GRIEF: SUITE FOR RHYTHM SECTION A CREATIVE PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF MUSIC BY ELYSIA A. ARNTZEN DR. ELEANOR TRAWICK ADVISOR BALL STATE UNIVERSITY MUNCIE, INDIANA DECEMBER 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS Essa on Grie: Suite or Rhthm Section 1 Biliograph 1 Appendix: Score o Grie: Suite or Rhthm Section 14
An Essa on Grie: Suite or Rhthm Section I have ritten a one-movement suite titled Grie or our-piece rock and consisting o electric guitar, piano, electric ass, and drum set. It is programmatic, ith each section representing a dierent stage o the grieving process, as outlined Elisaeth Küler-Ross. 1 A e musical motives are present throughout the ork to create a sense o unit, although each section has its on character. The instrumentation I have chosen is a ver common tpe o ensemle, and exists at oth an amateur and a proessional level. M intention ith this piece is to create something that oth is accessile to the pulic and amateur musicians, and also is appropriate or the concert hall and can e perormed classicall-trained musicians. This tpe o piece, hich alls into oth the rock and the ne-music orlds, is not uncommon, especiall over the last e decades. There are man instances o classical composers orroing ideas rom rock music, and vice versa. Minimalism and rock music o the 1960s shared a lot o similar traits such as repetition and simple harmonies. Composers such as Terr Rile, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass and ands such as The Who and The Velvet Underground shared these common traits, and oten a common audience. 2 In the 1970s, rock groups such as Pink Flod and Emerson, Lake & Palmer created rock songs ith the same sort o experimentation that as common in ne music o that time. Rock music ecame more o a signiicant inluence on ne music in the 1980s. Peter Gordon s Love o Lie Orchestra, or LOLO, perormed a variet o music inluenced pop, rock, or jazz. Another important composer o the 70s and 80s is Laurie Anderson. She made 1 Elisaeth Küler-Ross and David Kessler, On Grie and Grieving (Ne York: Scriner, 2005), 7 28. 2 Alex Ross, The Rest Is Noise (Ne York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007), 55 575. 1
use o ne technolog and rock instruments, and also collaorated ith rock musicians such as Peter Gariel. Heav metal is one orm o rock music that has especiall een inluenced classical music. Not onl have metal musicians orroed techniques rom composers such as Bach and Vivaldi, ut man o them egan as classical musicians. Both Eddie Van Halen and Sedish guitarist Yngie J. Malmsteen, knon in the United States or alums such as Rising Force and Odsse, ere given classical music training as children eore ecoming aardinning guitarists. Malmsteen s inspiration comes rom composers such as Paganini and Vivaldi, hile Van Halen is inspired Deuss and Bach. 4 Contemporar ne music ensemles such as Bang on a Can and post-minimalist composers such as Louis Andriessen use techniques similar to those o rock music, and oten use the same instruments as ell. The composers o Bang on a Can are Michael Gordon, Julia Wole, and David Lang. Michael Gordon especiall has a large od o orks or electronics and ampliied instruments. Trance is a piece ritten or the group Icereaker that uses electric guitar and electric ass as ell as inds and percussion. Trance is minimalistic in nature, and includes sections o ver idiomatic solos or the guitar and ass, similar to those in rock pieces. Andriessen has a numer o orks using electric guitars, including Orpheus, De Materie, De Staat, and Hout. De Staat lends traditional orchestral instruments ith contemporar ones in a large ensemle, including inds, electric guitar, ass guitar, and ampliied voices. The text used in De Staat comes rom Plato s Repulic. Much o Andriessen s music is inluenced minimalism, including sections o De Staat. Andriessen uses the church modes, namel Phrgian and Ldian in De Staat, hich is something that I have picked up as a composer. The piece egins ith driving chords in the inds, reminiscent o Stravinsk s Rite o Spring, then John Schaeer, Ne Sounds (Ne York: Harper & Ro, 1987), 241 255. 4 Roert Walser, Eruptions: Heav Metal Appropriations o Classical Virtuosit, Popular Music 11, no. (1992): 26 04, http://.jstor.org/stale/9111 2
