields and shows how Tagg’s model sheds light on the way in which intertextuality establishes meaning in popular culture in general, and Nightwish’s selected songs in particular. It also reveals how Allan Moore’s soundbox can be utilised to demonstrate how in-studio sound effects affect the aesthetics of metal songs. Keywords: NIGHTWISH; PHILIP TAGG; ALLAN MOORE; SEMIOTICS; POPULAR MUSIC ANALYSIS; INTERTEXTUALITY; HEAVY METAL CARNIVAL; FANTASY; ESCAPISM; HORROR iv Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background and rationale ................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Metal studies: Origin and trends ................................................................. 1 1.1.2 The “new musicology” ................................................................................ 5 1.1.3 Popular music analysis ............................................................................ 13 1.1.4 Metal and musicology .............................................................................. 16 1.2 Starting point of the research and connections to previous studies ................ 18 1.3 Research problem and objectives ................................................................... 21 1.4 Research design and methodology ................................................................ 23 1.5 Value of the research ...................................................................................... 26 Chapter 2 – Nightwish – A short biography of the band, their idiom and their legacy ...................................................................................................................... 27 2.1 A short biography of Nightwish ....................................................................... 27 2.1.1 The first phase (1996-2005) ..................................................................... 27 2.1.2 The second phase (2007- ) ...................................................................... 30 2.2 Between a rock and a hard place: A definition of power metal and symphonic metal ..................................................................................................................... 32 2.2.1 A definition and succinct history of power metal ....................................... 32 2.2.2 A definition of symphonic metal ................................................................ 35 2.3 Nightwish’s idiom ............................................................................................ 40 v 2.3.1 The songs of Nightwish’s first phase (1996-2005) ................................... 40 2.3.2 The songs of Nightwish’s second phase (2007- ) ..................................... 48 2.4 Nightwish’s contribution to metal and their influence on other bands ............. 52 Chapter 3 – Methodology ...................................................................................... 54 3.1 Popular music analysis and the musical analysis of metal ............................. 54 3.2 An overview of the analytical models selected to aid in the musical analysis of Nightwish’s songs ................................................................................................. 64 3.2.1 Philip Tagg’s method ................................................................................ 66 3.2.2 Allan F. Moore’s soundbox ....................................................................... 76 Chapter 4 – Circus of Death: Musical manifestations of horror and the uncanny in “Scaretale” ........................................................................................................