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Character Studies:
New Third Stream Music for
Winds
Presentation by Luke Norris
How does a ‘Third Stream’ approach help us
create new music in the 21st century?
Look into the past: 20th century tonality
(1901-2000)
Tonality (n): The organization of all the tones and
harmonies of a piece of music in relation to a tonic1.
Goal:
●
To engage in study and analysis of selected classical works and create long
form works classically derived instrumentation blended with a traditional
jazz quartet, linking improvisation and composition.
Analysis Methods
Composers Studied
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
1.
2.
3.
Form Charts
Score Study
JSTOR articles
Why Woodwind Sextet?
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994)
1.
2.
3.
Influenced by woodwind writing of
Stravinsky
Experience playing flute and clarinet
Achieve a Third Stream blend with this
wind instrumentation
Bob Brookmeyer (1929-2011)
George Russell (1923-2009)
Clare Fischer (1928-2012)
Wayne Shorter (1933-present)
What is ‘Third Stream’?
●
●
●
●
Term coined by Gunther Schuller @ Brandeis University lecture, 1957
Describes a synthesis of classical music and jazz2.
Jazz: Language, improvisation, rhythm
Classical: Instrumentation, forms, compositional devices
Gunther Schuller on what Third Stream is not:3.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
It is not jazz with strings.
It is not jazz played on "classical" instruments.
It is not classical music played by jazz players.
It is not inserting a bit of Ravel or Schoenberg between bebop changes—nor the reverse.
It is not jazz in fugal form.
It is not a fugue played by jazz players.
It is not designed to do away with jazz or classical music; it is just another option amongst many for today's creative musicians.
Important Third Stream Recordings
4.
Guiding Compositional Principles Derived from My Research
1.
The tritone can serve tonic function.
2.
Chromaticism and diatonicism work in tandem with each other.
a.
3.
Harmonize diatonic melody with chromatic harmony, chromatic melody with diatonic harmony, etc.
Octatonic scale use creates a sense of motion through destabilizing the tonic.
a.
works great as connective material.
4.
Strong outer voice (able to be inverted) counterpoint creates strong lines and unconventional harmonies.
5.
Thematic development helps generate long-form composition.
6.
7.
a.
Improvisers have the GIFT of endless thematic development at their disposal
b.
Variation, imitation, sequence, augmentation, diminution, etc.
Improvisation sections should utilize source material from the composition
a.
Improvising within specific language of the piece
b.
“Comprovisation” - etudes
The greatest composers can express the human experience through manipulation of musical materials.
1. Acceptance
●
●
Form based on Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, mvmt. 1
Triadic movement, diatonicism and shifting key centers
Principle #5: Form Chart for
Acceptance (Rough Draft)
Triad Pairs
●
●
Source material
First appearance serves as melodic
accompaniment, later iterations occur in
different textures
Principle #6:
Comprovisational
Material
●
●
Term coined by Danilo Perez
Improvising using specific language of the
piece
○ Ex. Re-use of triad pairs as
thematically related material
Principle #3: Octatonic use
●
●
Orchestrated in the low winds
Some pitches sustained to create a tonal
cluster
Principle #2: Balancing
Chromaticism and Diatonicism
●
●
Start with triadic material and diatonic
melody
Add chromatic harmony
2. Today’s Chorale
●
Form based on Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 mvmt. 3 Largo
○
●
Thematic use, drama
Considering the storytelling element of writing music
○
○
How can we express different emotions through raw musical means?
Access the human element of musical composition
Shostakovich 5 mvmt. 3
5.
Form Chart for Shostakovich 5
Mvmt. 3
Principle #5: Thematic
development generates
long forms
Aleatoricism and
Chorale
●
●
●
●
Aleatoricism: characterized by chance or
indeterminate elements
Notably utilized by Witold Lutoslawski
Short moments of contained thematic
improvisation for the classical players
Chorale dedication
○ Reminiscent of Alban Berg’s violin
concerto, Bach chorale included in
second movement9.
Principle #6:
Comprovisational
Material
●
●
Slash chords to provide harmonic
instability
Upper structures of chords suggest “UFO
material”
○ Term coined by Danilo Perez
○ Suggests the highest extensions of a
chord
3. Orchids
●
●
●
“The Ornette Coleman chords”
Bill McHenry influence
Inspired by Bartok’s pan-tonality, chromaticism of Stravinsky and early Schoen
Principle #1: C
and F# triad pairs,
Pedal Point
●
●
Introduction explores ‘outside’ and
extended harmonic sounds
Sonority famously used by Stravinsky in
2nd Tableau of “Petrushka7.”
○ 2 major triads separated by a tritone
8.