transitions into a ne section ith electric guitar and vocals. Throughout the piece, there is a juxtaposition o dierent material that seems to have varing inluences. Sections ith the electric guitar sound oth minimalistic and rock-inluenced. De Staat is deinitel a concert ork, ut includes elements o rock music as ell, hich I elieve makes it ver accessile. It is m intention that Grie should e oth accessile to the average listener, and a challenge or an ensemle o trained musicians. I think composing music like this is important ecause electric instruments are ver prevalent right no, and I elieve the could come to orm a standard chamer ensemle in the uture. Some o m on inluences or Grie have een rock ands that I enjo listening to. A e ands that have had a speciic inluence on Grie are Black Saath, Sstem o a Don, and Papa Roach. In m analsis, I ill discuss places in the music here I have alluded to pieces these ands. The orm o Grie is a ive-part suite in one movement. Each section is ased on a stage o the grieving process as descried Elisaeth Küler-Ross. 5 Rather than creating ive separate movements, I chose to connect them. While the same eect could have een created simpl instructing the movements e plaed attacca, I did not ish them to e plaale as separate movements. Because grieving is a process, it seems appropriate to make the sections inseparale. Admittedl, I reer to them alternatel as sections and movements hen rehearsing. Similarities eteen Grie and a traditional suite include alternation o tempos, and a dierent overall character in each section. Grie consists o ive sections, olloing the ive stages o grie. Küler-Ross outlines these stages as denial, anger, argaining, depression, and acceptance. 5 Küler-Ross and Kessler, 7 28.
Denial maniests itsel in the orm o shock, and diselie that something ad could have happened. 6 The irst section o the piece, Denial, egins ith a slo and stead pulse, signiing an unillingness to accept change. The melodic lines o this section eature pitch ends to represent uncertaint. This irst section is rie, and gros into the next section, Anger. According to Küler-Ross, anger can e turned toard anone, or can maniest itsel in the orm o guilt. 7 This second section o the piece is the astest and loudest section o the piece ecause anger is a ver ovious emotion. The end o the second section comes to a sudden halt ith sustained chords and a slo melodic ragment in the piano. Bargaining is the third section, and eatures the drum set ith interruptions the rest o the ensemle. Bargaining as a stage o the grieving process involves considering hat could have een changed and ishing there as still a a to ix the situation. 8 The conversation created eteen the drum set and other instruments signiies someone attempting to ix the situation ut receiving the same anser each time. The third section ends in silence, leading into the ourth section, Depression. The ourth section is the sloest and revolves around a dark, ull-diminished 7 th chord. As a stage o the grieving process, depression is the ull realization o loss, and maniests itsel in letharg, ithdraal, and extreme sadness. 9 Rhthmicall, Depression is unstale, eaturing polrhthms eteen the piano and drum set as ell as actual reaks in the sound. The slo tempo and occasional stops represents someone eeling hopeless and trudging through the da ithout reall enjoing it. Acceptance is aout coming to terms ith loss and deciding to live ith it. It is not aout eing happ, ut aout continuing on ith lie. 10 Acceptance, the ith and inal section, gros out o the last sustained note o the previous section. It egins slol, 6 Küler-Ross and Kessler, 8 11. 7 Küler-Ross and Kessler, 11 16. 8 Küler-Ross and Kessler, 17 20. 9 Küler-Ross and Kessler, 20 24. 10 Küler-Ross and Kessler, 24 28. 4
