PETER  CONNOLLY         Master  of  Music  Candidate  –  Contemporary   Performance             “Tradition  –  A  method  of  Change  in  Music”                              “An   Idea   changes   not   only   when   some   thinkers   believe   it   to   be   outworn,   but   when   other   thinkers   continue   to   hold   it.     An   idea   changes   in   its   persistence   as   well   as   in   its   rejection,   changes   “in   itself”   and   not   merely   in   its   appeal   to   the   mind.”1   Introduction       Background     From  an  early  age,  I´ve  had  many  musical  influences.    As  a  guitarist  growing  up   in   Ireland,   self-­‐tuition   was   an   important   driving   force   behind   my   musical   development.   However,   it   was   (and   continues   to   be)   the   organic   energy   of   flamenco   that   always   served   as   a   constant   source   of   inspiration.     My   years   of   Music   study   began   in   W.I.T   (Waterford   Institute   of   Technology),   2008.     I   began   studies   as   a   classical   guitarist   there,   but   soon   opted   for   jazz   studies,   having   realized   that   this   was   the   musical   vocabulary   with   which   I   could   best   express   myself.       Context   Since  my  completion  of  the  undergraduate  course,  I  have  been  searching  for  an   artistic  voice  through  composition.    Taking  this  Master´s  course  in  Valencia  has   expanded  my  horizons  when  approaching  composition.    This  is  due  to  the  many   influences  and  inspiration  I´ve  had,  sourcing  from  student  and  faculty  members,   as   well   as   visiting   artists   throughout   the   semester.     But   most   of   all,   the   experience   so   far   has   accentuated   my   passion   for   a   fusion   in   music.     Having   studied   classical   and   jazz   guitar,   and   being   heavily   inspired   by   flamenco   and   other   folkloric   music,   Berklee   Valencia   has   become   the   perfect   environment   to   put  my  notion  of  fusion  into  effect.     Proposal     Concept   The  principal  concept  of  this  project  is  to  create  compositions.    The  collection  of   transcriptions,   influences   etc.,   which   will   be   presented   with   a   set   of   compositions,   will   give   more   insight   into   the   development   and   process   of                                                                                                                   1  Waldman,  (1986),  pp  319   thought  involved  with  the  project.    The  Idea  is  to  create  music  which  shouldn´t   be   easily   categorized   –   music   that   is   fully   original,   but   rich   in   an   eclecticism   of   influences.       Justification   One  of  the  reasons  for  undertaking  this  project  is  to  demonstrate  the  importance   of  traditional  and  folkloric  music  through  the  use  of  modern  and  jazz  concepts  –   how   traditional   and   even   ethnic   music   continues   to   influence   music   today.     With   the  aid  of  arrangement  (a  tribute  to  my  major  influences)  and  transcription,  the   primary   objective   is   to   present   this   work   through   a   website,   detailing   the   connection   between   my   influences   and   my   music.     The   final   presentation   will   consist   of   a   live   performance   with   a   variety   of   musicians   that   have   had   a   great   deal  of  importance  in  helping  me  put  the  project  into  effect.           Actions   To   begin,   my   production   class   in   the   first   semester   served   greatly   towards   preparation.     In   this   class   I   composed   and   arranged   a   piece,   which   involved   creative   tasks   such   as   rehearsal,   performance   and   recording.     This   gave   way   to   other   technical   tasks   such   as   gathering   the   right   musicians   to   create   an   ensemble,  setting  rehearsals  and  so  on.    The  technological  tasks  attached  to  this   were   anything   but   few.     Throughout   the   semester,   I   have   gained   much   experience   through   recording,   editing   and   mixing   techniques.     All   of   these   proficiencies  have  helped  me  put  my  project  more  into  perspective.    As  a  result,  I   will  have  an  organized  agenda  going  into  the  second  semester  in  which  I  plan  to   get  all  my  music  recorded  with  the  aid  of  these  newly  acquired  practices.     Throughout   the   implementation   of   these   tasks,   I   will   intend   to   document   the   process  with  photographs  and  video  footage,  as  well  as  master  audio  recordings.     