Principle #2: Melody
derived from “Ornette
Chords”
●
Diatonic melody supported by chromatic,
or in this case hybrid chord changes
Chord Sequences
●
●
●
●
●
Harmonic rhythm of 1 chord per bar
Variation of tritone chord relationship
○ Emin and Bbmin
Cyclic root movement and chromatic
chords
○ Feeling of instability
Long melodies that break from typical 4 or
8 bar phrases
○ Provides opportunity for more distant
sequences
“Which way is it moving?” - Danilo Perez
○ Considerations of bright and dark
harmony
Principle #4: Linear
Sonorities through
Counterpoint
●
Converging lines suggest harmony that
avoids being labeled with a chord
symbol
Realizations:
Third Stream principles encourage us to be inclusive. 21st
century music can blend cultures, folk musics, and rich
traditions to compose a new reality. A Third Stream blend
can be a microcosm of global identities.
Performers
Dan Elbert - Conductor
Thank you to:
Heidi Martin - Engineer
Allan Chase - Adviser
Grzeorgz Wlodarczyk - Bass
Aga Derlak - Piano
Connor Kent - Drums
Joe Melnicove - Flute
Shannon LeClaire - Committee Member
Bill Dobbins, Dave Rivello and Dariusz Terefenko for infinite
lessons learned after graduation
Nadya Kelly - Oboe
Matt Stubbs - Clarinet
Danilo Perez and Marco Pignataro for inspiration, mentorship,
and moral support!!
Evan Kopca - Bass Clarinet
My mom, grandma and the rest of my family!
Tyler Harper - Bassoon
Charlie Lincoln - Assistant Producer and Pizza Boy
Bibliography
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
1.
“tonality” , Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. “Third Stream.” 22 June 2019..
3.
Schuller, Gunther.: Musings: The Musical Worlds of Gunther Schuller; Oxford University Press, 1986; 0195037456
4.
Cerra, Stephen. 4 Nov 2017 posting. “Third Stream Music - From Three Perspectives - Part 2” Jazz Profiles. 21 June 2019.
5.
San Fransicso Symphony. Keeping Score. 22 June 2019.
6.
Nuño, Luis. “Bela Bartok’s Axis System.” 22 June 2019.
7.
Krumhansl, Carol L. and Mark A. Schmuckler. “The Petrushka Chord: A Perceptual Investigation.” Music Perception: An
Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Winter, 1986), pp. 153- 184
8.
Taruskin, Richard (Spring, 1987). "Chez Pétrouchka – Harmony and Tonality "chez" Stravinsky", p. 269, 19th-Century Music, Vol.
10, No. 3, Special Issue: Resolutions I., pp. 265–286.
9.
2.
New Third Stream Music for
Winds
Presentation by Luke Norris
How does a ‘Third Stream’ approach help us
create new music in the 21st century?
Look into the past: 20th century tonality
(1901-2000)
Tonality (n): The organization of all the tones and
harmonies of a piece of music in relation to a tonic1.
Goal:
●
To engage in study and analysis of selected classical works and create long
form works classically derived instrumentation blended with a traditional
jazz quartet, linking improvisation and composition.
Analysis Methods
Composers Studied
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
1.
2.
3.
Form Charts
Score Study
JSTOR articles
Why Woodwind Sextet?
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994)
1.
2.
3.
Influenced by woodwind writing of
Stravinsky
Experience playing flute and clarinet
Achieve a Third Stream blend with this
wind instrumentation
Bob Brookmeyer (1929-2011)
George Russell (1923-2009)
Clare Fischer (1928-2012)
Wayne Shorter (1933-present)
What is ‘Third Stream’?
●
●
●
●
Term coined by Gunther Schuller @ Brandeis University lecture, 1957
Describes a synthesis of classical music and jazz2.
Jazz: Language, improvisation, rhythm
Classical: Instrumentation, forms, compositional devices
Gunther Schuller on what Third Stream is not:3.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
It is not jazz with strings.
It is not jazz played on "classical" instruments.
It is not classical music played by jazz players.
It is not inserting a bit of Ravel or Schoenberg between bebop changes—nor the reverse.
It is not jazz in fugal form.
It is not a fugue played by jazz players.
It is not designed to do away with jazz or classical music; it is just another option amongst many for today's creative musicians.
Important Third Stream Recordings
4.
Guiding Compositional Principles Derived from My Research
1.
The tritone can serve tonic function.
2.
Chromaticism and diatonicism work in tandem with each other.
a.
3.
Harmonize diatonic melody with chromatic harmony, chromatic melody with diatonic harmony, etc.
Octatonic scale use creates a sense of motion through destabilizing the tonic.
a.
works great as connective material.
4.
Strong outer voice (able to be inverted) counterpoint creates strong lines and unconventional harmonies.
5.
Thematic development helps generate long-form composition.
6.
7.
a.
Improvisers have the GIFT of endless thematic development at their disposal
b.
Variation, imitation, sequence, augmentation, diminution, etc.
Improvisation sections should utilize source material from the composition
a.
Improvising within specific language of the piece
b.