ith a melodic ragment that has een used eore, and eventuall gros into a somehat optimistic-sounding theme. This inal section rings ack themes rom eore hile retaining a lighter mood. Acceptance is happier, ut not too happ. While the mood is lighter, the process o grieving is not orgotten, and the inal chord o the piece is a dominant 7 th chord rather than a stale tonic triad. Having discussed the overall orm and its connections to the grieving process, I ill no go into greater detail aout each section. Denial egins ith a stead pulse rom the ass drum olloed a pitch end donard, similar to the eginning o Black Saath s Iron Man. The similarit doesn t continue throughout the section, ut it is a noticeale allusion to the amous rock piece. This section is a slo 60 eats per minute (pm) and in A Phrgian. The irst three sections ill e in the Phrgian mode, hich I have chosen instead o minor to create a mood appropriate to grieving. The guitar comes in at the pickup to m. 5 ith a ragment o the Denial theme, ut the irst ull statement o the theme occurs in mm. 16 19 eteen the guitar and piano (Example 1). While this theme is usuall ragmented rather than stated ull, the triplets alternating scale degrees 1 and 5 ecome a major eature in the accompaniment throughout the entire piece. In act, the polrhthm created the triplets against the sixteenth notes in the drum also ecomes a major eature in all sections o the piece. The steadiness o the ass drum in this irst section represents someone eing unilling to accept change, hile the pitch ends in the guitar represent instailit. The Denial section o the piece graduall uilds in speed and loudness, signiing that it is impossile to continue dening or ignoring something that has happened. 5
Example 1: Denial theme, mm. 16 19, electric guitar and piano Anger egins loudl at tice the tempo o the previous section, 120 pm, ecause anger is not an emotion that is usuall hidden. The ke is F Phrgian. A second allusion to a amous rock song occurs in the drum set part at m. 0. On the surace, it sounds similar to the rhthm used in Sstem o a Don s Chop Sue. I use sixteenth notes in the ass drum, hich requires the drummer to have to pedals, representing the adrenaline hich usuall accompanies anger. The Anger theme is stated in the guitar in mm. 28 0 (Example 2), hile another theme is stated in the ass in mm. 2 5. The theme in the ass is actuall a ragment o the Acceptance theme rom the ith section, hich ill e discussed in detail later. The one-measure motive in the piano at m. 6 is onl present in the Anger section, and is derived rom the Fionacci sequence assigning each numer to a pitch (Example ). In this case, 0 is E natural, 1 is F natural, and so orth. While this process creates a repeating pattern, I onl use a ragment o the sequence to add interest to the music. The Fionacci motive is not a theme in itsel, ut is a eature o the Anger section. At m. 7, the ass takes the melod and ecomes the eatured instrument o the second section hile the other instruments take on an accompaning role. The guitar periodicall plas a loud, dissonant chord, signiing an angr outurst hile the piano alternates eteen triplets and eighth notes in a lo register. In mm. 40 44, the melod is a long 6
descent sudivided into triplets, hile the drum set plas a commonl used pattern hich rotates a sixteenth note ever measure. The ass part returns to the Anger theme at m. 46, and continues until m. 55, here another ragment o the Acceptance theme occurs. The other instruments join in, creating an orchestrated crescendo through m. 61. At m. 66, the guitar and piano drop out completel, leaving the ass to develop the second section theme. The piano returns ith its one-measure motive at m. 77, and in m. 78 the melod returns to the guitar. In mm. 80 82 there is a long spiral donard representing anger susiding, olloed ive measures o quieter, sustained notes. The piano plas a ragment o the Acceptance theme slol and in the loest register o the instrument. Example 2: Anger theme, mm. 28 0, electric guitar Example : motive using Fionacci sequence, m. 6, piano Bargaining is slightl sloer than the previous section at 100 pm and egins quietl. Rhthmicall, this section is inspired a hispered line in Papa Roach s Getting Aa With Murder, the vocal part o hich uses groups o three sixteenth notes to thro o the meter. Bargaining uses groups o three as a motive, not just sixteenth notes, ut also eighth notes and 7
