The Death Angel Gathers Its Last Harvest, Paradigm Shift, Nativity and the transcript of a lecture-recital; The Compositions of Jeff Cortazzo
ABSTRACTThis dissertation is comprised of three distinct musical works of large scope and differing instrumental forces. The first, a sonata for trumpet solo and piano is entitled The Death Angel Gathers Its Last Harvest. It is in three movements (fast-slow-fast), the middle movement being written especially for flugelhorn. Paradigm Shift is the second work and is scored for orchestra. In ABA form, it lasts at least ten minutes, is extremely powerful and has a relentless rhythmic pulse throughout.The final work, Nativity, is by far the longest work herein and encompasses the largest musical forces as well. In a total of eight movements and using text from three of the four Gospels, it musically portrays the dramatic events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ using orchestra, SATB choir and vocal soloists. Following Nativity is a transcript of a lecture-recital, which is the fourth and final component of this dissertation. The recital was comprised of four chamber works (which included The Death Angel Gathers Its Last Harvest). Two of the four pieces were presented as premieres. Those were Chamber Dances for string quartet and Arpeggiatic Suite for trombone quartet. Nightsounds for five clarinets was also on the program. Although the scores for these pieces are not included in this dissertation, there is a Figures section on the remaining pages. This was used as a visual aide during the lecture portions of the recital.The Death Angel Gathers Its Last Harvest was inspired by the first-hand account of Corporal Sam Watkins at the battle of Franklin, Tennessee during the American Civil War. Watkins was dispatched just before battle to deliver a message to the rear command. In fulfilling his duties he had completely missed the ensuing battle and, upon returning to the regiment, soon realized that quite literally everyone in his regiment had been killed and that he was the sole survivor. His flowery dialogue conjures up powerful images of carnage and death and was evocative of very clear musical ideas for me. I was able to separate Watkins’ text into three disparate ideas. These became the three movements; “The Arrival of the Death Angel,” “The Harvesting of Souls” and “Flight to Eternity.” The first movement, “The Arrival of the Death Angel,” begins with a declamatory trumpet gesture signifying the arrival of the death angel on the battlefield. This motive is also quite angular and accented, suggesting the cacophony of battle and the harsh reality of what was happening. In sharp contrast to the opening theme, the B theme is legato; its uppermost pitches descending chromatically. This composite descending motion suggests the fall to the earth after being wounded in battle. This descending aggregate seems like it happens in slow motion compared to the declamatory opening material and is a stark contrast to it. The accompaniment is almost entirely syncopated through this section, forever disallowing the peaceful trumpet theme to rest. This is by design and adds even more tension to the movement. The declamatory trumpet gestures return momentarily but eventually give way to the public domain hymn tune Prepare to Meet Thy God by J.H. Stanley, immediately following a brief arpeggiated piano transition. Although this hymn was published in 3⁄4 time, it is restructured here into 4/4. This, in addition to spreading out the entrances, gives this part of movement one a somewhat ambiguous or ethereal quality, as if it was being sung or hummed by the confused and bewildered souls of the dead soldiers, having just recently expired from this world. As this section progresses, the piano gets more and more active and the hymn tune fades in volume but is augmented rhythmically. This allows the piano to transition the movement back to the lyrical gestures of the B theme and then finally to the declamatory gestures of the A theme. The form is ABACBA coda. Movement two, “The Harvesting of Souls” is meant to be played on flugelhorn but not due to the range, which is near the upper tessitura of the instrument, but rather to keep any harshness in check that would surely be produced if B flat or C trumpet had been employed. The intent here is to evoke the image of the Angel gently picking up the dead soldier’s souls with its hands instead of harshly as if with a sickle (i.e., the Grim Reaper). The B theme starts in m.33 and, although it is still lyrical, it is much simpler than the A theme and is, due to the timbre of the flugelhorn, much more pensive sounding. The theme in the C section (m.60) is a loose combination of the rhythmic elements of the A theme as well as those of the last two measures of the B theme. The increased volume, a key change and syncopated rhythmic underpinnings suggest that this is certainly the apex of the movement. After a modulation back to the original key and a restatement of the original material, the movement ebbs away. The form is Introduction-ABBCA. (Since this