Zappa’s Stravinsky Borrowings (part 1)

I recently finished up a draft of a dissertation chapter looking at Zappa use music by Stravinsky. “Status Back Baby,” from Absolutely Free (1967), is the centerpiece of my analysis.: the melodic fragments from Petrushka that constitute the guitar solo in the bridge and the way in which they interact with their new context form a wonderful venue for exploring Zappa’s motivations and intentions. But there are a heck of a lot of other Stravinsky borrowings as well! Zappa borrowed from a number of Stravinsky compositions and did so with remarkable consistency throughout his career. Tracking these moments in his music has been a big part of my research for this chapter.

In a follow-up post, I’ll put up a table of Stravinsky borrowings that appear in Zappa’s music. Román García Albertos’ website, “Information Is Not Knowledge”–the work of a number of contributors including myself–includes an extensive, cross-referenced discography of Zappa’s work. It has been a wonderful resource for tracking musical borrowing. Much of my table is derived from Román’s site, but some of my own observations appear as well.

More importantly, I’ve made an attempt to construct a taxonomy of compositional strategies for how Zappa goes about using this material. Earlier discussions of musical borrowing have tended to use “quotation” as an umbrella term. J. Peter Burkholder has pointed out, however, that “quotation” is but one type of borrowing practice.[1] Burkholder argues that, in order to decipher the intended purpose and implicit meaning of a borrowing, we must understand exactly how it works on a technical level. Categorizing instances of musical borrowing illuminates these technical details. By doing this with Zappa, I’m able to highlight large-scale trends in his compositional history and draw conclusions about what the act of musical borrowing means (to Zappa and to us).

For the most part, Zappa’s various approaches can be accounted for by using terms developed by Burkholder in his work on Charles Ives. [2] The following list paraphrases Burkholder’s terminology, adapting it to better fit Zappa’s music.

  1. Modeling: A work which bears resemblance to its source on a large-scale or structural level. This may be with regards to the textual content, melodic material, or a number of other parameters.
  2. Paraphrasing: An instance in which melodic material is shortened, abbreviated, or otherwise truncated. In most cases, the source material is still highly identifiable.
  3. Arrangement: A rescoring of the musical forces. (Since the borrowings listed in the tables below inevitably require different instrumentation than Stravinsky’s originals, I reserve this term for instances in which no other term applies or where the change in instrumentation is essential to the nature of the borrowing.)
  4. Setting: Providing a new accompaniment for borrowed melodic material.
  5. Medley: An instance of two or more borrowings appearing in close succession.
  6. Quodlibet: A combination of two or more sources simultaneously, often for the sake of humor or ironic juxtaposition.
  7. Stylistic allusion: A reference to a specific work or style, but not necessarily appropriating any traceable melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic material from the source.
  8. Programmatic quotation: Instances in which a quotation (usually melodic) illustrates a part of the text.
  9. Extended paraphrase: An entire work derives its melodic content from a paraphrase of an existing melody.

Of course, not all of Ives’ techniques can be found in Zappa’s work. They are different composers, after all! I’ve omitted the strategies listed by Burkholder that don’t apply.

There are also a couple of techniques that Zappa uses which none of Burkholder’s terms can adequately accommodate. For this reason, I need to supplement the list with some terms of my own:

  1. Riffing: a type of paraphrasing characterized by repetition and the gritty, cathartic feel of a rock guitar solo.
  2. Spontaneous paraphrase: borrowings in improvised music that do not appear to have been premeditated.

In most cases, borrowing in Zappa’s music is never as cut and dried as any one of these strategies would imply. Borrowings are usually characterized by aspects of several compositional techniques simultaneously.

In my next post, I’ll put these terms to use. I’ll provide a table (three, actually!) that will account for most (if not all) instances of Stravinsky borrowing in Zappa’s music. Stay tuned…

References:
[1] J. Peter Burkholder, “The Uses of Existing Music: Musical Borrowing as a Field,” Notes 50.3 (March 1994): 851-870. (Article here.)
[2] Ibid., 854.
Zappa’s Stravinsky Borrowings (part 1)

13,193 thoughts on “Zappa’s Stravinsky Borrowings (part 1)

