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An Introduction to Frank Zappa's ‘Chord Bible’

An Introduction to Frank Zappa's ‘Chord Bible’ This article offers an introduction to a little‐known compositional system devised by Frank Zappa for his orchestral music: the Chord Bible. Through a close study of the orchestral works featuring Chord Bible harmony, I will attempt a partial recreation of its contents, focusing on seven‐ and eight‐note chords. This will reveal a hybrid system with important pitch and pitch‐class components. Regarding pitch, each chord manifests a precise intervallic spacing (or ‘density’, to use Zappa's term). Conversely, chords are conceived in a scalar harmonic universe derived from diatonic, minor Lydian and octatonic pitch‐class collections. These aspects will be described as a merging of features derived from the music of Edgard Varèse and from the scalar procedures characteristic of Zappa's popular output. I will demonstrate how different chord types within the Chord Bible are generated from a combination of scalar and intervallic transformations. The study concludes with an overview of the musical employment of Chord Bible harmony in three pieces. This analysis will reveal a progressive sophistication in technique that is directly related to the increased importance of the Chord Bible in Zappa's compositional process. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Music Analysis Wiley

An Introduction to Frank Zappa's ‘Chord Bible’

CLEMENT, BRETT
Music Analysis , Volume 36 (1) – Mar 1, 2017
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References (9)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Music Analysis © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
ISSN
0262-5245
eISSN
1468-2249
DOI
10.1111/musa.12083
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This article offers an introduction to a little‐known compositional system devised by Frank Zappa for his orchestral music: the Chord Bible. Through a close study of the orchestral works featuring Chord Bible harmony, I will attempt a partial recreation of its contents, focusing on seven‐ and eight‐note chords. This will reveal a hybrid system with important pitch and pitch‐class components. Regarding pitch, each chord manifests a precise intervallic spacing (or ‘density’, to use Zappa's term). Conversely, chords are conceived in a scalar harmonic universe derived from diatonic, minor Lydian and octatonic pitch‐class collections. These aspects will be described as a merging of features derived from the music of Edgard Varèse and from the scalar procedures characteristic of Zappa's popular output. I will demonstrate how different chord types within the Chord Bible are generated from a combination of scalar and intervallic transformations. The study concludes with an overview of the musical employment of Chord Bible harmony in three pieces. This analysis will reveal a progressive sophistication in technique that is directly related to the increased importance of the Chord Bible in Zappa's compositional process.

Journal

Music Analysis – Wiley

Published: Mar 1, 2017

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