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Jeff Wragg Phd Thesis http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/ Research Commons at the University of Waikato Copyright Statement: The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). The thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person. Authors control the copyright of their thesis. You will recognise the author’s right to be identified as the author of the thesis, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate. You will obtain the author’s permission before publishing any material from the thesis. The High Art of Trip Hop: Extending the Bristol Sound by Incorporating Compositional Approaches from Classical Music A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music at The University of Waikato by Jeffrey Wragg 2018 ii Abstract ‘The High Art of Trip Hop’ defines the Bristol sound and extends it through new composition techniques. The two-part thesis combines musicological and practice-led research. Part one analyses the Bristol sound, a style of popular music that developed in Bristol, England during the 1990s and is also known as ‘trip hop’. It offers an historical overview of the style’s evolution, and identifies the principal composition, performance, and production traits. Part two is a portfolio of seven original songs that demonstrate ways of extending the style by incorporating compositional approaches from classical music. The thesis is divided into six chapters. Chapter one discusses the impetus behind the research and the historical factors that influenced the development of the Bristol sound. It concludes by framing the research goals of the thesis and articulating how the two areas of research are connected. Chapter two discusses the relevant literature that informed the thesis and is divided into five sections. Section one discusses previous examples of popular music that incorporated elements of classical music. Section two addresses previous writings on trip hop, noting the ambiguity of the terms ‘trip hop’ and ‘Bristol sound’, and discusses the problems that arise when these terms are used interchangeably. It also notes the lack of musicological analysis in current writings. After discussing current theories of style and genre in section three, the fourth section clarifies the ambiguity of the terms ‘trip hop’ and ‘Bristol sound’ by positioning the Bristol sound as a style that relates to the trip hop genre. The final section discusses current theories of intertextuality in recorded popular music, and notes these are insufficient in detailing all of the intertextual references commonly found in the Bristol sound. The chapter concludes by offering an expanded model for addressing intertextuality in recorded music. Chapter three outlines the methodologies used in the thesis, beginning with the analytical methods used to elucidate the Bristol sound style. It then discusses practice-led research and offers a brief overview of the various compositional approaches that were drawn from classical music as a means of extending the Bristol sound style, before discussing how audience feedback was used to consider the merits of each approach. Chapter four provides detailed iii musicological analysis of a select corpus drawn from the Bristol sound style, explicating the main recurring composition, performance, and production patterns. Chapter five presents the original compositions. Each composition is accompanied by a written analysis specifying how the work draws from both the Bristol sound and classical traditions, as well as a discussion of audience reactions to the work. The accompanying CDs contain recorded versions of each of the works, as well as fully notated scores. Chapter six offers some conclusions about the musical character of the Bristol sound, as well as ways in which the style can be extended. The chapter also explores the nature of the relationship between the Bristol sound and classical music within the creative works, before raising potential areas for further research. This thesis contributes to popular music literature in four ways. First, it provides comprehensive musical analysis of the Bristol sound. This research supplements current historical, cultural, and sociological writings to provide a holistic overview of the Bristol sound style. Second, it explicates the relationship between the Bristol sound and trip hop, providing a practical example of side-by-side comparisons of style and genre in relation to a single musical tradition. Third, this thesis builds on current theories of intertextuality in recorded popular music, and provides a new model for addressing the novel referential practices commonly found in the Bristol sound. Finally, this thesis demonstrates numerous ways compositional approaches from classical music can be incorporated into the Bristol sound to extend the style in a new direction. This makes an original contribution to the evolution of the Bristol sound style, and provides a model for others to explore when incorporating classical elements into popular music. iv Acknowledgements I am forever grateful to the following people, without whose help this thesis would not have been possible. Shelley Wragg, Steve Wragg, and Edith Wragg for never-ending support and encouragement over the years, and for doing everything in their power to assist me throughout this difficult journey. The staff at the University of Waikato who were always gracious and generous with their time and guidance, especially Luke Jacobs, Kim Johnson, Margaret Amies, and Anne Ferrier-Watson. My chief supervisor, Associate Professor Ian Whalley, whose expert advice and direction were invaluable in helping me navigate the often-complex pathways of postgraduate research. In particular, I will always appreciate Ian’s constant engagement with my thesis and how extremely generous he was with his time, always quickly providing insightful feedback on every piece of writing I delivered. His encouragement to shoot for the top drove me to produce some of my best work to date, and for that I am eternally grateful. My supervisors Dr Gareth Schott and Associate Professor Martin Lodge, who provided excellent ideas for ways of moving the thesis forward and helped to consolidate my ideas into a focused area of research. Their experience and guidance over many formal discussions were of tremendous value, and the feedback on my work as it progressed was invaluable in avoiding the many pitfalls I would have otherwise faced. The numerous conference attendees and journal reviewers who offered constructive criticisms and raised the quality of my work to a higher standard. The wonderful singers and performers who played on the original recordings; Nick Braae, Teresa Conners, Julia Booth, Hillary Addison, Kyle May, Sharon Stephens-Lelieveld, Yotam Levy, Chris Nation, and Rachel Twyman, and to all those who completed the audience questionnaires. v Dr Teresa Connors and Dr Nick Braae for their valued friendship and support over the years, providing great conversation, guidance, and laughter as we at times struggled through this process together. It has been an absolute honour to share this journey with the both of them. In particular, I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Dr Nick Braae for his advice, guidance, and friendship. Nick has been instrumental in raising the standard of this thesis by providing insightful feedback on draft chapters, conference presentations, and journal articles. The standard of my work would be significantly lower without his expert guidance. I would also like to thank Ruth and Louise Bouchier for their valued friendship and the wonderful French conversations that were always fun, open, and provided a very welcome relief from the challenges of my PhD. To my friend Hillary Addison, who shared many lovely nature walks with me and helped me find a moment of peace during the very chaotic final months. Above all, I must thank my loving wife Carrie for her never-ending faith, support, and encouragement. I cannot even begin to think of doing this without her, and words could never express the depth of my gratitude. This success belongs to her as much as it does to me. Finally, my wonderful son Cameron, who shall always be the light of my world. vi List of Figures Figure 2.1: Relationship between style and genre. ................................................ 30 Figure 2.2: Three distinct styles related to the trip hop genre. .............................. 45 Figure 2.3: Lacasse's model of transtextuality. ...................................................... 46 Figure 2.4: Expanded model of transtextuality. ..................................................... 53 Figure 3.1: 'Sour Times' spectrograph. .................................................................. 71 Figure 3.2: 'Sour Times' form. ............................................................................... 76 Figure 4.1: 'Sour Times' form. ............................................................................. 100 Figure 4.2: 'Overcome' form. ............................................................................... 102 Figure 4.3: 'Roads' form. ...................................................................................... 102 Figure 4.4: 'Teardrop' form. ................................................................................
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