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James Horner, Aaron Copland, and Three Fields of Inquiry SMT 2017 / Alexandria, VA Scott Murphy, University of Kansas ([email protected]) WORKS CITED Bates, Ian. 2012. “Vaughan Williams's Five Variants of “Dives and Lazarus”: A Study of the Composer's Approach to Diatonic Organization.” Music Theory Spectrum 34/1: 34–50. Bushard, Anthony. 2015. “The Very Essence of Tragic Reality: Aaron Copland and Thomas Newman’s Suburban Scoring.” In Anxiety Muted: American Film Music in a Suburban Age, 260–85. Edited by Stanley C. Pelkey II and Anthony Bushard. New York: Oxford University Press. Caplin, William E. 2008. “Schoenberg’s ‘Second Melody,’ or ‘Meyerbed’ in the Bass.” In Communication in EighteenthECentury Music, 160–88. Edited by Danuta Mirka and Kofi Agawu. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.’ Gjerdingen, Robert. 2007. Music in the Galant Style. New York: Oxford University Press. Hook, Julian. 2008. “Signature Transformations.” In Music Theory and Mathematics: Chords, Collections, and Transformations, 137–160. Edited by Jack Douthett, Martha M. Hyde, and Charles J. Smith. Rochester: University of Rochester Press. Klein, Michael. 2005. Intertextuality in Western Art Music. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Kleppinger, Stanley V. 2009. “A Contextually Defined Approach to Appalachian Spring.” Indiana Theory Review 27/1: 45–78. Lerner, Neil. 2001. “Copland's Music of Wide Open Spaces: Surveying the Pastoral Trope in Hollywood.” The Musical Quarterly 85/3: 477–515. Morgan, Robert. 1998. “Symmetrical Form and CommonbPractice Tonality.” Music Theory Spectrum 20/1: 1– 47. Rings, Steven. 2011. Tonality and Transformation. New York: Oxford University Press. Seeger, Charles. 1930. “On Dissonant Counterpoint.” Modern Music 7/4: 25b26. Tymoczko, Dmitri. 2011. A Geometry of Music: Harmony and Counterpoint in the Extended Common Practice. New York: Oxford University Press. EXAMPLES Example 1. Copland, Appalachian Spring, Suite, mm. 78–83 (from Lerner 2001)

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Page 1: James&Horner,&Aaron&Copland,&and&Three&Fields&of&Inquiry ...societymusictheory.org/files/2017_handouts/murphy.pdfExample!2.!The!“Copland”!schema,!in!the!manner!of!Gjerdingen!2007.!!

James&Horner,&Aaron&Copland,&and&Three&Fields&of&Inquiry! SMT!2017!/!Alexandria,!VA!Scott!Murphy,!University!of!Kansas!([email protected])!

!

WORKS!CITED!

!Bates,!Ian.!2012.!“Vaughan!Williams's!Five%Variants%of%“Dives%and%Lazarus”:!A!Study!of!the!Composer's!

Approach!to!Diatonic!Organization.”!Music%Theory%Spectrum%34/1:!34–50.!

Bushard,!Anthony.!2015.!“The!Very!Essence!of!Tragic!Reality:!Aaron!Copland!and!Thomas!Newman’s!

Suburban!Scoring.”!In!Anxiety%Muted:%American%Film%Music%in%a%Suburban%Age,!260–85.!Edited!by!Stanley!C.!Pelkey!II!and!Anthony!Bushard.!New!York:!Oxford!University!Press.!

Caplin,!William!E.!2008.!“Schoenberg’s!‘Second!Melody,’!or!‘Meyerbed’!in!the!Bass.”!In!Communication%in%EighteenthECentury%Music,!160–88.!Edited!by!Danuta!Mirka!and!Kofi!Agawu.!Cambridge:!Cambridge!University!Press.’!

Gjerdingen,!Robert.!2007.!Music%in%the%Galant%Style.!New!York:!Oxford!University!Press.!

Hook,!Julian.!2008.!“Signature!Transformations.”!In!Music%Theory%and%Mathematics:%Chords,%Collections,%and%Transformations,!137–160.!Edited!by!Jack!Douthett,!Martha!M.!Hyde,!and!Charles!J.!Smith.!Rochester:!University!of!Rochester!Press.!

