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University of California Santa Cruz Tempo Excursions UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ TEMPO EXCURSIONS FROM JAVA TO JAMAICA A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in MUSIC by Nathaniel Condit-Schultz June 2012 The Thesis of Nathaniel Condit- Schultz is approved: Professor Amy Beal, Chair Professor Larry Polansky Professor Ben Carson Tyrus Miller Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Copyright © by Nathaniel Condit-Schultz 2012 Table of Contents Table of Contents - iii List of Figures - iv Abstract - vi Dedication - vii Acknowledgments - vii Introduction - 1 Temper Temper Time - 5 ― “Tempered” 5/4 Tempo Relationships - 6 ― 5/1 Quintuplet Subdivisions - 7 ― 5/4 Cross Rhythms and Tempo Modulations - 8 ― Form - 9 ― Melodic/Harmonic Material - 10 ― Temper Temper Time Figures - 11 Shepard - 14 ― the Tempo Spiral - 14 ― Rhythmic Material - 16 ― Harmonic Material - 16 ― Melodic Material - 18 ― Form - 19 ― Shepard Figures - 20 Faux-Java Blues: a Concerto for Gamelan and Guitar - 23 ― Instrumentation - 23 ― History - 23 ― Sampling - 24 ― Notation - 24 ― Tuning - 25 ― Melodic/Harmonic Material - 27 ― Rhythmic Material - 27 ― Form - 28 ― Faux-Java Blues Figures - 29 List of Supplemental Files - 31 Bibliography - 33 iii List of Figures: Temper Temper Time Figures: 11 Figure 1: 5/4 Tempo relationships in Temper Temper Time 11 Figure 2: Notating 5/1 divisions; quintuplets vs compound quintuple 11 Figure 3: 5/4 Cross-rhythm becomes 5/1 subdivision 12 Figure 4: Shifting hi-hat pattern 12 Figure 5: Formal diagram of Temper Temper Time 12 Figure 6: Motives in Temper Temper Time 13 Shepard Figures: 20 Figure 7: Visualization of tempo spiral 20 Figure 8: Shepard’s main groove 20 Figure 9: Up-beat/off-beat rhythms 20 Figure 10: Tiling onsets 20 Figure 11: Shepard’s main progressions 21 Figure 12: Reinterpreted for modulation 21 Figure 13: Main progressions combined and chromaticized 21 Figure 14: Shepard’s main motive: the octatonic scale as bluesy chromatic neighbors of three different dominant 7th chords 22 Figure 15: The main progressions harmonizing each bluesy neighbor 22 Figure 16: Formal diagram of Shepard 22 iv Faux-Java Blues Figures: 29 Figure 17: Intervals of pelog scale & note names of scale with #1 as root 29 Figure 18: Note names of pelog with #4 as root 29 Figure 19: Note names of pelog with #3 as root 29 Figure 20: Main motive and chords of Faux-Java Blues 30 Figure 21: Formal diagram of Faux-Java Blues 30 v Abstract: Tempo Excursions from Java to Jamaica Nathaniel Condit-Schultz Three pieces of music: Temper Temper Time , Shepard, and Faux-Java Blues form a set that exploits experimental applications of unusual musical features: 5/4 tempo relationships and quintuple divisions; tempo spirals and expanded rock harmony and voice leading; and Indonesian/Western hybridity respectively. Elements of my compositional aesthetic, process, history, knowledge, and skills have contributed to the composition of these pieces, including the influence of popular music, Javanese music, recording technology, and tuning theory. vi Dedication To Yoda Schultz and all the people who have loved him as I have over the last 16 years. Acknowledgments Thanks to David Evan Jones, Paul Nauert, Larry Polansky, Ben Carson, Bill Coulter, James Durland, John Sackett, David Cope, Fred Squatrito. Undang Sumarna, Linda Burman-Hall, Leta Miller, Tanya Merchant and Robin Macomber for being part of my musical education. All the players from my recital and studio recordings: Max Nied, Kai Kopecky, Ray Fernando, Jennifer Beaver, Nikki Mokover, John Bissett, Vincent Zayek,William Long, Kellie Bryant, Jen Lependorf, Elena Pagter, Lucas Turner, Brandon Yu, Jessica Loranger, Mike Knorr, James Thomas, George Narlesky, Simon Northall, Patrick Ferraro. José Pablo Gaona, Mom, Dad, Tobias, Luc, Wiley, Hanna, Lucien, Ben, Joe, Ann, Bill, Shelby, Grandma Susan, Patrick Andrews, Jeremy Cross, Yoda and Llorna for being part of my life. vii Introduction This thesis consists of three pieces, composed between June 2011 and February 2012 but with roots in work going back several years. These pieces do not so much represent a culmination of this work as just a few instantiations of the myriad ideas I've explored and will continue to explore in years to come ―the tip of the iceberg as it were, sculpted into something that I hope will pass for a thesis. My inspiration as a musician and a composer has always been popular music, with the music of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and Tool influencing me in particular. I have extensively studied the harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic structures of rock/pop music and one of my interests as a composer is in exploring and “expanding” the musical materials of these idioms. Much of the harmonic/melodic vocabulary in my music is based on chromaticizing rock harmony in much the same way that 19 th- century composers progressively chromaticized relatively simple 18 th- century harmony. However, my real