An Evaluation of the Concept of Third Stream Music and its Applicability to Selected Works by Gunther Schuller and Mark- Anthony Turnage Matthew John Styles BMus (hons) UWA, Grad Dip Mus (RCM) This thesis is presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts of the University of Western Australia, School of Music, 2008. i ii Abstract In a public lecture given by Gunther Schuller in 1957, the term ‘third stream music’ was suggested as a way of describing the combination of ‘first stream music’ (Western classical) and ‘second stream music’ (American jazz) within a musical work. ‘Third stream’ was proposed as a term to denote the fusion of “…the improvisational spontaneity and rhythmic vitality of jazz with the compositional procedures and techniques acquired in Western music during 700 years of musical development” (Schuller 1986:115). This paper will discuss the separate identity, maturity and validity of the ‘third stream’ concept through a comparative analysis of two works that might possibly be classified using this proposed term. The chosen pieces are Concertino for Jazz Quartet and Orchestra (1959) by the proposer of the term, Gunther Schuller, and a piece using similar forces, Blood on the Floor (1993-96), by English composer and one-time student of Schuller’s, Mark-Anthony Turnage. A brief overview of the pertinent music and literature from the 1930s up until 2001 will begin this discussion and will aid in the investigation of the growth and acceptance of this concept pre- and post- its proposal. Theories of ‘generic categorisation’ as defined by Robert Pascall (1989), accompanied and supported by Heather Dubrow’s idea of generic classification (1982), will also be introduced, which will later be used to test the validity of Schuller’s proposed musical genre. Following these historical and analytical discussions, conclusions will be sought as to whether ‘third stream music’ is a true fusion of styles or a collaboration of jazz and classical music, maintaining their separate identities. Further, in light of the results obtained by the aforementioned discussions and questions, the validity of the concept will then be scrutinised with a view to making conclusions about its possible future usage as a classification tool. iii Table of Contents Abstract....................................................................................................iii Table of Contents .....................................................................................iv Table of Figures .......................................................................................vi Acknowledgements ..................................................................................vii Chapter 1 Introduction..............................................................................................1 ‘Third Stream’ and Genre: Preliminary Observations................................1 Genre .......................................................................................................2 Definitions................................................................................................3 Schuller’s Comments on ‘Third Stream Music’ ........................................6 References Within Selected Jazz Literature ..............................................7 References in Selected Classical or General Music Literature...................11 Composers of Cross-genre Works Before 1957.........................................13 a. Western classical composers .......................................................13 b. Jazz composers............................................................................15 Cross-genre Works Around the Time of Schuller’s Announcement ..........17 Selected Cross-genre Compositions Since 1960........................................19 Relating Pre- and Post- 1957 Works to the ‘Third Stream’ Concept..........21 The Chosen Works ...................................................................................25 Chapter 2 Schuller and The Concertino for Jazz Quartet and Orchestra (1959) .........26 Gunther Schuller ......................................................................................27 a. ‘Third stream music’ ...................................................................27 b. Compositions within his proposed ‘third stream’ style.................28 c. Compositional style .....................................................................30 Concertino for Jazz Quartet and Orchestra................................................31 Research note..................................................................................31 Schuller and other classical composers ...........................................31 Concertino background............................................................................31 Western Classical Music Elements ...........................................................32 Musical structure: concerto grosso..................................................32 Specific movement structures...........................................................34 1st Movement – slow ...............................................................34 2nd Movement..........................................................................35 Ground bass...........................................................................35 Instrumentation ........................................................................................36 Orchestration and musical organisation.....................................................37 a. layering .......................................................................................37 b. sectionalisation............................................................................40 Musical unity and development ................................................................42 Jazz Elements...........................................................................................44 Jazz associated instruments ......................................................................45 The rhythm section ..........................................................................46 Jazz improvisation...........................................................................46 Jazz rhythms....................................................................................48 Summary..................................................................................................50 iv Chapter 3 Blood on the Floor, Mark-Anthony Turnage (1960) .................................52 Blood on the Floor: Background ..............................................................53 Western Classical and Jazz Elements........................................................54 Blood on the Floor ...................................................................................55 Western Classical Music...........................................................................56 Multi–movement musical structure ..................................................56 Programmatic music .......................................................................56 Concerto grosso ..............................................................................57 Specific movement structures...........................................................58 Instrumentation ........................................................................................61 Specific movements and their use of instrumentation .......................62 Orchestration and Musical Organisation ...................................................63 Turnage’s compositional influences.................................................63 Musical devices ...............................................................................64 a. layering..............................................................................64 b. lyricism ..............................................................................64 Musical unity and development........................................................66 Jazz Elements...........................................................................................74 Jazz associated instruments .............................................................74 Jazz improvisation...........................................................................75 Jazz rhythms....................................................................................77 Summary..................................................................................................78 Chapter 4 Genre and Conclusions.............................................................................81 Works by Schuller....................................................................................82 Works by Turnage....................................................................................83 Generic Categorisation .............................................................................84 Categories of Generic Determination: Pascall...........................................84 Category 1: Venue...........................................................................84 Category 2: Instrumentarium ..........................................................89 Category 3: Performer and audience behaviour ..............................90 Category 4: Changes in language through time...............................93 The Generic Contract................................................................................94 a. the author...........................................................................95