Blood on the Floor (Turnage)

Blood on the Floor is a suite composed for orchestra and jazz trio by Mark-Anthony Turnage. The suite consists of nine movements and was composed over a span of three years (1993–1996). It was commissioned by the Ensemble Modern—a German music group—for an evening jazz event. The version composed for this event was ten minutes long as opposed to the final version, which lasts for 70–80 minutes. During the composition of Blood on the Floor, Turnage consulted Martin Robertson, John Scofield and Peter Erskine: the three soloists for the suite's 1996 premiere in London.

For the painting by Francis Bacon, see Blood on the Floor (painting).

Blood on the Floor
Orchestral suite by Mark-Anthony Turnage
Turnage in 2014 at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music
GenreThird stream
RelatedDispelling the Fears
Your Rockaby
Commissioned byEnsemble Modern
Composed1993–1996
DedicationHeather Betts
Brett Dean
Andrew Turnage
Duration70–80 minutes
MovementsNine
Premiere
DateMay 1996
LocationQueen Elizabeth Hall, London, United Kingdom
PerformersEnsemble Modern, with John Scofield, Martin Robertson and Peter Erskine

Blood on the Floor is influenced by the paintings of Francis Bacon and Heather Betts; the suite's title is an adaptation of Bacon's painting Blood on Pavement. During the composition of Blood on the Floor, Turnage's brother Andrew died to a drug overdose. This event shaped the music greatly: drug culture is one of the main themes in the suite. As a result, Turnage dedicated two of the movements to the memory of his brother (II and VI).

Like other compositions by Turnage, Blood on the Floor incorporates elements of both classical and jazz music. It has been described as being part of the "third stream" genre, a term coined by Turnage's former teacher Gunther Schuller. As part of this fusion, the suite contains space for soloists to improvise in four of its movements. This was the first time that Turnage had incorporated improvisation into one of his works. Blood on the Floor shows elements of non-functional harmony and has complex rhythmic changes, often changing metre every bar. Motifs are found recurring throughout the suite.

The suite is written as a concerto grosso: in this case, the concertino is a jazz trio of saxophone, electric guitar and drum kit. The ripieno features a blend of classical, jazz, non-western and electronic instruments. Blood on the Floor calls for a large percussion section, including some little-used instruments. In some parts of the suite, players are instructed to play scaffolding tubes.

The suite received a mixed reception from music critics. Some critics enjoyed the suite's fusion of classical and jazz music, while others found it to be an unfulfilling combination. Outside of the Ensemble Modern, Blood on the Floor has been performed by various ensembles, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Background

Mark-Anthony Turnage is an English composer whose works are frequently influenced by jazz music. His compositions fuse classical and jazz idioms, a technique used in Blood on the Floor. Turnage had previously been a student of Gunther Schuller—the musician who coined the term "third stream"—at Tanglewood.[1] Although his works combine classical and jazz music, Blood on the Floor was the first time that Turnage had integrated improvisation into one of his compositions.[2]

Before working with the Ensemble Modern for Blood on the Floor, Turnage had collaborated with mixed ensembles during his work with Michael Gibbs's Creative Jazz Orchestra. During this time, he met Peter Erskine, who would later be the drum kit soloist in many performances of Blood on the Floor.[3]

Composition

Blood on the Floor was composed by Turnage between 1993 and 1996.[4][5] During his compositional process, Turnage used sketches he had produced during a period of collaboration with the saxophonist Martin Robertson. These sketches were used to create the prologue of the suite.[6]

Blood on the Floor was commissioned by the Ensemble Modern

The piece was commissioned in 1993 by the Ensemble Modern[4][7] for an evening jazz event with pieces by George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and George Antheil.[6][8][9] The version Turnage produced for the event was ten minutes long. After the event, Turnage expanded the piece into a nine movement suite; the final composition ended up being more than an hour long.[8][9] This was largely due to persuasion from the Ensemble Modern, who have a history of working on larger musical projects.[6] During the composition of Blood on the Floor, Turnage consulted Robertson, John Scofield and Peter Erskine, who would be playing in the jazz trio with the Ensemble Modern.[10]

Inspiration

Blood on the Floor takes inspiration from the paintings of Francis Bacon. The suite's name is an adaptation of Bacon's painting, Blood on Pavement.[4][11] Other works by Bacon, as well a painting by Heather Betts, influence elements of the suite.[12]