“Comprovisation” - etudes
The greatest composers can express the human experience through manipulation of musical materials.
1. Acceptance
●
●
Form based on Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, mvmt. 1
Triadic movement, diatonicism and shifting key centers
Principle #5: Form Chart for
Acceptance (Rough Draft)
Triad Pairs
●
●
Source material
First appearance serves as melodic
accompaniment, later iterations occur in
different textures
Principle #6:
Comprovisational
Material
●
●
Term coined by Danilo Perez
Improvising using specific language of the
piece
○ Ex. Re-use of triad pairs as
thematically related material
Principle #3: Octatonic use
●
●
Orchestrated in the low winds
Some pitches sustained to create a tonal
cluster
Principle #2: Balancing
Chromaticism and Diatonicism
●
●
Start with triadic material and diatonic
melody
Add chromatic harmony
2. Today’s Chorale
●
Form based on Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 mvmt. 3 Largo
○
●
Thematic use, drama
Considering the storytelling element of writing music
○
○
How can we express different emotions through raw musical means?
Access the human element of musical composition
Shostakovich 5 mvmt. 3
5.
Form Chart for Shostakovich 5
Mvmt. 3
Principle #5: Thematic
development generates
long forms
Aleatoricism and
Chorale
●
●
●
●
Aleatoricism: characterized by chance or
indeterminate elements
Notably utilized by Witold Lutoslawski
Short moments of contained thematic
improvisation for the classical players
Chorale dedication
○ Reminiscent of Alban Berg’s violin
concerto, Bach chorale included in
second movement9.
Principle #6:
Comprovisational
Material
●
●
Slash chords to provide harmonic
instability
Upper structures of chords suggest “UFO
material”
○ Term coined by Danilo Perez
○ Suggests the highest extensions of a
chord
3. Orchids
●
●
●
“The Ornette Coleman chords”
Bill McHenry influence
Inspired by Bartok’s pan-tonality, chromaticism of Stravinsky and early Schoen
Principle #1: C
and F# triad pairs,
Pedal Point
●
●
Introduction explores ‘outside’ and
extended harmonic sounds
Sonority famously used by Stravinsky in
2nd Tableau of “Petrushka7.”
○ 2 major triads separated by a tritone
8.
Principle #2: Melody
derived from “Ornette
Chords”
●
Diatonic melody supported by chromatic,
or in this case hybrid chord changes
Chord Sequences
●
●
●
●
●
Harmonic rhythm of 1 chord per bar
Variation of tritone chord relationship
○ Emin and Bbmin
Cyclic root movement and chromatic
chords
○ Feeling of instability
Long melodies that break from typical 4 or
8 bar phrases
○ Provides opportunity for more distant
sequences
“Which way is it moving?” - Danilo Perez
○ Considerations of bright and dark
harmony
Principle #4: Linear
Sonorities through
Counterpoint
●
Converging lines suggest harmony that
avoids being labeled with a chord
symbol
Realizations:
Third Stream principles encourage us to be inclusive. 21st
century music can blend cultures, folk musics, and rich
traditions to compose a new reality. A Third Stream blend
can be a microcosm of global identities.
Performers
Dan Elbert - Conductor
Thank you to:
Heidi Martin - Engineer
Allan Chase - Adviser
Grzeorgz Wlodarczyk - Bass
Aga Derlak - Piano
Connor Kent - Drums
Joe Melnicove - Flute
Shannon LeClaire - Committee Member
Bill Dobbins, Dave Rivello and Dariusz Terefenko for infinite
lessons learned after graduation
Nadya Kelly - Oboe
Matt Stubbs - Clarinet
Danilo Perez and Marco Pignataro for inspiration, mentorship,
and moral support!!
Evan Kopca - Bass Clarinet
My mom, grandma and the rest of my family!
Tyler Harper - Bassoon
Charlie Lincoln - Assistant Producer and Pizza Boy
Bibliography
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
1.
“tonality” , Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. “Third Stream.” 22 June 2019..
3.
Schuller, Gunther.: Musings: The Musical Worlds of Gunther Schuller; Oxford University Press, 1986; 0195037456
4.
Cerra, Stephen. 4 Nov 2017 posting. “Third Stream Music - From Three Perspectives - Part 2” Jazz Profiles. 21 June 2019.
5.
San Fransicso Symphony. Keeping Score. 22 June 2019.
6.
Nuño, Luis. “Bela Bartok’s Axis System.” 22 June 2019.
7.
Krumhansl, Carol L. and Mark A. Schmuckler. “The Petrushka Chord: A Perceptual Investigation.” Music Perception: An
Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Winter, 1986), pp. 153- 184
8.
Taruskin, Richard (Spring, 1987). "Chez Pétrouchka – Harmony and Tonality "chez" Stravinsky", p. 269, 19th-Century Music, Vol.
10, No. 3, Special Issue: Resolutions I., pp. 265–286.
9.
2.
Media of
