Analysis Of Frank Zappa, John Cage, And Pamela Z - 2039 Words

Throughout this course, the composers we studied all had different approached to creating music, and that is why many of them are well known today. The three most notable composers who combine unusual elements in their music were Frank Zappa, John Cage, and Pamela Z. Frank Zappa was an American artist who had no desire to fit into a single style of music, and he had no interest in creating music for cultural conventions. He created music in the manners he saw fit. His music has influence from rock, pop, modern classical, and jazz music, but his pieces are far from fitting into one of those labels. The most notable album Frank Zappa created that was Jazz From Hell. This album was highly unique because all the pieces on this album were†¦show more content†¦Living Room Music is one his most performed pieces because it was fun for both the players and the audience. In this piece, the player use common household items as instruments, often times where house-clothes, and are playing on a set designed to look like a living room. The quartet uses unspecified items that could range from magazines, newspapers, tables, wooden furniture, large books, the floor, the wall or a door. Within in this piece there are four movements. This piece is an excel lent example of John Cage’s interest in non-traditional instruments and timbre. John Cage was willing to push many boundaries in his pieces. Although some individuals may not agree with John Cage’s approach to music, I believe his pieces are a great example of using unusual elements to create a music that is characteristic to Cage. Pamela Z is a composer who performs her compositions with her highly developed voice and computer software. Pamela Z, although trained in classical performance, wanted to find a way to perform contemporary music. In order to perform contemporary music, Pamela Z bought a delay unit and began creating loops using her voice. Z was able to think about her voice in the areas of texture and rhythm, the influence of outside texts, and how she could vary her vocal technique. One of Pamela Z’s most notable pieces that integrates the unusual elements of looping and layer is Gaijin. Gaijin is the Japanese word for foreigner and this