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.
 


































































































































































































































 

 

















































































































































































































































































































 


 

 

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“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.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







!!"#$


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())#





















 


 

 

 

 

 

“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.