triplets. The ke is D Phrgian, although the eatured instrument is drum set. This section includes long drum solos ith interjections the ensemle, representing someone tring to make a situation right, ut eing met ith the same anser. That anser is the same ever time, signiing an inailit to change a past event. The melodic material in Bargaining is not a separate theme, ut rather an adaptation o the Acceptance theme hich ill e heard later. The eginning o the section is quiet and sticks to the thematic material. The irst drum solo lasts rom m. 98 to m. 109, and gros in loudness. It is met ith a loud and ast version o the ith section material. The second drum solo egins loudl, ut drops to a suito piano at m. 120 as i restarting the argument. The solo crescendos to a mezzo orte and continues ith various groupings o three attacks until in mm. 15 18 here it plas to cmal rolls and gros to a ortissimo, as i concluding an argument ith a good point. This argument is met ith silence, leading to the next section. Depression is the darkest and sloest section, at hal the tempo o Bargaining, 50 pm, and in B Locrian. Within this darkest o modes, I introduce the pitch A, in order to create ull diminished 7 th chords, hich is the harmonic asis o this section. The piano is the eatured instrument in this section, and egins ith a statement o the Depression theme in mm. 19 141 (Example 4). This theme is ver similar to the Anger theme in contour, and could e vieed as another version o that theme (see guitar mm. 28 1). The Depression theme ends ith grace notes dropping to a pitch a hal step elo, representing tears. Descending hal steps are a ver traditional and common representation o sadness in music. While this section is slo, the melod eatures running sixteenth notes over a altz pattern in the drum set. This is the same polrhthm I have used throughout the piece, ut the instruments have sapped roles. In other sections, the drum set has had sixteenth notes hile the melod has included triplets. This 8
rhthmic conlict represents the imalance that someone eels hen depressed. In mm. 144 145, the piano plas a motive meant to represent a sigh. This motive ill recur throughout the Depression section. At m. 151 the ass and guitar take over the accompaniment, illing out the chords slightl. Mm. 156 157 come to a stop, representing the atigue associated ith depression. The music picks ack up, ut slos again in mm. 167 170, leaving a sustained D in the loest octave o the piano. Example 4: Depression theme, mm. 19 141, piano Acceptance egins ith the sustained D rom the previous section and graduall gros. The tempo is ack to 100 pm, ut the ke is uncertain at irst. Mm. 180 18 slo don and repeat ive notes, hich ill come to act in a dominant unction throughout this section. Finall, in mm. 184 188, the guitar states the Acceptance theme (Example 5), and the ke o E is estalished. The mode is mostl Mixoldian, ut ith the addition o a lat scale degree 6, hich creates a scale that is major at the ottom and minor at the top. The theme does not end on the tonic, and a lack o real resolution is representative o not eing ale to get ack hat as lost. Acceptance is not meant to e a happil ever ater or a orgetting o grie, ut an acceptance o the past and a decision to move orard. The section gros in complexit and loudness until m. 200 here all instruments pla an E-major chord loudl. To represent acceptance o the past, this inal section includes material rom all the others, hile staing in a righter mode. Starting at m. 197, the drum egins to pla groups o three attacks, similar to the third section, this time not 9
