| Zappa covers and some originals | "The modern-day composer refuses to die" |
fdfdfdffdf
|
|
| Zappa covers and some originals | "The modern-day composer refuses to die" |
fdfdfdffdf
|
|
 ZAPPA HIMSELF !NEW! THE
ZAPPARIZED CLASSICS Bartok's Mikrokosmos: Mikrokosmos
113 (13KB) Debussy: La Cathedrale Engloutie (22KB) ORIGINALS Credits: Erik's Boogie: Peter
Forbes email comments to Some Zappa links |
Frank Zappa (1940-1993) is one of
the few composers in the history of western music to have
invented a genre. Zappa's music is more than just
stylistically original and instantly recognizable as his,
by bringing rock and jazz percussion naturally into the
realm of classical composition he overcame a schism that
existed at the heart of western music since the emergence
of art music. Classical musicians have always
differentiated their music from 'dance' music, however
much they may have borrowed melodies and rhythms from
folk and popular dance tunes. This has meant that the resource of a rhythm section has been denied to classical composers. Some have realized this: Ravel commented on 'the poverty of western percussion'. In the 20th century, the rhythm section has been perfected by jazz and rock music to the point where it has to be seen, not as the provider of dance rhythms, but as ensemble element in its own right. Nobody dances t o Zappa's pieces, with their tempo changes, spiky melodies and outrageous time signatures (7/16. 11/16 etc). This is music to listen to, equally rich in melody, harmony and rhythm. The result covers so much aural territory it tickles the brain in the way only the most intricate music can. Zappa's achievement is equivalent to the invention of jazz, but there is no single figure here, only a succession of great figures who gradually refined the concept. Bach comes to mind for The Well-Tempered Clavier, showing that using the tempered scale music could be played interchangeably in any key. The composers Zappa is usually associated with are Stravinsky, Bartok and, above all, Varèse, who Zappa claimed as his main influence. But it seems in terms of his originality and quirkiness that Satie is a more comparable figure. Both were parodists who were fascinated by 'generic' music. Satie invented music to be used in the most humble way, as an accompaniment to life, music for use or even muzak. Zappa constantly reworks stock musical ideas, lounge music, film music, music that generically is used to express certain moods. Zappa both mocks such music and celebrates it. He is a musical expressionist, fascinated by the way certain patterns of notes evoke the same mood in most listeners. This is why is music is so powerful because his best compositions sound as if they had to exist, their musical logic is so compelling. The 20th century ended with a huge question mark over the status of serious music. Serialism was a dead-end and it sometimes seems as if jazz will be regarded as the most significant music of the second half of the century. But Zappa found a way to marry the advances of the great early 20th century masters to advances in recording technology, computer-synthesized music and rock and jazz rhythms. The genre he invented is immensely fertile and if, so far, he has few acolytes, despite his enormous posthumous fame and continuing record sales, this will surely change. Zappa is also one of the drollest of musical philosophers, a provocateur who campaigned for serious music by beating the outrageous rock world at its own game. His verbal invention shows in the titles he gave his pieces and his uncompromising stance was applied to every aspect of the music-making process, including the business side. No other figure in contemporary music has a profile remotely like his. |