  1. no偶e w bloku fiskars

    ce masini electrice poti cumpara in crimped waves adaptador auxiliar bluetooth para coche bozzano produtos gè´¸liè°©t elem rtv euro agd gazetka 20.04 google nest hub smart aprilla ahc5022 艧arjlè°‹ sa莽 kesme makinesi a101 pandemia eleva vendas de è°©lcool em ge…

  2. ysl all black bag madly indian

    kapa speedo silicone white oral b pro 400 crossaction green elektri膷na 膷etkica nike jr vapor 12 academy gs tf za拧tita za ladice vrtna vrata s lu膷nim vrhom 膷eli膷na 1 x 1 korkmaz 拧erpa pro line saucepan ner膽aju膰i 膷elik winx winx cene i komentari na porta…

  3. velky plysovy medved dracik

    hrn膷ek latte 啪lt媒 s vlastnou fotkou alebo nè°©pisom 350 ml kryt s vlastnou fotkou apple iphone 5 5s se adidas tenisky coast star ee9698 damske salomon x alp spry w trekove timex hodinky tw2r26200 hn臎dè°© 100 oble膷enie gumen茅 膷i啪my et outdoor eva 膷i啪my ther…

  4. Naruto Pain Hot Selling For Huawei Honor Mate Nova Note 20 20s 30 5 5I 5T 6 7I 7C 8A 8X 9X 10 Pro Lite Play Soft Capa Coque

    Soft TPU Hybrid For LG G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 K4 K7 K8 K10 K12 K40 Mini Plus Stylus ThinQ 2016 2017 2018 Cherry Chibi Maruko New Chocolate For Motorola G G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 Plus For Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 8A 8T 10 K30 5G Pro Soft Accessories Case Harry Styles B…

  5. compre formal de moda hombres zapatos

    petit sac è„¿ dos bleu nike vinted gorras planas sin estampano lamparas de comedor modernas para el caja fuerte seguridad 23 x 17 x 17 maillot psg creme automne et hiver nouveaux produits è„¿ la next pih茅vel b茅lelt kapucnis calvin klein crossbody tè°©ska cal…

  6. runner four trainers el zapatos blanco

    poussette jumeaux en jouet gafas gant mujer luces philips hue este black friday pin en aerografia napszem眉veg disney mickey napszem眉veg biciklis hè°©tizsè°©k axon futura 5 l bering max ren茅 feh茅r n艖i è´¸ra 15531 904 piros best impulse zsebes elegè°©ns nagykabè°©…

  7. debenhams r贸zsasz铆n baba alkalmi ruha

    bmw formatervez茅sç–Ÿ karè´¸ra è´¸ra 茅kszer ajè°©nd茅k naturtex lè°©ma b茅bi è°©gynemç–Ÿhuzat holland sherry bordè´¸ 3 r茅szes æžšltæžšny devoto bikers cascos para motos en mercado libre argentina conquest mountain bike ray ban wayfarer rb2132 gafas de sol rojo patrè´¸n marrè´¸n…

  8. ropa de caballero 2016

    futbalov媒 brankè°©rsky dres erima pre trops orto plus dè°©mska zimnè°© obuv na such媒 pono啪ky nike jumpman jordan crew inzerè°©ty tri膷ka adidas oble膷en铆 pro d臎ti od 6 let bazar ryanair op盲钮 roz拧铆ril ponuku letov zo slovenska za pè°©r eur sa z vans tenisky lacno d…

  9. womens sports shorts running shorts zalando

    EAM 2020 New Auutmn Winter V collar Long Sleeve Black Loose Big Size Irregular Warm Coat Women Down Jacket Fashion JD72001S puma purple soccer ball size 5 womens mens kw sport black blue puma cargo pants and shorts for mens puma white team power blue 2…

  10. stratocaster pack brown sunburst

    dè°©msk茅 termo kalhoty dare2b insulate legging 800 dè°©mskè°© bunda parka tmav臎 modrè°© baler铆ny heureka zimn铆 boty crocs detske stan smith white grey keen city of palms gucci gucci womens marmont gg ankle strap sandals mystic white size 40.5 from saks fifth a…

  11. les v茅los doccasion des ressourceries

    b艖ræžšnd outlet budapest alkalmi f茅rfi nadrè°©g antracit sz铆nben bolf 7625 antracit doudou compagnie pantin dactivit茅s decathlon masque velo acheter italie femmes cr茅ateurs luxueux marque star trail noir anyagè°©ban k铆gyè´¸ mintè°©s rugalmas piros kæžšves strassz…

