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The Advent of an Artist-Composer Movement Exemplified by the Works of Saxophonists Colin Stetson, Evan Parker, and Contemporaries

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The Advent of an Artist-Composer Movement Exemplified by the Works of Saxophonists Colin Stetson, Evan Parker, and Contemporaries The Advent of an Artist-Composer Movement Exemplified by the Works of Saxophonists Colin Stetson, Evan Parker, and Contemporaries Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Herald, Christopher R. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/10/2021 15:32:12 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/625662 THE ADVENT OF AN ARTIST-COMPOSER MOVEMENT EXEMPLIFIED BY THE WORKS OF SAXOPHONISTS COLIN STETSON, EVAN PARKER, AND CONTEMPORARIES by Christopher R. Herald __________________________ Copyright © Christopher Herald 2017 A Document Submitted to the Faculty of the FRED FOX SCHOOL OF MUSIC In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2017 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Doctoral Document Committee, we certify that we have read the document prepared by Christopher Herald, titled The Advent of an Artist-Composer Movement Exemplified by the Work of Saxophonists Colin Stetson, Evan Parker, and Contemporaries and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. _______________________________________________________________________Date: 7/18/2017 Edward Goodman, DMA _______________________________________________________________________Date: 7/18/2017 Sara Fraker, DMA _______________________________________________________________________Date: 7/18/2017 Norman Weinberg, DMA Final approval and acceptance of this document is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the document to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this document prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the document requirement. ________________________________________________Date: 7/18/2017 Doctoral Document Committee Chair: Edward Goodman 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This document has been submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this document are allowable without special permission, provided that an accurate acknowledgment of the source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: Christopher R. Herald 4 Table of Contents List of Musical Examples................................................................................................................5 Abstract............................................................................................................................................7 Chapter 1: Introduction and General Characteristics.......................................................................8 Chapter 2: Evan Parker..................................................................................................................12 Biography/Background...........................................................................................................12 Music......................................................................................................................................14 “Improvisation for Solo Soprano Saxophone” (2011)............................................................16 Chapter 3: Colin Stetson................................................................................................................19 Biography/Background...........................................................................................................19 Music......................................................................................................................................21 “A Dream of Water,” Colin Stetson........................................................................................23 “Judges,” Colin Stetson..........................................................................................................25 Chapter 4: Influence on New Music..............................................................................................29 “r/evolution,” (2015) by Gordon Fitzell.................................................................................29 “Ali” (2010), Alex Mincek.....................................................................................................36 Chapter 5: Contemporaries and Related Music.............................................................................42 The Solo Saxophone and the Jazz Avant-garde......................................................................42 Contemporaries.......................................................................................................................43 Christopher Herald and inspired works for solo saxophone...................................................47 “Blink (of the Stars Through the Black of Night)” (2016), Christopher Herald..................48 “Wind (Leaps and Bounds over Golden Heather)” (2016), Christopher Herald..................52 Conclusions: Trends and the Future of Post Avant-garde Saxophone Music................................56 APPENDIX A: “A Dream of Water,” Colin Stetson, transcribed Christopher Herald..................58 APPENDIX B: “Judges,” Colin Stetson, transcribed Christopher Herald....................................63 APPENDIX C: “Blink,” Christopher Herald.................................................................................69 APPENDIX D: “Wind,” Christopher Herald.................................................................................75 Bibliography..................................................................................................................................77 5 List of Musical Examples Musical Example 1: “Improvisation for Solo Soprano Saxophone,” Evan Parker: structural analysis...........................................................................................................................................17 Musical Example 2: “Improvisation for Solo Soprano Saxophone,” Evan Parker: Theme I........17 Musical Example 3: “A Dream of Water,” Colin Stetson..............................................................24 Musical Example 4: "Judges," Colin Stetson: Introduction...........................................................26 Musical Example 5: “Judges,” Colin Stetson: measures 94–105..................................................27 Musical Example 6: “Judges,” Colin Stetson: measures 111 – 112...............................................28 Musical Example 7: “r/evolution,” Gordon Fitzell: events 7 and 8...............................................31 Musical Example 8: “r/evolution,” Gordon Fitzell: events 15 and 16...........................................33 Musical Example 9: “r/evolution,” Gordon Fitzell: events 17 and 18...........................................35 Musical Example 10: "r/evolution," Gordon Fitzell: transition and musical event 22..................35 Musical Example 11: “Ali,” Alex Mincek: measures 1-4..............................................................37 Musical Example 12: “Ali,” Alex Mincek: page 3, first and second systems...............................39 Musical Example 13: “Ali,” Alex Mincek: page 5, second system...............................................39 Musical Example 14: "Ali," Alex Mincek: closing.......................................................................40 Musical Example 15: “Ali,” Alex Mincek: showing instance of short repeated passage..............41 Musical Example 16: “Blink,” Christopher Herald: measures 18–37...........................................49 Musical Example 17: “Blink,” Christopher Herald: measures 107-113........................................50 Musical Example 18: “Blink,” Christopher Herald: measures 100-106........................................51 6 Musical Example 19: “Blink,” Christopher Herald: final A and ending........................................52 Musical Example 20: “Wind,” Christopher Herald: measures 1-8................................................53 Musical Example 21: “Wind,” Christopher Herald: measures 35-49............................................54 7 Abstract Arising out of the avant-garde jazz tradition, a particular genre of solo saxophone music has emerged that combines stylistic attributes of avant-garde jazz and improvisation with minimalism, and is dependent on circular breathing, harmonic manipulation, and other techniques. To distinguish the music and the saxophonists and composers associated with it I have referred to this genre as “post avant-garde.” With its roots ultimately in avant-garde jazz of the 1960s, this genre arose through the solo improvisation work of Evan Parker from the 1970s to present, and the music has since been an influence on the work of Colin Stetson and other artists, as well as composers including Gordon Fitzell and Alex Mincek. This document examines a
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