The suite reflects Turnage's personal feelings on the death of his brother Andrew,[13] who died of a drug overdose.[8][14] As a consequence, drug culture is an overarching theme in Blood on the Floor.[15] Due to this, the music in Blood on the Floor is often quite harsh, with Turnage commenting that it was "probably the nastiest thing I have written".[16]

Instrumentation

Blood on the Floor is written as a concerto grosso, a form of concerto played by a group of soloists.[17] The concertino consists of a jazz trio of electric guitar, soprano saxophone (doubling alto saxophone and bass clarinet)[18] and drum kit.[7][19] For the suite's orchestration, Turnage uses a mixture of orchestral and non-orchestral instruments, including instruments usually associated with jazz, as well as unusual instruments like synthesisers and scaffolding. The score calls for a large ripieno consisting of the following instruments:[20]

Structure and music

Character
Decca Recording of Blood on the Floor
Recordings via YouTube
audio icon I: Prologue: Blood on the Floor
audio icon II: Junior Addict
audio icon III: Shout
audio icon IV: Sweet and Decay
audio icon V: Needles
audio icon VI: Elegy for Andy
audio icon VII: Cut Up
audio icon VIII: Crackdown
audio icon IX: Dispelling the Fears

Blood on the Floor is a fusion of classical and jazz styles, and has been described as a "third stream" piece.[21] The suite uses jazz chords as its harmonic basis[22] and displays aspects of non-functional harmony.[23] Blood on the Floor is neither tonal nor atonal: some passages feature tonal ideas, but there is never a single key that represents a movement.[24]

Juxtaposition features frequently in Blood on the Floor. Turnage contrasts thematic ideas with no transitions in between them. Driving rhythms are found in many sections of the suite. Complex metres are used, and metre changes occur in almost every bar.[24]

In terms of notation, the concertino parts include a mixture of notated music and space for improvisation.[18] Improvisation forms a major part of Blood on the Floor and appears in four movements (II, V, VI and VIII).[25]

Movements

Blood on the Floor consists of nine movements:[26][27]

  1. Prologue: Blood on the Floor ("Biting", quarter note = 108)
  2. Junior Addict ("Slow and Sensuous", quarter note = 60)
  3. Shout ("Harsh and Hammered", quarter note = 160)
  4. Sweet and Decay ("Dark and muddy, sweet and tender", quarter note = 58)
  5. Needles (quarter note = 144)
  6. Elegy for Andy ("Tender", quarter note = 54–56)
  7. Cut Up ("Clear cut and incisive", quarter note = 132–138)
  8. Crackdown ("Solo freely", quarter note = 140)
  9. Dispelling the Fears ("Bleak and obsessive (always intense)", quarter note = 76)

Each movement features different instrumentation and number of players. A full playing of the suite takes approximately 70–80 minutes.[8][28]

I. Prologue: Blood on the Floor

The suite's prologue is scored for the orchestra.[29] The movement lasts for approximately eight and a half minutes.[30]

The prologue features offbeat rhythms played by the soprano saxophone in a rotation of five chromatic notes.[31] The movement is based around the note E, which is rooted in bass instruments at each end of the movement.[27] Chromatic progressions are a major part of the prologue, which along with irregular shaping and metre changes makes the movement have an unrelenting feel. For example, in bars 66–69, Turnage uses a progression of metres: 4
4 → 7
8 → 3
4 → 7
8. The loss of one quaver when changing to a 7
8 bar gives the music a stumbling feeling.[32] When paired with an accentuated upbeat, this groove helps to reinforce the melody and move the movement forward.[33] Reflecting this, the music critic Andrew Clements wrote that the prologue of Blood on the Floor "is perhaps the most uncompromising and unforgiving music Turnage has written to date".[3]

II. Junior Addict
Junior Addict is a musical setting of the eponymous poem by Langston Hughes

This movement is scored for soprano saxophone, electric guitar and orchestra.[29] Junior Addict is a musical setting of the eponymous poem, written by Langston Hughes.[30][15] The movement is in ternary form[34] and lasts for approximately five and three-quarter minutes.[30]