  12. penalhus til teenager

    ecosil palmilha ortop茅dica em silicone dupla densidade 327 砖拽讬讜转 谞讬讬专 注诐 讬讚讬转 诪讙讜诇讙诇转 讞讜诐 讟讘注讬 c batteri 4500 mah atraia clientes e venda mais colruyt vinogusto hé…¶jtalere ré…¶d stram kjole brio gæ°“vogn esolutions evolveo fitband b2 fitness nè°©ramek pro m臎艡…

  13. coastal merchant services inc home

    extra plus size cheetah leopard adult 3 layer tulle tutu skirt 2018 baby girls tassel swimwear set newborn girls halter crop tops buy push up bikinis women swimsuit sexy lol surprise big ball trolls world tour. where to buy release costume ralph lauren…

  14. blouse 70s hippie heren

    ouder en kind sieraden playgo baby toranj staza za kugle timberland nao膷ale nelson schoenen winkelcentrum keizerswaard back on track trui lange mouwen zwart foto kamo je nestala za拧titna ograda s ceste kraj dravskog skije i pancerice 1 set salomon teni…

  15. unghie a specchio con lo smalto magico

    trajes de oficina para mujer 2 trajes para mujer vestidos de fiesta de noche para se帽oras gorditas vestidos para la madre de la novia foro la mujer en vestido rojo con el è°©rbol wolfs tory burch clutch reva metallic gold leather shoulder bag 61 off reta…

  16. ganchos para atornillar

    feh茅r alapra halvè°©ny zæžšld kalocsai levis 511 f茅rfi slim fit farmer biology k茅k adidas linear organizer graphic rè´¸zsasz铆n ns irattartè´¸ tè°©ska iskolai hè°©tizsè°©k tippek online air max femme 90 messagerie illustration air max thea pale ivory paul smith signa…

  17. inverted cross earrings

    vagabond salvatore black svarta klassiska snæžšrk盲ngor herrskor vendere bene vesti monaco buddista uniforme zen china bright camo print men short length swim shorts china bow front tankini set in black white toys oxford street babyone im luv shopping in…

  18. listed on depop by danielfward

    james dean cowboy hat by richard miller a r t how to silk hats and silk lined baseball caps white lotus ralph lauren boys grey merino wool hat ralph lauren boys customized size and design non woven fabrics chef hat chef cap for kitchen and restaurant y…

  19. antike clips socken

    ecco schuhe auf rechnung bestellen damen slip unterw盲sche tanga panty seamless grau gestreift tamaris pumps hohe schuhe absatz gr 38 superdry stirling sleek zapatillas perfume armani code cashmere edp detalles acerca de zapatillas asics tiger para homb…

  20. 2017 new design winter warm womens color shawl wrap open front poncho cape buy wool ponchos capes

    兀噩賲賱 亘賳丕 賮賷 爻賵賯 丕賱噩賲丕賱 毓賱賶 丕賱亘丨乇 亘丕賱亘賰賷賳賷 youtube 丕賱兀夭賷丕亍 賲囟賷卅丞 led 丕賱廿囟丕亍丞 丕賱爻賷丿丕 賲孬賷乇 孬賷丕亘 丕賱賳賵賲 丕賱賲賱丕亘爻 亘賱賵夭丞 賳氐 è³°è³² è³® 丨丞 乇賯亘丞 v 賵馗丕卅賮 丨丿賷賯丞 丨賷賵丕賳丕 丕賱毓賷賳 賵馗丕卅賮 卮丕睾乇丞 賮賶 丕賱丕賲丕乇丕 丕賱噩賵丿丞 賮賷 禺丿賲丞 丕賱毓賲賱丕亍 丕賷夭賵 10002 賲乇賰夭 丕賱賲毓乇賮丞 丕賱卮丕賲賱 animal onesies gori…

  21. lacoste f茅rfi f眉rd艖ruha mh0804 04m

    guantes para ciclismo de ruta guantes verri nissan qashqai 2 2010 de segunda mano superior hats flamingoshop sminktè°©ska flamingo shop melyik szem眉veg talè°©l melyik arcformè°©hoz edel optics blog madcat xxl es thermo kabè°©t rè°©cvè°©rosi horgè°©szbolt p茅cs kis m茅…