sonata was composed, this movement is often performed as a stand-alone piece.) The third movement, “Flight to Eternity,” is brisk, with an extremely busy and repetitive accompaniment. It is evocative of flight, primarily in the solo part, due to its comparatively sparse melodic line, its aggregated “upward” melodic contour and its dynamic sequences. This movement was shortened from its original conception. This was requested specifically from the commissioner due to the taxing nature of the previous movement. It was thought that most soloists would not have the stamina to complete a third movement that would have been traditionally longer in proportion to the other movements given the embouchure strength needed to performing the second movement, thus it was shortened by 57 measures and is now actually the shortest movement of the piece in terms of duration. The second work, Paradigm Shift, is a tone poem for full orchestra that is in one movement. At just over 10 minutes in duration, its form is ternary (ABA) although the B section material is bifurcated; proceeding from a slow and very rubato 3/4 time to an increasingly busy and powerful 6/8 section. It is at the end of this latter section that the piece metrically modulates back to the A section material, eventually finishing the piece with chromatic ascending scalar passages which underlay the reconstituted opening melody. Thematically, Paradigm Shift is built upon a motive constructed of parallel major triads stacked in a poly-chord arrangement; E flat major/Dflat major- D flat major/B major- G major/F major. The poly-chord usage is only employed only in the beginning of the piece. The term “Paradigm Shift” was conceived by Thomas Kuhn in his 1962 book, The Structure of Scientific Revolution in which he argued that “scientific advancement is not evolutionary but is a series of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutions……and in those revolutions, one world view is replaced by another.” It is the composer’s opinion that this could actually apply to nearly every bit of learning we do as human beings; each new realization about a given topic replaces what was previously thought about it. In portraying this concept through music, a few different devices were employed: In each A section, the beat emphasis often changes from one measure to the next, creating the feeling of a “shift”. This is particularly effective due to the fact that the ostinato material above it does not change in tandem with the shift. These shifts continually ask a question in the first A section. Additionally, in each of the three sections, the material builds to higher and higher climaxes through volume, range and orchestration. This is to loosely portray a new idea or “paradigm” replacing an older one. The B section represents both a questioning of the validity of the material of the A section as well as a possible solution. It begins with a rather timid strain played by a woodwind trio (flute, clarinet and bassoon)- a welcomed contrast to the bombast of the A material. Here, the tonal center (g minor) is much more clear. This section is divided into two distinct subsections although the melodic components remain essentially unchanged. This bifurcated nature of the B material is another method of communicating the essence of a change in paradigm; the same theme is treated in a completely different way in the 6/8 section and allows the listener to envision the same material in a different light and therefore, in a sense, altering its meaning. The A section material finally returns and forms a driving coda in presto at m. 279. The piece culminates in a relentless ostinato and a restatement of the principle theme by the horns while the cross-orchestra chromatic ascending runs seem to slam the piece closed.The final piece, Nativity is an eight-movement sacred oratorio which musically frames the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. At just over 35 minutes in length it employs full orchestra and SATB chorus as well as soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and baritone soloists. The text is taken from the English Standard Version Bible (ESV) rather than earlier translations in order to offer a more easily understood libretto for contemporary listeners. Although the composition uses excerpts from the New Testament, it should not be assumed that it is intended as a Mass or a portion of a Mass. Rather, it is a dramatic adaptation of selected biblical passages.The actual intent of this composition was to musically portray the events leading up to, during and just after the birth of Jesus of Nazareth in chronological order, elucidating the drama and diabolical machinations of those evil forces that sought to kill the Christ child as well as the Lord’s providence which triumphed over them. It also includes John’s introduction to his Gospel where the he stipulates that Christ is the Word and the Word was with God in the beginning. This establishes Christ as deity and as God’s plenipotentiary. Nativity begins with this same material and although it is centered around