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Implication, Quotation, and Coltrane in Selected Works By David N. Baker

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2013

HORACE J. MAXILE JR.
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Abstract

This article explores composer David N. Baker's use of elements of jazz and vernacular music to articulate formal structures and suggest extramusical commentaries in his concert works, with particular focus on the Sonata for Cello and Piano and the Sonata I for Piano. Themes of homage to and respect for jazz saxophonist John Coltrane resonate through these works. Various features bring the jazz legend to mind, but Baker's compelling play with implication and quotation provides fertile ground for studying musical signification and the use of vernacular emblems within Western compositional structures and the concert music of African American composers. Conventional analytical methods are combined with readings of referential symbols to work toward interpretations that address both structural and expressive domains. This approach allows discussions of compositional techniques to intersect with cultural and philosophical considerations. By addressing issues of musical structure and expressivity, this article seeks to move beyond commonplace surface-level descriptions of black vernacular emblems in the concert music of African American composers.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Society for American Music , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , May 2013 , pp. 147 - 164
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Music 2013 

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Discography

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