interrupting the meter. At m. 206, the guitar plas a ragment o the Denial theme. At m. 214, the guitar plas three descending chords reminiscent o the sighing motive in the ourth section. Finall, at m. 217, the piano states the Anger theme. From m. 21 24, there is a gradual crescendo to ortissimo, at hich point there is a inal drum set solo hich lasts until m. 245. From m. 245 249, the piano comines the Denial and Acceptance themes into one melodic line (Example 6), as representations o all themes are rought together until at m. 258, the guitar plas one inal statement o the Acceptance theme and in the last three measures, the ensemle settles on an E dominant 7 th chord ith an added lat 6th. The inal chord is meant to ring indeinitel rather than e cut o, smolizing that the past is not meant to e orgotten, ut emotional pain ades ith time. Example 5: Acceptance theme, mm. 184 188, electric guitar Example 6: Comination o Denial and Acceptance themes, mm. 245 249, piano I put together a and to perorm the piece on Octoer 28, 2014, on the Student Composers Forum concert in Sursa Hall on Ball State Universit s campus. Practicing ith an ensemle has een incredil helpul in editing the music, ecause I have een ale to hear the 10
piece on real instruments. In the irst e rehearsals, e actuall started ith practicing the last section, and graduall, e have orked our a ack to the irst section. Some diiculties ith the music have een the polrhthms, and the ke signature and tempo o the second section. These have een getting etter ith practice, hile there are other prolems that required changes to the music. Some o the edits I needed to make dealt ith alance and guitar chords. For these decisions, having an ensemle to practice ith as crucial. Perormer input has een ver important in orking on this piece. B practicing ith the and, I have een ale to make changes to the music to achieve the right alance. In the eginning section o the piece, I had ritten a lot o pitch ends, and m perormers helped me to use the est notation or the sound I anted. There ere also some pitch ends that had to e cut ecause o the speed or diicult o the music. In the second section, hich eatures the ass guitar, the piano ended up overpoering the ass, so I decreased the volume o the piano and also transposed the to instruments either up or don an octave at dierent points throughout that section. This helps the alance and also makes that section more interesting. The third section is trick, ecause drum set is not usuall notated or the plaer. Drum solos are similar to cadenzas, in that the plaer usuall ill improvise or the length o the solo and then signal to the rest o the ensemle hen the solo is over. I recognize that o the our instruments, the drum set part is the strangest ecause o the non-standardized notation, and the act that I am notating it at all. In the ourth section, here the piano is eatured and guitars are plaing accompaniment, e ended up experimenting ith some dierent chords in the guitar part ecause m original plan o taking over the piano s chords as not orking. A e other things that ere decided in rehearsal ere here to use distortion, and here to put eective rehearsal letters. B taking 11
advice rom m ensemle, I have een ale to create a inished piece that ill e easier and more idiomatic or uture perormers. In composing Grie, I have learned quite a it aout riting or electric guitar, electric ass, and drum set, hich I as previousl unamiliar ith. I hope that this knoledge allos me to rite uture orks using the same ensemle. I elieve that it is ver possile that the rock and ma ecome a standard chamer ensemle in the uture, and that orks eing ritten no could ecome part o that ensemle s standard repertoire. I hope that this piece ulills m purpose o creating an accessile ork or classicall trained musicians or talented amateurs, and I hope that it ill eventuall receive perormances at various venues. 12
BIBLIOGRAPHY Küler-Ross, Elisaeth, and David Kessler. On Grie and Grieving. Ne York: Scriner, 2005. Ross, Alex. The Rest Is Noise. Ne York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Schaeer, John. Ne Sounds. Ne York: Harper & Ro, 1987. Walser, Roert. Eruptions: Heav Metal Appropriations o Classical Virtuosit. Popular Music 11, no. (1992): 26 04. http://.jstor.org/stale/9111 1
