Between two worlds

by Christopher Lowery

Modern symphonic composers and popular songwriters of the mid-20 th century reacted to increasing urbanism, but in aesthetically opposed ways, thus creating a musical divide between them. Modern symphonic composers reacted to an increasingly industrialized culture by questioning previously established structures of music, particularly harmony and rhythm. These composers created more thought-provoking (rhythmically driving, highly dissonant, non-developmental) works and depended on audiences who were educated and interested enough to follow their ideas. Popular composers of the post-World War II period created diffuse musical styles that "adopt[ed] to the 20th century urban existence." Most popular music genres are "up-tempo, dance-oriented, [and] novelty focus[ed]..."1;Certain composers that originated from one side of the divide or the other composed with both symphonic and popular elements. In these cases, however, their musical attitude is often one of seasoning or "dressing up" instead of true integration. Mark-Anthony Turnage absorbed discoveries of the first half of the twentieth century and used the compositional techniques that were highly developed in the contemporary style, aspects that were particular to the classic modernist composers. His composition Blood on the Floor , is characterized by non-functional tonality (centricity) with a high degree of dissonance is present; form based on repetition; juxtaposition; and rhythmic drive.;In Blood on the Floor, however, Turnage did not focus on the differences between classical modernism and popular music genres, such as jazz-fusion, but instead on their similarities. In this work, Turnage did not simply combine jazz elements into a preexisting modern symphonic language implied by Gunther Schuller's definition of "Third Stream," which is a compositional style that is "halfway between jazz and classical music."2 Rather, his treatment of rhythmic drive in jazz-fusion and funk is, as Brian Hunt points out in the liner notes for the recording of Fractured Lines, "fundamental to [Turnage's] working method."3 Turnage, then, is a classically-trained composer who has come close to finding a style that integrates classical art music and pop genres.4;This paper will explore Turnage's unique musical language as a synthesis of jazz-fusion and modernist symphonic music. Blood on the Floor matches characteristics of two musical worlds. These similarities are found in the most fundamental aspects of his composition: melody, harmony, and rhythm. I will give an in-depth analysis of two movements, chapter I focuses on movement I, "Blood on the Floor" and chapter II on movement V, "Needles.";1 Peter Middleton, "Popular Music," in Grove Music Online, http://grovemusic.com/ (accessed 20 March 2008). 2 Gunther Schuller, "Third-Stream," in New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd ed., edited by Barry Kernfeld (New York: Macmillian Publishers, 2002), 745. 3 Brian Hunt, liner notes for Fractured Lines, by Mark-Anthony Turnage, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin con., Chandos, CHAN 10018, 6. 4 Other composers of the early twentieth century have used jazz or classical as a type of pastiche.

53 pages, NOOKstudy eTextbook