  22. robe de soir茅e moulante bandage pas cher

    讗讬谉 诇讻诐 诪拽讜诐 讘讗专讜谉 讛拽讘讜注 讗专讜谉 讗讞住讜谉 诪转拽驻诇 讜拽讜诪驻拽讟讬 诇转诇讬讬转 讘讙讚讬诐 住讟 讻诇讬诐 诇讙专讬诇 诪转拽谞讬 讙专讬诇 veronique branquinho blouse women tomorrowland luggage robeez chaussons fourr茅s fille rose cosy boot livraison gratuite drap plat eventail multicolore linge de lit…

  23. eladè´¸ egy barcelona messi gyermek mez

    eladè´¸ menyasszonyi ruha 2019 es jesus peiro 956 os modell dè°©mske 拧t媒lov茅 sandè°©le so vzorom pletene haljine 25 km online prodaja odje膰e facebook imago brillen online kaufen air vapormax pas cher 2017 air vapormax nike gris et noir sandales plates è„¿ n艙ud…

  24. cè°©mara y cubierta dibujo 4 telas p

    zocalos para ba帽os cè´¸mo instalar accesorios para ba帽o the home depot blog winter high street de carga usb mayor luces de colores dentro de es incre铆ble lo que gastamos en comprar agua embotellada que es mejor para entrenar pulsè´¸metro china lanzallamas…

  25. lå¿™derjakke fra message

    best school clothes indo western sherwani online ball gown wedding dress with cathedral veil 喂蠅谓喂伪 stock 畏渭蔚蟻萎蟽喂慰喂 蠁伪魏慰委 蔚蟺伪蠁萎蟽 蟿喂渭萎 蟺蟻蠅蟿慰蟿蠀蟺蔚蟽 魏慰蟻蠀蠁蔚蟽 蠂蟻喂蟽蟿慰蠀纬蔚谓谓喂伪蟿喂魏蠅谓 未蔚谓蟿蟻蠅谓 pigelegeté…¶j 8 æ°“r panama jack sko soon sko reebok nano dame 85d velikost k…

  26. Las pajitas reutilizables de paja incluyen los tubos rectos de brocha pajitas de acero inoxidable respetuosas con el medio ambiente de alta calidad

    sangles amovibles de chaussure pour maintenir en projet piscine billet air max 90 grise pas cher victoria beckham aviator power frame sunglasses til scandomestic kjé…¶leskap fryser kjé…¶p myrull ii lady coat name it blæ°“ helt om dagen pysj pysj til baby og…

  27. altrider honda africa twin

    calentadores para hacer deporte adidas midiru court szines n艖i sportcip艖 38 as aukciè´¸ retro nadrag retro nadrag è°©rak 茅s visszajelz茅sek a bayer kiltix kullancs 茅s bolhanyakæžšrv 70cm l d铆 fournisseur dobjets publicitaires pour revendeur ker茅kpè°©ros ruhè°©zat…

  28. Paris Macarons For Huawei Honor 4C 5A 5C 5X 6 6A 6X 7 7A 7C 7X 8 8C 8S 9 10 10i 20 20i Lite Pro Soft Cell Phone Shell

    TPU Shell Ying Yang For Galaxy Alpha Note 10 Pro A10 A20 A20E A30 A40 A50 A60 A70 A80 A90 M10 M20 M30 M40 Merry Christmas Sale Soft Fashion Original For Huawei Honor Mate 7 7A 8 9 10 20 V8 V9 V10 V30 P40 G Lite Play Mini Pro P Smart For LG G2 G3 G4 G5…

  29. kjé…¶kkenvifte med lcd skjerm fritthengende as

    t shirt slim fit è„¿ manches longues en coton gaufr茅 salomon quest 4d 2 gtx bottines de randonn茅e asphalt green vente priv茅e reebok royal techque pour homme magasin de bottes pour hommes reebok classic club c 85 beige Original nueva llegada 2018 adidas n…

  30. pellein chaqueta de cuero para mujer

    bags turquoise kenzo kombo tote bag womens turquoise coach mens bleecker backpack nike brasilia large duffel bag black black white nero ginli scarpe donna in pelle scamosciata comode loafers scarpe bambina sandaletti naturino naturino sandalo bambina e…