focus has been on complex rhythmic/metric structures, notably tempo modulations, cross rhythms, and tempo spirals. The music of Led Zeppelin, Tool, and of Indonesia, supplies idiomatic uses of these devices that have inspired me and this thesis is particularly focused on expanding these rhythmic 1 ideas. The more complicated rhythmic ideas of composers like Conlon Nancarrow, Henry Cowell, and Elliot Carter have also influenced me considerably, but overall contemporary “art” music has never been of great interest to me. In my music I seek a balance of novelty and tradition. I generally experiment with only one feature of the music at time: where I have a novel rhythmic idea to explore I keep the harmonic and melodic material simple and well rooted in idiomatic conventions; conversely if I were to write a 12-tone serial piece or in a experimental tuning I would keep the rhythmic/metric framework conventional and repetitive. The idiomatic easiness of some of the material creates a framework for the listener to understand the music ―something to latch on to ―even as the experimental elements create something new and different. This creates a transparent focus on the experimental idea while still creating idiomatic music. Ultimately I think this approach has more in common with the idiomatically yet creative experimentation of bands like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Rush, and Tool, then with the intellectually- fueled novelty-centered approach of much contemporary art music. Thus I still feel that my music is essentially “traditional.” This thesis consists of three experiments: an experiment to see if 5/4 rhythms can be used like 3/2 rhythms in rock/reggae; an experiment to see if a rock/blues groove can exist in a “tempo spiral”; and finally an experiment to see if an electric guitar can be integrated into a gamelan ensemble. 2 Another significant aspect of my aesthetic, again influenced by popular music, is my preference for recorded music over live music. Though recording technology originated as a way of “capturing” live performances, recorded music has long since become the primary source of musical experiences in our society; I suspect that most people in our society, like myself, listen to 10–20 hours of recorded music for every one hour of live music they hear. Thus for me it seems only natural, and even obvious, that the studio-recording is the primary musical object. Of course, live performance remains a special event with social, aural, and spacial elements that cannot be reproduced in a recording but these elements are not essential for me. I prefer the recorded medium's focus on “the music itself” which I see as a logical extension of any focus on composition as opposed to performance. The Beatles' decision in 1966 to quit touring and only produce studio albums (preceded by Glen Gould in 1965) is a particular inspiration to me. By setting aside the constraints, stresses, and endless logistical hardships of live performance I am freed to focus on realizing my musical vision. If the recording is the primary end-product then the recording studio is an essential part of the compositional process. As a composer with the skills of a producer and engineer I can use the studio to achieve as exact a musical rendition of my work as I desire: precisely selecting and controlling rhythms, timbres, dynamics etc. The final result is an ideal musical rendering of my piece that is more detailed than any score can be and more precise and perfect than any live performance. Thus 3 the score is no longer the ultimate authority; the studio recording is the real score, a model, “official” version of the piece that can then be reinterpreted as desired in live performance. This aesthetic explains to some extent why my scores lack certain details, particularly dynamics and articulations, as I can oversee these details with greater precision during the recording process. It should be obvious now that I consider the main part of this thesis not to be the attached scores but the included studio recordings of the three pieces. These recordings were assembled in May and June of 2012, recorded in the UCSC Recording Studio (thanks to Bill Coulter), the UCSC Electronic Music Studio (thanks to Peter Elsea), and at my home studio where they were mixed and edited. I also include a recording of the live performance of the pieces at my Master's Recital, which took place on April 14 th 2012 in the UCSC recital hall and a second performance of Faux-Java Blues which took place in the same hall on May 19 th 2012. 4 Temper Temper Time for Alto Saxophone, two Trumpets, Trombone, Drum Kit, Electric Bass, Keyboard, and Electric Guitar. Temper Temper Time realizes several experimental rhythmic “expansions” of rock, reggae, and ska idioms. Whereas rhythm in reggae and rock is based on rhythmic relationships of 1/1, 2/1, 3/1 and 3/2, Temper Time explores rhythmic relationships of 5/1, 5/2 and 5/4, realizing 5-based rhythms analogous to the 3- and 2- based rhythms found in rock and reggae.
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