Junior Addict opens with a theme played by the soprano saxophone, which has been described as a "very lyrical and haunting melody". This reflects the influence of Turnage's brother, whom the movement is dedicated to.[15] The saxophone melody was later revisited by Turnage and used in the third movement of his 1994 composition, Two Elegies Framing a Shout.[35] Junior Addict also features an electric guitar solo.[27]

III. Shout

Shout is scored for the orchestra.[29] It lasts for approximately five and a half minutes.[30]

Shout both starts and ends with passages played by the scaffolding. Scaffolding is used as an unpitched percussion instrument throughout the movement, usually paired with the horns. The movements uses a ritornello taken from the prologue, which is found near melodies played by the clarinets.[36]

IV. Sweet and Decay

Sweet and Decay is scored for flutes, soprano saxophone and orchestra.[29] The movement is approximately nine minutes long.[30]

The movement originated from one of two sketches Turnage produced for his soprano saxophone concerto, Your Rockaby. The sketch was not used in the concerto, as Turnage thought that having two slow movements would be "overdoing it".[37] In Sweet and Decay, Turnage uses melodic cells set against a chordal background. The movement features solos from the saxophone and flute.[38] At the end of the movement, Turnage instructs that there should be pause before Needles begins. This can be replaced with a full interval if wanted.[28]

V. Needles

Needles is scored for a jazz sextet and five other performers (trumpet, two horns, trombone and bass clarinet).[38][29] The movement is a variation of ternary form (AABA)[39][34] and lasts for approximately four and three-quarter minutes.[30] Out of all the nine movements, Needles reflects conventional jazz performances the most.[38]

The movement starts with a soprano saxophone head melody, which then progresses to sections of soprano saxophone and electric guitar solos.[38] A notable feature of this movement is the brass section, which continually interrupts the electric guitar solo.[40] These interjections accentuate the offbeats, giving the section a jazzy, big band feel.[18] This feeling is reinforced by the presence of a big band-style riff, played by the group of five performers.[41] After the solos, the movement returns to another playing of the head.[41]

VI. Elegy for Andy
Elegy for Andy incorporates musical quotations from Madama Buterfly

Elegy for Andy is scored for electric guitar and orchestra.[29] It lasts for approximately eight and a quarter minutes.[30]

The movement has an angular theme played by electric guitar, which creates a sense of unease.[35] The angular feeling is created by Turnage's use of wide intervals of 7ths and 9ths.[42] This guitar melody progresses into an improvisational section. Elegy for Andy incorporates musical quotations from a piece played by Turnage at his brother's funeral and Puccini's Madama Butterfly.[15] According to Clements, this movement is Blood on the Floor's "emotional heart".[15]

VII. Cut Up

The movement is scored for alto saxophone, trombone, drum kit and orchestra.[29] The movement features a trombone solo that was described as "fiendish" by Aksel Tollåli of Bachtrack.[9] Cut Up lasts for approximately six and a quarter minutes.[30]

Cut Up has a complex structure and has been variously labelled a variation on verse and refrain, rondo and ternary forms. The movement's form can be represented using letters as ABCDACEAFCA.[43] This structure is one of the most fractured in Blood on the Floor.[42]

VIII. Crackdown

Crackdown is scored for a jazz trio of guitar, bass clarinet and drum kit.[22] The movement is written in the jazz-fusion style, and features improvised solos from all three members of the trio.[22] Crackdown is the shortest movement in Blood on the Floor and lasts for approximately four and a quarter minutes.[30] The movement is conventionally not conducted.[9][44]

The movement opens with a long improvised solo from the drum kit, which lasts for around two minutes. The solo has no metre.[45] During the solo, the drum kit is asked to start pianissimo, before "gradually moving towards rhythmic stability". After the solo ends, the drum kit is instructed to support a funk groove.[46] After solos from the guitar and bass clarinet, the drum kit continues, ending the movement softly.[45]

IX. Dispelling the Fears
The trumpets in Dispelling the Fears have been compared to the style of Miles Davis

Dispelling the Fears is scored for two trumpets and orchestra.[29] The movement takes inspiration from Dispelling the Fears, a painting by the Australian artist Heather Betts.[17] The movement is dedicated to Betts and her husband, Brett Dean.[47] Dispelling the Fears is taken from a previous concerto of the same name that Turnage had composed in 1994.[47][25] It is the longest movement in Blood on the Floor and lasts for approximately fifteen and three-quarter minutes.[30]

