University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Open Access Dissertations 5-2013 "Finding the Proper Sequence": Form and Narrative in the Collage Music of John Zorn Adam John Kolek University of Massachusetts Amherst, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations Part of the Music Theory Commons Recommended Citation Kolek, Adam John, ""Finding the Proper Sequence": Form and Narrative in the Collage Music of John Zorn" (2013). Open Access Dissertations. 733. https://doi.org/10.7275/2q14-pa64 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations/733 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “FINDING THE PROPER SEQUENCE”: FORM AND NARRATIVE IN THE COLLAGE MUSIC OF JOHN ZORN A Dissertation Presented by ADAM J. KOLEK Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2013 Music Music Theory © Copyright by Adam J. Kolek 2013 All Rights Reserved “FINDING THE PROPER SEQUENCE”: FORM AND NARRATIVE IN THE COLLAGE MUSIC OF JOHN ZORN A Dissertation Presented by ADAM J. KOLEK Approved as to style and content by: _______________________________________ Gary S. Karpinski, Chair _______________________________________ Brent Auerbach, Member _______________________________________ Kate Hudson, Member _______________________________________ Richard Randall, Member ____________________________________ Jeff Cox , Chair Department of Music and Dance DEDICATION To my parents, for their love and support. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my advisor, Gary Karpinski, and the members of my committee, Brent Auerbach, Richard Randall, and Katherine Hudson. Without their guidance, suggestions, and critiques, completing this dissertation would not have been possible. I wish to further thank Richard for his friendship and advice. He has been a resource that I continue to draw upon in matters both professional and personal. I extend my appreciation to Professor Ernest May, who taught the graduate seminar in which I began this research. I am indebted to the faculty and graduate students in the music department at the University of Massachusetts who offered advice at the early stages of this project, and those outside of the university who offered their questions and perspectives when I presented this research at conferences. I also thank Brad Smith and the editorial staff at Music Research Forum for their critiques and suggestions that refined portions of this research. I could not have completed my studies without the support of my family. I thank my parents and my older brother Ethan for their constant love and encouragement. Ethan completed his dissertation during the same time I worked on this project, and it helped immensely to share the ups and downs of this experience with him. I want to thank Becky, who has made my life so enjoyable during the years that we have been together; I cannot imagine life without her. I have been lucky enough to have great friends like Aric who supported me during this time as well. Finally, I wish to thank my pets, Zoey, Mr. P., and Rex. During many otherwise solitary hours of writing, they were my constant companions. v ABSTRACT ―FINDING THE PROPER SEQUENCE‖: FORM AND NARRATIVE IN THE COLLAGE MUSIC OF JOHN ZORN MAY 2013 ADAM J. KOLEK, B.A., SKIDMORE COLLEGE M.A., SMITH COLLEGE Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Gary S. Karpinski This dissertation examines the linear sequence of segments in musical collages composed by John Zorn between 1988 and 1993. In addition to the use of processes and associations as unifying elements, these pieces present hierarchical organization and narrative structure. The presence of form and narrative in these works illustrates the capacity of postmodern music to be unified in novel and idiosyncratic ways. I examine Zorn‘s collage pieces using an adapted methodology of paradigmatic analysis and incorporate ideas of musical topics as signifiers of delineation in the works. The segmentation of these works, begun in chapter three, reveals a hierarchical organization where individual musical blocks are organized into larger structures that I call collage phrases. This reveals the presence of hierarchical form in the musical surface, showing that organization in the pieces is not limited to background processes. The collage pieces that utilize this structure are described as exhibiting episodic collage form. Collage phrases in such pieces may also be further grouped together into larger units. vi I examine narrative in the pieces through the idea of idiolects, which I conceive of as approaches and compositional philosophies that are identified through the careful examination of Zorn and his music. Chapter four examines how linear narrative in Zorn‘s string quartet Cat O’Nine Tails relates to an idea of visual organization that connects to his conception of cartoon music. Chapter five examines how Zorn‘s album Radio is organized through the idea of the ―musical game,‖ a concept in which borrowed materials and techniques are combined with Zorn‘s musical persona. Songs on Radio reflect this concept progressively over the course of the album. This study reveals several things about Zorn‘s music and about musical postmodernism. First, it illustrates the organization of the musical surface of these works. Second, it highlights linear musical narratives in the pieces. These elements of linear organization operate alongside other non-linear structures in Zorn‘s music. Finally, it demonstrates the capacity of postmodern music to contain innovative approaches towards musical organization. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................v ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 1. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .......................................................................17 2. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................37 Paradigmatic Analysis ...........................................................................................37 Interpretation ..........................................................................................................40 Topics ........................................................................................................41 Idiolects ......................................................................................................44 Paradigmatic analysis and Zorn‘s music................................................................47 3. ―THERE‘S NOT ONE MOMENT . THAT I CAN‘T JUSTIFY‖: STRUCTURE IN ZORN‘S COLLAGE MUSIC ..................................................49 Segmenting ―Speedfreaks‖ ....................................................................................50 Noise as a Musical Topic ...........................................................................60 Segmenting ―Speedfreaks‖ Through the Noise Topic ...............................62 Other Delineating Topics .......................................................................................67 Silence ........................................................................................................68 Traditional Endings and Transitions ..........................................................68 Atypical Segment Length ..........................................................................69 Segmentation of ―Krazy Kat‖ and ―American Psycho‖ ........................................69 Conclusions ............................................................................................................76 4. ―CAN YOU MAKE A FILM THAT‘S MUSIC?‖: THE VISUAL ASPECTS OF COLLAGE ORGANIZATION .............................................................................79 Segmenting ―Cat O’Nine Tails” ............................................................................88 Cat O’Nine Tails and Episodic Form...................................................................104 viii Narrative in Musical Collage ...............................................................................109 5. ―I PUT THIS TOGETHER AS A GAME . ‖: ―MUSICAL GAMES‖ AND THE NARRATIVE CONSTRUCTION OF AN ALBUM .................................114 Zorn and Musical Games .....................................................................................114 Radio, and the Album as a Collage ......................................................................119 Paradigmatic Analyses of the Individual Songs of Radio ...................................124 The Unfolding of Radio and the Musical Game ..................................................152 CONCLUSIONS..............................................................................................................159 APPENDIX: RADIO INSPIRATION/REFER ................................................................169