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Stony Brook University SSStttooonnnyyy BBBrrrooooookkk UUUnnniiivvveeerrrsssiiitttyyy The official electronic file of this thesis or dissertation is maintained by the University Libraries on behalf of The Graduate School at Stony Brook University. ©©© AAAllllll RRRiiiggghhhtttsss RRReeessseeerrrvvveeeddd bbbyyy AAAuuuttthhhooorrr... Religion and Spirituality in Late 20th Century Music: Arvo Pärt, Jonathan Harvey, and John Coltrane A Dissertation Presented by Steven Wayne Gehring to The Graduate School in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Music (Music History) Stony Brook University December 2011 Stony Brook University The Graduate School Steven Wayne Gehring We, the dissertation committee for the above candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, hereby recommend acceptance of this dissertation. Judith Lochhead – Dissertation Advisor Chair, Department of Music Sarah Fuller – Chairperson of Defense Professor, Department of Music Ryan Minor Associate Professor, Department of Music Sander Van Maas – Outside Reader Professor of Musicology, Utrecht University This dissertation is accepted by the Graduate School Lawrence Martin Dean of the Graduate School Abstract of the Dissertation Religion and Spirituality in Late 20th Century Music: Arvo Pärt, Jonathan Harvey, and John Coltrane by Steven Wayne Gehring Doctor of Philosophy in Music (Music History) Stony Brook University 2011 In this dissertation I focus on significant trends in music and spirituality in the latter half of the twentieth century as a legacy of dramatic transformations in religion and society. During this era, especially in the 1960s, a growing disaffection with traditional religion as well as with traditional society in general led many individuals to explore spirituality, either as a replacement for or as a byproduct of religion. I examine these trends in spirituality as a way of bringing to light the different ways composers and musicians have used their music to communicate a sense of spirituality. My dissertation consists of three case studies of musicians who lived during or emerged from the pivotal era of the 1960s and who, following a conversion experience, created music that can be seen as responding to the particular tensions of religion, spirituality, and the secular world that became apparent in the last decades of the 20th century. The music of these three composers evoke religious and spiritual meaning outside of a traditionally religious context. In my first case study, I examine two works by Estonian born composer Arvo Pärt: Te Deum (1984) and Fratres (1977). Following his conversion to Russian Orthodox Christianity, Pärt created music highly evocative of both medieval and contemporary minimalist music traditions. My second case study examines Ritual Melodies for Quadraphonic Tape (1986-1990) by British composer Jonathan Harvey. Though raised in the Church of England, Harvey largely turned away from Christianity and towards the beliefs and philosophies of Hinduism and Buddhism, which are reflected in the musical elements drawn from Asian religious traditions that he uses in Ritual Melodies. My final case study examines A Love Supreme (1964) by American jazz musician, John Coltrane. Following his 1957 conversion, Coltrane became increasingly focused on creating music both evocative of his changing spiritual beliefs and reflective of his constant search inward for truth. In returning to his religious roots and outward towards an eclectic mix of different Western and Eastern religious traditions, Coltrane represents a universalized spirituality. Dedication Page I dedicate this dissertation to the memory of my mother, Irene Gehring (November 14, 1925 March 26, 2011). Table of Contents List of Examples .......................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. viii Chapter 1 Introduction, Concepts, and Terms ...........................................................................1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 The Case Studies ......................................................................................................................... 6 The 1960s as an Era of Change and Transformation ................................................................ 10 Terms and Concepts .................................................................................................................. 13 The Work, the Composer and the Nature of Jazz Composition ............................................... 22 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 2 The Desire for Tradition: Russian Orthodoxy, Tintinnabulation, and Rejection of the Modern in Arvo Pärt’s Te Deum and Fratres .........................................27 Pärt and the Conversion Experience ......................................................................................... 30 Religious Conversion as Aesthetic Conversion: Pärts Compositional Aesthetic .................... 41 Te Deum .................................................................................................................................... 52 Ritual Elements in Fratres ........................................................................................................ 64 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 73 Chapter 3 Finding the Path Inward via the East: Buddhism and Spectralism in Jonathan Harvey’s Ritual Melodies .....................................................................................74 Religion in post-World War II Britain ...................................................................................... 79 Harveys Life and Work ........................................................................................................... 88 Harveys Musical Spirituality and Compositional Aesthetic.................................................... 98 Harveys Ritual Melodies ....................................................................................................... 102 Melody and Timbre................................................................................................................. 107 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 120 Chapter 4 “I believe in all religions”: John Coltrane’s Spirituality in A Love Supreme ...122 Coltrane, Religion, and Spirituality: From Beginnings Through His Conversion ................. 126 Coltranes Spiritual Compositions .......................................................................................... 144 A Love Supreme (1964).......................................................................................................... 157 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 173 Chapter 5 Concluding Thoughts ..............................................................................................175 Bibliography ..............................................................................................................................179 Appendix – Chart of Harvey’s Ritual Melodies .......................................................................187 List of Examples Example 1 Credo beginning at measure 5 .............................................................................. 42 Example 2 Improvised section of Credo ................................................................................. 44 Example 3 Tintinnabulation as found in Te Deum (Rehearsal Number 2) ............................. 49 Example 4 Tintinnabulation as found in Passio (Rehearsal Number 52) ............................... 50 Example 5 Translation of Te Deum ........................................................................................ 53 Example 6 Tempo and Dynamic Arc in Section One of Te Deum ......................................... 55 Example 7 Organizational Chart of Te Deum ......................................................................... 57 Example 8 Chant Melody from Verse I, Te Deum ................................................................. 59 Example 9 Fratres for String Quartet ..................................................................................... 67 Example 10 Expansion of the Four-Note Motive as exemplified in Fratres for Strings and Percussion ............................................................................................................................. 68 Example 11 Formal Analysis of Fratres for Strings and Percussion ....................................... 69 Example 12 Ritual Melodies Melodic Material ................................................................... 108 Example 13 Ritual Melodies, Melody A ................................................................................. 111 Example 14 Ritual Melodies, Melody G ................................................................................. 112 Example 15 Section 1 Oboe Timbre ......................................................................................
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