This  will  benefit  the  prospect  of  a  web  page  overall  design.   For  the  purpose  of  creating  a  timeline,  by  the  end  of  January  ´14,  I  plan  to  have   my   work   ready   for   rehearsals.     That   is   to   have   all   scores   and   arrangements   in   order.     This   enables   the   target   for   recording   to   be   completed   by   the   end   of   April/beginning  of  May.         The  Works     Before   detailing   the   extent   of   my   work   through   analysis,   it   is   important   to   mention   the   Berklee   Valencia   faculty   and   the   role   that   they   have   played   in   influencing   and   adding   depth   to   the   dimension   of   my   project.     Much   of   my   transcription   work   was   implemented   under   the   guidance   of   Perico   Sambeat   in   the   graduate   class   of   Topics   in   Improvisation.       The   ensembles   in   which   I   participated   also   broadened   my   horizons   in   terms   of   composition.     In   the   first   semester,   I   studied   in   Polo   Orti´s   Contemporary   Jazz   ensemble.     Here,   I   undertook   some   transcription   work   of   Polo´s   composition   “Revolusong”.     This   work  was  a  product  (or  reflection)  of  the  ensemble´s  influence:     Ex.  1                     “Revolusong”  (excerpt)            Composer  –  Polo  Ortí                 Topics  in  Improvisation  -­‐  Transcription         My  transcription  work  throughout  the  year  has  consisted  primarily  of  jazz  solos   –   a   timeline   format,   beginning   at   the   rise   of   the   era   (Louis   Armstrong,   Lester   Young).     Louis  Armstrong  Solo  Transcription     “Back  Home  Again  in  Indiana”                     …and   ending   with   the   hard-­‐bop   &   avant   garde   era   (Lennie   Tristano,   John   Coltrane).     Rodney  Jones  Solo  Transcription         “Giant  Steps”       The   learning   process   in   this   particular   class   served   greatly   towards   the   expansion  of  my  musical  vocabulary.    Many  of  the  directions  in  which  the  class   moved   in,   were   previously   uncharted   territories   for   me.     For   example,   an   area   of   jazz   music,   which   I   had   never   delved   into,   was   covered   with   a   great   deal   of   attention  paid  to  individual  contribution.       Miles  Davis  solo  trans.     “On  Green  Dolphin  St.”     While  this  catalog  of  transcriptions  reflects  the  modern  aspect  of  my  influences,   the   highlight   of   my   work   this   year   in   terms   of   transcription   emphasizes   the   concept  of  fusion.    The  title  of  the  piece  is  “Ragabop”.  I  transcribed  the  piece  in   the  early  stages  of  the  first  semester  and  it  has  served  as  an  emblematic  source   of  inspiration  throughout  the  year  in  terms  of  composition.         “Ragabop”  trans.     This  particular  piece  shed  a  lot  of  light  onto  the  project´s  concept.    It  is  a  perfect   example  of  fusing  tradition  with  modern  music.    Transcribed  before  I  had  even   chosen  a  subject  for  my  project,  I  wanted  to  see  how  far  I  could  travel  through   my  own  music  with  a  similar  concept.     Composition       “La  Drova”     Written   in   the   first   semester   of   the   academic   year,   this   is   the   first   of   four   compositions  recorded  this  year.    “La  Drova”  is  a  creative  representation  of  my   flamenco   influences   more   than   any   other.     It   is   named   after   a   village   of   the   Valencian  mountainside.    The  journey  through  time  signatures  here  creates  a  dynamic,  which  is  respectful   to  the  genre,  but  not  a  copy  of  it.       Structure   “A”   section   harmony   is   kept   quite   simple   due   to   the   rhythmic   movement.     The   melody  is  also  simplistic,  but  woven  by  the  5/8  &  6/8  time  signatures  to  paint  an   abstract   idea   of   tradition.     “B”   &   “C”   sections   were   introduced   as   a   contrasting,   responsive  element  to  the  main  theme.    This  is  also  achieved  through  the  use  of   odd  time  signatures.     The   solo   section   and   coda   are   “tribute”   sections   in   many   ways   to   the   common   Flamenco  palo  (name  of  any  given  flamenco  musical  form),  Bulería  (6/8).   