Christ’s birth, it is definitely not a Christmas piece. That said, it would certainly be appropriate in certain settings, to perform it at that time of the year. A noteworthy aspect of Nativity is that although his birth coincided with Christ’s, all references to John the Baptist are omitted. References to Elizabeth and Zechariah (John’s parents) have also been omitted. This was done not to diminish the importance of Christ’s singular herald but rather for the sake of clarity and brevity. In fact, only those passages in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John pertaining directly to Jesus, Mary, Joseph and King Herod are used. The Gospel of Mark is void of any reference to the Birth story and so is not included in this work. Nativity begins with a tonal center of C with the higher voices in the chorus singing clusters. In m.33 the tenor soloist begins singing a recitative of the text to John 1:14, announcing that the angel Gabriel will be sent to Mary to inform her of her selection. The last note of this solo is concert A while many B flats surround it. This dissonance ushers in the very ominous m.39, signaling that not all is well. Movement one then gives way to an attacca into movement two, which is a highly manic musical interpretation of the interaction between Gabriel and the Virgin Mary. The third movement is essentially a text painting of the Magnificat of Mary from the Gospel of Luke. It is also a solo for mezzo-soprano in the key of A flat minor; with the chorus entering only briefly. The text is in the first person, suggesting that the mezzo is portraying Mary with this solo. Movement four, “Conception”, brings to the work the text to Matthew’s Gospel (1:18-25). It is largely an essay for strings, percussion, contains fugue-like passages and mostly unison choral writing until m. 395 when the choir, in 6-part harmony and rhythmic unison, prepares to utter the words of Isaiah the prophet. “Conception” ends with the fugue-like figures with the contrabasses in pizzicato. “Birth in Bethlehem”, movement 5, is intended to evoke the notion of a caravan travelling slowly over the desert. It utilizes the very common and often used text from Luke, Chapter Two, with a high tenor solo pitted against a trio of women and frames Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem to the shepherds returning to their fields praising God for what they had seen. It is here that the Arabic (double harmonic major) scale comes to full flower in an orchestral tutti, which is directly replaced by an a cappella D major chord in the final bar by the full chorus.Movement 6, entitled “Magi”, contains music that would be best described as mischievous. This is deliberate and highly appropriate in light of Herod’s notorious plans for the Messiah and the magi’s clever maneuvering by returning home using an alternate route. What is a relentless and persistent ostinato is framed by tri-tone figures in the bass instruments and parallel minor triads in between them. Sustained minor seconds high above this activity also suggest that not all is well. The text of Matthew 2:1-12 begins at m. 604 in the sopranos and altos. This section and sections like it are always in unison in this movement due to the rapidity of the lyrics in the melodic line. The unisons allow the audience to hear the text with more clarity. The tenors and basses, voiced in triads, do not enter until the magi speak. These sections begin with triads, and grow until, for example in m. 665, the choir is fully voiced into 10 parts and at full volume. This pattern of unison lines preceding homophonic chorale-like sections happens several times until the text is exhausted. The movement concludes with a brief instrumental coda beginning in m. 845. The penultimate movement, “The Flight to Egypt”, begins just after a very brief caesura and is perhaps the most frenetic part of the oratorio. It is framed by the text of an angel warning Joseph in a dream from Matthew 2:13-18. In ABA form, the movement portrays Joseph and Mary’s escape to Egypt and the slaughter of the first-borns of Bethlehem and the surrounding countryside. In m. 923 two 12-tone rows are deployed and are used in a fugato fashion in order to portray confusion. Some of the women are chosen to “weep loudly” (in accordance with the text). Metal swords in metallic sheaths are also used in the percussion in order to imitate the probable mode of execution used in that day. These two techniques are used simultaneously and suggest that these parents are seeing their sons slaughtered before their very eyes. The last portion of text is from Luke 2:40, the last statement of which is “…and the grace of God was upon Him”. For this, the orchestra is cleared of sound except for vlns.1 and 2 and the residual vibrations of keyboard percussion and harp, thus endowing this final choral statement with the weight it needs. The orchestra alone ends the oratorio by recalling material from movements one and two and by bringing the tonal center back to C, where the piece began.
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