Klein,!Michael.!2005.!Intertextuality%in%Western%Art%Music.!Bloomington:!Indiana!University!Press.!

Kleppinger,!Stanley!V.!2009.!“A!Contextually!Defined!Approach!to!Appalachian%Spring.”!Indiana%Theory%Review!27/1:!45–78.!

Lerner,!Neil.!2001.!“Copland's!Music!of!Wide!Open!Spaces:!Surveying!the!Pastoral!Trope!in!Hollywood.”!The%Musical%Quarterly%85/3:!477–515.!

Morgan,!Robert.!1998.!“Symmetrical!Form!and!CommonbPractice!Tonality.”!Music%Theory%Spectrum!20/1:!1–47.!

Rings,!Steven.!2011.!Tonality%and%Transformation.!New!York:!Oxford!University!Press.!

Seeger,!Charles.!1930.!“On!Dissonant!Counterpoint.”!Modern%Music%7/4:!25b26.!

Tymoczko,!Dmitri.!2011.!A%Geometry%of%Music:%Harmony%and%Counterpoint%in%the%Extended%Common%Practice.!New!York:!Oxford!University!Press.!

EXAMPLES!

!

Example!1.!Copland,!Appalachian%Spring,!Suite,!mm.!78–83!(from!Lerner!2001)!

! !

Page 2: James&Horner,&Aaron&Copland,&and&Three&Fields&of&Inquiry ...societymusictheory.org/files/2017_handouts/murphy.pdfExample!2.!The!“Copland”!schema,!in!the!manner!of!Gjerdingen!2007.!!

!

Example!2.!The!“Copland”!schema,!in!the!manner!of!Gjerdingen!2007.!!

THE COPLAND The Copland, while resembling a cadential gesture, can also serve to initiate a formal unit as a self-contained, albeit concise, idea. Its primary source is the ballet Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland; however, Copland’s progression continued to tonic harmony. It was taken up by film composers around the turn of the twenty-first century as a concise signifier of Americana and wide-open spaces, but also of the harshness of those spaces, of determination, and of self-determination.

~1 second ~1 second !

! Central Features

• Three relatively long events, with the first beginning on a metrically strong position, usually a downbeat.

• In the melody, a stepwise descent through scale degrees 4, 3, and 2. • In the bass, a stepwise rise through scale degrees 3, 4, and 5. • A progression of three harmonies, usually on tonic, subdominant, and dominant.

Variants

• The inner voices may be altered or even vacated. • The anacrusis may be modified or even omitted. • The melody of the third event may change from scale degree 2. • The third event may be omitted; additionally, the first two events may be played backwards.

! !

Page 3: James&Horner,&Aaron&Copland,&and&Three&Fields&of&Inquiry ...societymusictheory.org/files/2017_handouts/murphy.pdfExample!2.!The!“Copland”!schema,!in!the!manner!of!Gjerdingen!2007.!!

!

Example!3.!List!of!some!“Coplands”!in!film!music!since!1995.!

!

Title& Composer& Year& Time& Schematic&Alterations&

Narrative&Context&

Apollo%13% James!Horner! 1995!

0:41–

0:54!

Third!chord!altered!

in!second!

presentation!

Apollo!1!crew!walk!toward!

their!craft,!voicebover!tells!of!

Kennedy’s!challenge!

2:13:30–

2:13:43!

Third!chord!altered!

in!second!

presentation!

Apollo!13!crew!come!aboard!

the!recovery!carrier!U.S.S.!Iwo%Jima;!a!voicebover!summarizes!the!future!events!of!major!

characters!

The%Perfect%Storm% James!Horner! 2000!

1:17–

1:25!None!

Gloucester!City!Hall:!wall!

listing!fisherman!who!have!

lost!their!lives!at!sea!

Joe%Somebody%

George!S.!

Clinton!2001!

6:05–

6:18!No!anacrusis!

Divorced!father!travelling!to!

the!city!to!see!his!daughter!

12:25–

12:46!No!anacrusis,!slower!

Immediate!aftermath!of!father!

humiliated!in!front!of!

daughter!

1:26:19–

1:26:17!None!

