Author:
Martin, Henry, 1950- author.
ImprintNew York : Oxford University Press, 2020.
Descriptionxxvii, 338 pages : illustrations, music ; 25 cm
Note:Introduction : Jazz composition and Parker as jazz composer -- Music background and compositional overview -- 32-bar rhythm changes compositions -- Other 32-bar AABA compositions -- 32-bar ABAC compositions -- Through-composed blues in C -- Through-composed blues in other keys -- 32-bar compositions with A section or partial A section -- Riff blues -- Improvisational frames with composed sections and non-standard works -- Summary and assessment.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (pages 317-323), discography (page 324) and index.
Note:"Charlie Parker, Composer is the first assessment of a major jazz composer's oeuvre in its entirety. Providing analytical discussion of each of Parker's works, this study combines music-theoretical, historical, and philosophical perspectives. A variety of analytical techniques are brought to bear on Parker's compositions, including application of a revised Schenkerian approach to the music that was developed through the author's prior publications. After a review of Parker's life emphasizing his musical training and involvement in composition, the book proceeds by considering the types of Parker pieces as categorized by overall form and harmony and the amount of preplanned music they contain. The historical circumstances of each piece are reviewed, and, in some cases, sources of the ideas of the most important tunes are explored. The introduction includes a discussion of the ontology of a jazz composition. The view is advanced that the Western concept of a music composition needs to be expanded to embrace practices typical of jazz composition and forming a significant part of Parker's work. While focusing on Parker's more conventional tunes, the book also considers his large-scale melodic formulas. Two formulas in particular are arguably compositional, since they are repeated in subsequent performances of the same piece. As part of the research for this book, all of Parker's copyright submissions to the Library of Congress were examined and photographed. The book reproduces the four of them that were copied by Parker himself."-- Provided by publisher.