  31. odje膰a za tr膷anje

    risthy vestido abaya musulmana cardigan mujeres largos leather duffel bag travel gym sports overnight 15.6 inch laptop case armani exchange handbags oakley 55l small sport duffel la conf茅d茅ration nationale fluorescentna cijev u obliku prstena 230 v 22…

  32. brandit 蟺伪蟻魏维 marsh lake teddy 渭伪蠉蟻慰 渭蔚 魏慰蠀魏慰蠉位伪

    krepov茅 povle膷en铆 s krte膷kem do d臎tsk茅 post媒lky brno m臎sto modern铆 kotn铆膷kov茅 boty 拧edo st艡铆brn茅 dè°©msk茅 na 拧irok茅m podpatku dani black suede lace up heels stuff in 2019 shoes identification help illinois watch co. and waltham pocket calvin klein pudrov…

  33. silhouette m 7038 v 6030 zwarte aviator

    nike motion 2 lage sneakers zwart laarsjes slangenleer heart to get sieraden bij trendjuwelier haljine bijele boje veli膷ine m nove nike elements patike uskoro sti啪u mu拧ki magazin cam talbot edmonton oilers adidas authentic stitched womens no. 33 away w…

  34. 2017 new fashion coat femme vestes trench caban capuche

    væ°“re leverandé…¶rer ide interié…¶r i té…¶nsberg skulderveske i skinn selma er 9 æ°“r enebakk avis melitta kaffemaskin test funktion kjé…¶ttkvern manuell sté…¶pejern med 3 stk pé…¶lsehorn comparateur de prix marque sweat homme kitipeng sandales talon haut femmes ete…

  35. massimo dutti zapatos de hombre 2 2019 zapatos de moda

    logo white high top leather sneakers ed hardy underté…¶j pyjamas kvinder udsalg billigt modeté…¶j ganni oversized isoli sweatshirt in mochila kanken fjallraven verde militar mochilas amarillo en comprar gafas de sol polarizadas comprar munich goal adidas p…

  36. mujer calcetines de dos barras

    tç…¤rabolt p茅cs trexpert tç…¤rabolt lego city è°©gynemç–Ÿhuzat focis szabadid艖 nadrè°©g szabadid艖 nadrè°©gok zenudashop ruha liverpool fc kæžštæžštt t茅li s铆 sapka pompom whiteline focis s n艖i aszimmetrikus sylvie ruha barna cadillac b茅rl茅s tutivital fekete valè´¸di b艖r…

  37. comete divat 茅kszerek hege 贸ra

    ofertas bicicletas mountain bike marcas de vestidos de mujer sillas de playa env铆o gratis de sillas de playa de muebles de soporte movil bici amazon compara basket compens茅e chaussea maillot de bain boxer homme tuner hi fi connect茅 avec radio manillare…

  38. 100 unids pack m茅dico cubiertas botas a

    fina ç…¤szè´¸dressz elveszett jè°©t茅kok jè°©t茅kwebè°©ruhè°©z basket sans lacet adidas manteau cachemire femme 2019 n艖i fels艖k topok adidas performance performance maillot juventus third jr noir parure stylo bille et stylo plume enceinte bluetooth 100 watt halè°©lozè°©…

  39. precios de aparatos de gym

    cowgirl hat princess cowboy hats for women by funny par maz wool pork pie hat green adults bucket hat summer fishing fisher beach festival sun cap 100 cotton jaguar cat head logo cap bermudas y pantalones cortos de hombre moda gucci limited edition zap…

  40. encontrar mè°©s conjuntos de ciclismo informaciè´¸n acerca de las

    pergolas para agua toldos oasis shorts nike nba para hombre los angeles klasszikus fazonç…¤ nike cip艖 43 ç…¤j lotto jumper 400 w n艖i teremcip艖 sportvilè°©g piact茅r helly hansen f茅rfi modern tç…¤ra ing fekete elegè°©ns t茅rdfeletti nubuk n艖i adidas sporttè°©ska k铆na…

  41. the quiet life foundation 5 panel cap navy

    puma blaze ignite fast track pack urban industry puma womens ignite dual wns running shoes blue blue atoll puma tapered sweatpants mens babys crochet kufi beanie hat dancing in ribbon merkules homicide remix by rysnar kids wool knit real fur pom pom ha…

Comments are closed.