Father!heroically!chooses!nonb

violence!at!film’s!climax!

Windtalkers% James!Horner! 2002!

2:10–

2:32!None!

Concludes!opening!aerial!shot!

of!Monument!Valley!during!

title!credits!

31:04–

31:24!None!

Native!American!defends!his!

choice!to!fight!in!WWII!

Flyboys% Trevor!Rabin! 2006!26:30–

27:09!

Anacrusis!and!

chords!separated,!

third!chord!withheld!

then!altered!

a!fresh!set!of!war!planes!for!

the!L'Aéronautique%militaire%of!WWI!arrives!as!an!American!

pilot!looks!on!

Evan%Almighty% John!Debney! 2007!

30:55–

31:40!

First!and!third!

presentations!

followed!by!vi!

(^1!in!treble)!

God!shows!Evan!the!suburban!

valley!as!it!was!first!created,!

and!encourages!him!to!build!

the!ark!

The%Magnificent%Seven%

James!Horner!

and!Simon!

Franglen!

2016!20:12–

20:30!

No!anacrusis,!

modally!

repositioned!

Widow!demands!that!a!bounty!

hunter!hear!her!plea!for!

revenge!against!her!husband’s!

murderer!

! !

Page 4: James&Horner,&Aaron&Copland,&and&Three&Fields&of&Inquiry ...societymusictheory.org/files/2017_handouts/murphy.pdfExample!2.!The!“Copland”!schema,!in!the!manner!of!Gjerdingen!2007.!!

!

Example!4.!Dissonant!voice!exchange!in!the!“Copland.”!

!! 9! 7!

!

Example!5.!Cadential!treble!and!bass!lines!in!the!“Copland.”!

!

!

!!

!

Example!6.!Reduction!of!Appalachian%Spring,!mm.!80–97%(from!Kleppinger!2009).!

!!

Example!7.!Minimal!deviations!of!the!“Copland”!from!isochrony!(in!this!case,!in!the!treble!

line)!to!achieve!more!consonance!between!cadential!treble!and!bass!lines.!

!

!! 10! 8! 6b5! 10! 8b7! 5! 10b9! 7! 5! 8! 6! 5!

5!^!

4!^!

3!^!

2!^!

1!^!

5!^!

4!^!

3!^! 1!

^!

Page 5: James&Horner,&Aaron&Copland,&and&Three&Fields&of&Inquiry ...societymusictheory.org/files/2017_handouts/murphy.pdfExample!2.!The!“Copland”!schema,!in!the!manner!of!Gjerdingen!2007.!!

!

Example!8.!Two!thematic!transformations!from!John!Williams’s!score!to!Star%Wars%IV:%A%New%Hope.!!!! change!of!tonal!center!relative!to!melody!!0:00:36! 1:56:38!

!!!! !Bb:! F#:!!! change!of!species!!1:55:24!

!G#:!!!!!Example!9.!The!“Copland”!(expressed!diatonically)!transformed!into!Horner’s!“stretched!Copland”!

! !! 9! 7! 9! 7!!!

^!5!

^!5!

^!3!semitone!!tone!! \! /!

semitone!!tone!! \! /!

tone!!semitone!!!! \! /!

Page 6: James&Horner,&Aaron&Copland,&and&Three&Fields&of&Inquiry ...societymusictheory.org/files/2017_handouts/murphy.pdfExample!2.!The!“Copland”!schema,!in!the!manner!of!Gjerdingen!2007.!!

!

Example!10.!Two/dimensional!“intratextual!field”!situating!variants!of!the!“stretched!Copland”!in!Field&of&Dreams!

!!Example!11.!James!Horner,!Field&of&Dreams,!1:39:39!(“Coplands”!in!soprano!and!tenor,!marked!by!brackets;!contrasting!lyrical!theme!in!alto)!!!!

!!Example!12.!“Field!of!Dreams”!culmination!as!consequent!of!an!intertextual!transpositional!period.!!Example!1!(in!C).! ! Example!2.! ! Example!11.!! Interruption! T5! !

!! IV! V! I! IV! V! “IV”! “V”! I!

3!!!!!!!!!!3! 6!!!!!!!!!6!

, !

IAC! HC! “IAC”!