Western Washington University Western CEDAR WWU Graduate School Collection WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship Spring 2019 Rhythmic Structure and Style Characteristics in the Medium of the Beatles Robert Creigh Western Washington University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Creigh, Robert, "Rhythmic Structure and Style Characteristics in the Medium of the Beatles" (2019). WWU Graduate School Collection. 865. https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/865 This Masters Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the WWU Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarship at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in WWU Graduate School Collection by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RHYTHMIC STRUCTURE AND STYLE CHARACTERISTICS IN THE MEDIUM OF THE BEATLES By Robert J. Creigh Accepted in Partial Completion of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Music ADVISORY COMMITTEE Chair, Dr. Bertil van Boer Dr. Bruce Hamilton Dr. Charles Halka GRADUATE SCHOOL Dr. Kathleen L. Kitto, Acting Dean Master’s Thesis In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a master’s degree at Western Washington University, I grant to Western Washington University the non-exclusive royalty-free right to archive, reproduce, distribute, and display the thesis in any and all forms, including electronic format, via any digital library mechanisms maintained by WWU. I represent and warrant this is my original work, and does not infringe or violate any rights of others. I warrant that I have obtained written permissions from the owner of any third party copyrighted material included in these files. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of this work, including but not limited to the right to use all or part of this work in future works, such as articles or books. Library users are granted permission for individual, research and non-commercial reproduction of this work for educational purposes only. Any further digital posting of this document requires specific permission from the author. Any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, is not allowed without my written permission. Robert J. Creigh May 2019 RHYTHMIC STRUCTURE AND STYLE CHARACTERISTICS IN THE MEDIUM OF THE BEATLES A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Western Washington University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Music By Robert J. Creigh May 2019 Abstract This thesis focuses on the characteristics in the music of the Beatles using different methods to find stylistic and formal trends and why they may have occurred. These are found through the analysis of every individual song released by the Beatles in the United Kingdom between 1962 and 1970. The band’s output can be divided into four different periods: Pre-Beatles, Early, Middle, and Late. This forms a part of the broader context of the Beatles’ style analysis and rhythmic structure, as noted in the scholarly work by Steven Porter and Charles Stetzer. The thesis starts with a chapter on historical context by explaining why the Beatles are being used as the subject of the analysis. Chapter two classifies terms covered throughout the thesis. Chapter three is an analysis on the Beatles’ album characteristics emphasizing the three main periods of musical development (Early, Middle, and Late). Chapter four focuses on rhythmic structure by using score analysis and rhythmic form. Chapter five covers form by means of song types and what can be defined as Intro and Outro. The final chapter covers other characteristics including section lengths, solos, and percussion. Analysis of the songs are included in the appendices, including tempo, song length (by minutes), meter, Intro/Outro, main sections, section length, form, percussion, solo instruments, and solo features. The analysis shows trends in the three main periods of the Beatles’ development with an evolution of style in all the parameters listed above. Keywords: Beatles, Rhythmic Structure, Style Analysis, Style Characteristics iv Acknowledgements Within the past dozen years, there are several people that have helped me find my passion and continue to guide me into my future. I would like to thank my parents for fostering my interest in music and supporting me through my education, my grandmother Carol for starting my music library and supporting me throughout my education, and the Western Washington University music faculty in shaping my skills with both music and literature; they have all supported me in my efforts and been a continual joy in my life. I would like to thank Dr. Bruce Hamilton for showing me the complexities in the music of the Beatles, and Marian Ritter for hosting the Music Library sales as well as introducing me to a variety of new literature. A special thanks to my advisor, Dr. Bertil van Boer, for being an exceptional educator, editor, and mentor. He has inspired me to take this lifelong journey into musicology, all the while showing me how exciting the field can be. As I pursue my doctorate and beyond, it is teachers like Dr. van Boer and others that inspire me to become the best educator I can be. This thesis would not be possible without the influence and support of all who were mentioned. v Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................v List of Tables and Figures............................................................................................................. vii Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Chapter I: Historical Context ...........................................................................................................4 Chapter II: Classifying Terms ........................................................................................................16 Chapter III: Album Characteristics ...............................................................................................35 Chapter IV: Rhythmic Structure ....................................................................................................66 Chapter V: Form (Intro/Outro, Song Types) .................................................................................96 Chapter VI: Section Lengths, Solos, Percussion .........................................................................107 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................115 Selected Bibliography ..................................................................................................................117 Appendix A: Tempo, Song Length, Meter, Intro/Outro ..............................................................121 Appendix B: Main Sections, Section Length, Form ....................................................................128 Appendix C: Percussion, Solo Instruments, Solo Features..........................................................136 Appendix D: Individual Album Tempos .....................................................................................145 vi List of Tables and Figures Table 2.1 List of Unused Terms ....................................................................................................23 Table 2.2 Score Analysis Symbolism ............................................................................................27 Table 3.1 Average Album Tempos by Early, Middle, and Late Periods .......................................40 Table 3.2 Population of the Beatles’ Early and Experimental Style Features ...............................42 Table 3.3 Tempo Indications for Tracks in the Beatles’ 1963 Album Please Please Me .............46 Table 3.4 Average Tempo Change Song-to-Song in Each Beatles Album (1963-1970) ..............53 Table 3.5 Average Song Length Per Album ..................................................................................54 Table 3.6 Shortest and Longest Songs of Each Album .................................................................55 Table 3.7 Album Lengths ..............................................................................................................55 Table 3.8 Tempo Changes on the B-side of Abbey Road ..............................................................63 Figure 4.1 “Please Please Me” Score Analysis ..............................................................................76 Figure 4.2 “And I Love Her” Score Analysis ................................................................................79 Figure 4.3 “Day Tripper” Score Analysis ......................................................................................81 Figure 4.4 “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” Score Analysis......................................................84 Figure 4.5 “Don’t Let Me Down” Score Analysis .........................................................................87 Figure 4.6 “Something” Score Analysis ........................................................................................90 Table 4.7 “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You” Rhythmic Form .................................................91