Intervallic Structuring in the Compositions of John Coltrane

Abstract

The improvisational side of John Coltrane somewhat overshadows the composer he was. Yet, some themes meant so much to him that he would just play them without following up with any improvisations. This presentation is an attempt to define Coltrane's compositional process. What started this reflection was an intuition, listening to his music, that intervals of seconds and thirds are to be frequently found in the shaping of his originals. It seemed interesting to question this aspect by systematically examining all the saxophonist's 'written' compositions in order to decide if that intuition turned out to be right or wrong. Understanding this initial move also allows us to further grasp the musician's aesthetics. Methodology: ? So far I have selected only the compositions from the albums published under Coltrane's name, between 1957 and 1967. As for the publishing of seminar proceedings, the results will be extended to all the registered Coltrane compositions. ? In order to determine the frequency of intervals in a batch of 99 compositions, the software 'Monika' was used. Designed by musicologist Nicolas Meeùs, this programme is for 'description and help for analysis'. Prior to this counting, we had to establish what does or doesn't constitute the theme which, more often than not, was not written on music paper, especially from 1964 onwards. ? Of course, improvised pieces with a title but no theme, such as Chasin' the Trane for instance, have been ignored. Results : ? The resulting figures are quite obvious: intervals of seconds and thirds are indeed the most numerous. In fact, this comes as no surprise. On the other hand, the surprising thing is the amount of wider intervals. ? As years went by, one can witness an evolution. ? Also, in keeping with Rudolph Réti's idea of 'thematic process', some compositional devices in Coltrane's originals come out as recurring elements. ? Thus analysed, one realizes that some motifs - often a single one - make up a matrix for Coltrane's themes. ? Investigating further, one realizes that, more often than not, Coltrane's harmonic movements are not dictated by the cycle of fifths but by movements in seconds or thirds.