Delicateness and Freedom in composition: A cross-cultural exploration of timbre and texture through American minimalism and French spectralism An exegesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree MASTER OF RESEARCH By Emma Harlock SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS ARTS WESTERN SYDNEY UNIVERSITY 2019 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Bruce Crossman, who has been my supervisor since the first day of the Master of Research, for supporting me and offering your generous guidance throughout both years, and without whom this project would not have taken shape. I would also like to thank Dr. Clare Maclean, who has also offered her kind and generous support and mentorship throughout. Both of my supervisors have contributed greatly to my academic and creative growth, and I am indebted to them for every ounce of kind mentorship they have offered throughout this degree. I also want to thank Dr. Sally Macarthur for her support throughout the Master of Research. I would also like thank my compositional mentor and friend Dr. Holly Harrison, who has provided support throughout this degree, and without whom this project would never have begun. For allowing me to bounce technical ideas off constantly, I would like to thank Senior Technical Officers Mitchell Hart and Noel Burgess. And finally, my family. My parents, Cathy and Peter, who have also provided support throughout this degree, and who have listened throughout the past two years without judgement. Especially to my Nan, Janine Mizzi, who has pushed me to continue postgraduate research since I began at Western Sydney University. Statement of Authentication The work presented in this exegesis, is to the best of my knowledge and belief, original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material either in full or in part, for a degree at this or any other institute. ……… …………. ………………………………………………. (Date) i Abstract This thesis explores the intersections between American minimalism and the school of French spectral music, from the perspective of a bass guitarist. Whilst there is ample literature exploring key composers and features of American minimalism, and some literature exploring French spectral music and experimental bass styles, there is little scholarly discussion of the relationship between. Adopting a practice-based research approach, five new musical artefacts have been created to fulfil the portfolio aspect of this thesis. These creative works, three electronic improvised pieces, and two scored pieces, address this gap in academic knowledge. My thesis outlines and provides context for ethical border crossing and the creation of new hybrid territories applicable to practice-based researchers using the framework outlined by Steven Nuss. It illuminates the relationship between American minimalism and French spectralism, but also their connections to American nu-jazz, ambient, and electronic artists, and explores the potential of these musical elements combined. This thesis outlines the intersections through an analysis of pre-existing works, focussing on: rhythm and pulse, harmonic stasis, improvisation, and aleatoric elements. This is then followed with an analysis of each creative work within the portfolio, where these musical characteristics from each seemingly contrasting genre are brought together to create new works in a hybrid territory. The term ‘delicacy’ stems from my personal approach to bass playing, slow, small musical gestures, as opposed to large, focally demanding gestures as often adopted by bass virtuosi. The term ‘freedom’ stems from improvisatory elements incorporated across the creative portfolio, from the improvised series Concept:FUTURE’, to aleatoric elements in the notated works that allows performers to determine certain parameters of the creative works. Ultimately, this thesis shows, through the creation of new scored and improvised works, the inherent connections between American Minimalism and French spectralism, with added influence from electronic and improvising virtuosi, and explores what happens when these styles are fused together. ii Contents Volume One Part One: Introduction Chapter One: Introduction Exegesis Structure and Aims………………………..……………………...……….…1 Part Two: Credo Chapter Two: Credo Pulse, timbre, qi, and American minimalism…….……………………………………4 Timbre, frequencies, and the French school of spectral music………………………..6 Personal bass playing………………………………………………………………....9 Musical culture fusing, and a new hybrid territory…………………………………..10 Part Three: Context Chapter Three: Context Rhythm and Pulse………………………………………………………………...….13 Harmonic Stasis and Inharmonicity……………………………………………….....19 Extended Techniques and Improvisation………………………………………….…23 Aleatory…………………………………………………………………..…………..26 Part Four: Analysis Chapter Four: Analysis Concept:FUTURE……………………………………………………..……………..28 “Green”……………………………………………………………………….31 “Blue”……………………………………………………………….………..34 “Black”……………………………………………………………………….35 Dissonance…………………………………………………………………………..38 Grain………………………………………………………………….……………..40 Part Five: Conclusion Chapter Five: Conclusion………………………………...…………….………………..44 Bibliography………………………………………..………………………………….…..46 iii Volume Two Audio Recordings: Concept:FUTURE “Green” (14-minutes 36) …………………………………………………..50 “Blue” (9-minutes 23) …………………………………………..…………51 “Black” (11-minutes 44)…………………………………..……………….52 Scored Works: Grain (5-minutes 30)……………………………………………………..53 Dissonance (3-minutes 10)………………………………………...………61 1 Volume One Chapter One: Introduction This research project is concerned with looking at the intersections between American minimalism and French spectralism, an area neglected in music academia, through a practice- based research approach. The portfolio attached to this research paper consists of one large- scale work, titled Concept:FUTURE, containing three movements titled “Green”, “Blue”, and “Black”, and two notated works, titled Dissonance and Grain. Each of these works are concerned with exploring the connections between American minimalism and French spectral music, but also my interests as a bass guitarist, and other musical genres that have influenced my creative works; influences such as ambient music, nu-jazz, and electronic dance music. Through the use of cross-cultural frameworks created by Steven Nuss1, this project is able to take on the exploration of multiple musical cultures ethically and respectfully. Rather than attempting to create works that are ‘pure’ recreations of American minimalism, French spectralism, or other influencing styles, this project has fused compositional characteristics from each musical style and created a new culture, one applicable solely to my own interests. The question of what happens when these musical styles are fused together will be addressed, alongside an exploration of the inherent connections between American minimalism and French spectral music through analyses of pre-existing works and the creation of works that utilise key compositional elements of these styles. In the second chapter, titled credo, I begin by outlining the key musical styles that influence my creative voice2. I explore the foundations of American minimalism and French spectralism in depth, and discuss American jazz funk and nu-jazz, focussing on American bass virtuosi Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten in their collaborative project S.M.V. This chapter will also explore ambient and nu-jazz performers Triosk and GoGo Penguin, alongside electronic artists Jon Hopkins and Nils Frahm. These musical explorations are undertaken through the cross-cultural framework set out by Steven Nuss and 1 Nuss, Steven. “Hearing “Japanese”, Hearing Takemitsu”, Contemporary Music Review 21, No. 4 (2002): 35- 71. 2 By this, I am referring to composers, such as Lucy Wilkins, who argue that it is the personal ‘voice’ that makes the work of a composer distinctive. See Wilkins, Lucy. Creative Music Composition: The Young Composer’s Voice. (NY: Routledge Publishing, 2006). 2 his concept of hybrid cultural territories3, which will also be discussed in this chapter. The framework outlined by Nuss is then used to examine how this research project adopts an ethical approach to cross-cultural research, and the creation of a new hybrid territory authentic to my own interests. The third chapter, context, is concerned with the examination of pre-existing creative works by influencing composers and performers of this project. By undertaking an analysis of works by key composers, I am able to ground my portfolio of creative works with works from other composers and performers, acting as a musical literature review for the research project. The analysis of key works will be centred around the primary compositional characteristics influencing my own creative works: rhythm and pulse, harmonic stasis, extended techniques, improvisation, and aleatory. Key works by the featured composers are analysed with specific focus on the treatments of these compositional characteristics. The fourth chapter, analysis, is concerned with the analysis of my own creative works. In this chapter each creative work within the portfolio is analysed in depth, and conceptual ideas outlined. Both notated works Grain and Dissonance are primarily concerned with timbre, texture, extended techniques, and aleatoric elements, and these compositional techniques are explored in depth in relation to their presence within those creative works. With Concept:FUTURE, an analysis of those elements plus rhythm