Grie Elsia Arntzen Approx. 12'15" Elsia Arntzen, 2014 14
Instrumentation: Electric Guitar Piano Electric Bass Drum Set Program Note: Grie is a programmatic one-movement suite or our-piece rock and. Each section o the piece represents a dierent stage o the grieving process, as outlined Elisaeth Küler-Ross. First is "Denial," ith a slo and stead pulse hich quickens into "Anger," hich is ast and loud. "Bargaining" consists o a e drum set solos hich are interrupted the rest o the ensemle, creating a musical conversation. "Depression" is the sloest section in the dark locrian mode, ut once it ends, "Acceptance" changes the mood and gros in volume and texture until the end. Grie is meant to e oth a concert piece and a rock piece that can e plaed and enjoed oth classicall-trained musicians and amateurs alike. 15
Score Grie Suite or Rhthm Section Elsia Arntzen Electric Guitar & "Denial" q = 60 c ith distortion P & c Piano c Electric Bass c ith distortion start ith pitch ent upard ( ) P Drum Set c P 6 & ( ). start ith pitch ent upard 6 &.. P. n 6 6 Elsia Arntzen, 2014 16
Grie 12 & 12 & 12 12. F. A F F 17 & 17 &. n. n n n.. & 17 17 17
Grie 20 & 20 & & 20 20 n n n n 2 & 2 & 2. n n n 2 18
Grie rall. 26 &.. 26 & rall. "Anger" q = 120 n nn n 26 rall. rall. 26 29 &. n n 29 & 29 29 19
Grie 2 & n. n 2 & F 2.. 2 6 & 6 n... n. n... & n nn 6 6 æ 20
Grie 9 & 9 & n n n nn 9. n n Gliss. 9 42 & 42 & B let ring indeinitel n nn n... n. n... n... n. n... 42 n n Gliss. 42 21
Grie 45 & 45 & 45 45 n 48 & 48 & ( ) 48. 48 22
Grie 51 & 51 & let ring indeinitel n nn ( ) 51 51 54 & 54 & ( ) n... n. n... 54.. 54 2
Grie 58 & 58 let ring indeinitel n nn & C 58 58 62 & 62 & j let ring indeinitel n n j & 62 J.. j 62 æ. 24
Grie 66 & 66 & 66 66. J æ. æ æ. æ 70 & 70 & 70 n 70 æ æ æ. 25
Grie 74 & 74 & n... n. n... & n... n. n... 74 n n. 74 78 & 78 & n n n n n n 78 78 26
Grie 81 & n n n nn 81 & 81. P. & 81 Y Y 85 & 85 & n nn n n n n n n "Bargaining" q = 100 p. n n n 85 85 p n n n p. 27
Grie 89 & p. 89 & j. p. 89 89... J. p p 9 & 9 & 9. J 9.. 28
Grie 96 & 96 & let ring let ring 96. J. let ring 96...... P... 100 & 100 & 100 100........ 29
Grie 104 & 104 & 104 104 P... 107 & 107 & 107 107... 0
Grie 110 & 110 & D.... - -.... -.... - -.... - -.... -.... 110 ith pick 110. J 11 & 11 &.... -.... - 11. J 11 1
Grie 116 & 116 & 116. 116.... 120 & 120 & 120 120 @ @ @. suito p F. 2
Grie 124 & 124 & 124 124 F Yæ... 128 & 128 & 128 128 @. @ @ @ @ @. @. @ @
Grie 12 & 12 & 12 12 F @ @ @ j @ @. Y æ. Y æ. Yæ 18 & n n "Depression" q = 50 18 & n n n j j n n p una corda n. 18 n n 18 p 4
Grie 142 & 142 p u.c. & &. 142 142 p 146 & 146 & n. j j u.c. 146 146 5
Grie E 149 & 149 & n p u.c. 149 149 clean p p 152 & 152 p j n n j 152 152 6
Grie 155 &. p U 155 p j n j j U U n 155 155 p p U U 159 & n 159 159 n & 159 7
Grie 162 & p 162 & p 162 162 p j p j j j 166 &. 166 una corda. 166 166 æ Yæ let ring 8
Grie 171 & 171 "Acceptance" q = 100 π u.c. ( ) n clean p p 171 171 π p & 178 rit. let ring a tempo 178 n u.c. π 178 let ring p 178 9
Grie 185 & n P 185 p P u.c... & 185 n 185 P & 192 & 192 F F n n. n n 192 F 192. F J Yæ n Yæ F 40
Grie 198 & & 198 n. F ith distortion. 198 198. J. J ith distortion. j j.. J & 20. & 20 n n n. 20 j. 20 j.. @ æ j æ. @ æ j æ.. j 41
Grie 208 & & 208 n. 208 208. j æ. J @. n j æ. @ æ & 21 21 & n F 21 21 j æ. @ æ F 42
Grie 218 & & 218 n. F n 218 218. J F & 221 & 221 G n. j 221 221..... 4
Grie 224 & n & 224 n n n j n... 224 224 @ æ @ æ @..... & 227. j n & 227 n n n 227 227. Yæ... 44
Grie 20 & & 20 n n n.. 20 20 @! @..... æ. & 2 2 n & n n 2 2 j æ..... 45
Grie 27 & & 27 27 27. @ @ @ @.... @.! æ... & 241 & 241 241 241...... @... Y æ. 46
Grie 245 & H & 245... n n n 245 245. & 249 & 249.. n n n n 249 249. 47
Grie 25 & & 25. n n n n n n 25 25.. n 257 & n & 257 n n.. 257 n 257... @. 48
Grie 260 & n & 260... n n n n 260 260... n & 264 & 264 n n n U let ring indeinitel... U n.. 264 264 Yæ. Y æ. let ring indeinitel. U. U. let ring indeinitel let ring indeinitel U Y. 49