As   much   as   flamenco   music   has   inspired   “La   Drova”,   credit   is   due   to   many   modern   influences,   such   as   Avishai   Cohen,   who   successfully   transmits   a   sense   of   tradition  through  composition.                                                                                                                                                                                           “Rounds”       This   composition   also   reflects   a   creative   approach,   in   the   sense   that   this   piece   was   written   in   January   completely   fresh,   i.e.   not   based   on   a   previous   original   idea.     It   is   a   demonstration   of   my   natural   influences,   i.e.   music   I   grew   up   with,   including  folk,  as  opposed  to  genres  that  I  approached  for  inspiration  in  a  more   analytical  way.  (Classical  &  Jazz)       There  are  some  other  artists  whom  are  worth  mentioning  that  have  inspired  this   process.    Tigran  Hamasyan  is  a  pianist  who  has  also  kept  closely  in  touch  with  his   Armenian  heritage.    He  successfully  expresses  this  through  composition.     Structure     The  A  melody  -­‐    Very  rhythmically  driven  but  both  melodically  and  harmonically   simple.     This   I   can   certainly   relate   to   eastern   folk   dances,   with   the   influence   of   classical   guitar   music   also.   Odd   time   signature   in   “B”   melody   used   here   to   give   the  impression  of  an  idea,  rather  than  the  execution  of  one.     The  idea  here  was  to  introduce  a  contrasting  section  with  a  darker  feel  to  the  A   melody.    In  this  melody  there´s  a  slight  presence  of  flamenco  tonality  shown  in   the  harmony  –  minor  2nd  movement.   Solo  section  -­‐  jazz  concept  of  improvisation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           ! !                                                                          !                         "  #                                                                                                                       “Coop´s  Dream”     In   this   particular   piece,   I   wanted   to   explore   a   very   different   horizon.     It   can   be   classified   as   a   funk/jazz/fusion   combination.     Setting   the   folk   driven   compositions  aside  for  a  while,  I  wanted  to  produce  a  piece  of  music  that  spoke   (or  didn´t  for  that  matter)  for  itself.    I  gave  it  this  particular  name  as  a  tribute  to   the  Television  series  “Twin  Peaks”.    In  a  way,  I  wanted  to  reflect  the  essence  of   surrealism  through  the  piece.   The  principal  characteristic  that  drives  this  piece  is  rhythmic  syncopation  in  the   melody.     The  harmony  is  purposely  kept  simple  in  order  to  give  way  to  the  rhythmically   active   melody.     However,   it   displays   a   consistent   and   rich   sense   of   modal   interchange  harmony.    (“A”  –  B  minor  to  B  major  &  “B”  –  F#  major  to  F#  minor).      Big  influences  here  (apart  from  the  above  mentioned  TV  show)  include  Joshua   Redman,  Adam  Rodgers  and  Chris  Potter.                                          !!"#$  %&$!!'                                                                                                                                                                             ())#                              “Tulla”       I  always  had  the  idea  of  transforming  a  well-­‐known  traditional  tune  –  be  it  Irish   or   Spanish.     Initially,   the   idea   was   to   experiment   with   a   slip   jig   –   which   is   the   classification  of  Irish  melodies  in  9/8  time…But  I  stumbled  upon  an  even  more   popular  tune  –  The  Tulla  Reel.   The   piece   forms   part   of   the   traditional   Irish   repertoire   but   was   popularized   in   the  20th  century  by  accordion  player,  Joe  Cooley  and  his  Tulla  Ceilí  band.   Prior  to  the  choosing  of  the  tune,  I  had  already  come  up  with  the  groove  (9/4)  –   this   is   why   I   tried   to   work   with   a   slip   jig   (As   mentioned   above)   because   of   the   9-­‐ beat   relationship.   After   the   melody   was   arranged   and   in   place   (a   stressed   anacrusis   at   the   end   of   every   phrase),   the   structure   took   form   with   an   improvised  solo  section.    The  instrumentation  also  provides  a  modern  context  -­‐       (Electric  guitar  &  electric  piano).   Also,  the  choice  of  bass  clarinet  was  to  mark  a  certain  contrast  between  that,  and   the  typically  high-­‐pitched  whistle,  which  is  commonly  heard  in  traditional  Irish   music.