The movement's style is dissimilar to that of the other movements, bar Sweet and Decay. Instead of focusing on rhythmic modulations like the rest of the suite, Dispelling the Fears is centred on slowly moving chords.[45] Like Sweet and Decay, the movement features use of cells instead of repeating melodic ideas.[48]

Dispelling the Fears uses previous themes encountered in Blood on the Floor. The chromatic saxophone melody from the prologue appears again, now appearing as one of the movement's main themes. It is joined by the chord progression from Needles which takes place during that movement's solos.[49] The music played by the two solo trumpets has been compared to the style of Miles Davis.[15]

Motifs

Turnage employs musical motifs heavily throughout Blood on the Floor. In his 2008 Doctor of Musical Arts thesis, Matthew Styles identifies a total of eight motifs employed. These motifs appear in the prologue and reappear throughout the other eight movements. Styles argues that this use of motifs adds musical unity to the suite and fulfils "the idea of a prologue": to introduce themes found later in the suite.[49] One motif used is a recurring glissando played by the brass and low woodwind, which appears in the first, fifth and seventh movements.[50] Another motif featured is a chromatic melody similar to the one played by the soprano saxophone.[51] This melody is played by the bass clarinets and horns, and features a "spinning" cycle of notes based around D♯ and E. It appears in the prologue and returns multiple times in Dispelling the Fears.[51][52]

Performances
The American premiere of Blood on the Floor took place at the Miller Theatre

Blood on the Floor was premiered in London in May 1996 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.[53][54][55] The suite was then performed by the Ensemble Modern at the Salzburg Festival in August 1997.[53]

The American premiere of Blood on the Floor took place on 28 September 2001 at the Miller Theatre, New York. The suite was performed by the Absolute Ensemble, conducted by Kristjan Järvi.[56] As the performance was following the events of the September 11 attacks, the concert almost did not take place due to the "provocative" nature of the music. However, the theatre's manager, George Steel, decided to allow the concert to go ahead, as he did not want to "to infantalize the audience".[56]

During his first month as principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Simon Rattle conducted a performance of Blood on the Floor in October 2002.[57] The Berlin Philharmonic also held a workshop event for young musicians to play the suite; according to Franz Xaver Ohnesorg, who ran the event, "the Blood on the Floor project [gave] a chance to open up a dialogue with young people about drugs.[58]

Stefan Asbury conducted a Boston Symphony Orchestra performance of Blood on the Floor in the Seiji Ozawa Hall to close the 2006 Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music.[59][44] Also in 2006, the suite received its Scottish premiere, conducted by Martyn Brabbins.[60]

A 2012 performance by the Oslo Philharmonic saw Blood on the Floor conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer, with solo performances from Robertson, Erskine and John Parricelli.[9]

On 9 April 2021, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performed Blood on the Floor at the Hamer Hall, conducted by Fabian Russel. The performance was a part of their Metropolis concert series. The performance featured solo performances from Carl Mackey (saxophone), James Sherlock (guitar) and Dave Beck (drum kit).[47]

Reception

Blood on the Floor is commonly seen as Turnage's "most extensive" fusion of classical and jazz styles.[61] The suite received a mixed reception from critics. Some critics, like Clements, praised the suite. Writing in The Guardian, Clements commented that in Blood on the Floor, "Turnage's use of rock and jazz elements has been integrated much more thoroughly into the melting pot of his style" and "emerges as one of the foreground elements for the first time".[62] In The Times, Ivan Hewett appraised how "Turnage prefers to work with the jazz musicians whom he reveres to create truly collaborative pieces".[63] In a review for AllMusic, Richard S. Ginell said that "[...] this is definitely not easy listening entertainment, but it is a tough nut worth cracking".[21]

Other critics took a dislike to the suite. Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Richard Wolfson stated that "Blood on the Floor was a clumsy attempt to mingle jazz and classical players".[64] Nick Coleman of The Independent agreed, questioning the nature of the work:

Is it possible to lose the funk in the bleak architectonics of [Turnage's] formal composition? Or do we have to take it on trust, because Turnage is interested in "urban alienation" and wrote for American jazzers John Scofield and Peter Erskine in his Francis Bacon-inspired Blood on the Floor suite, that some kind of cold fusion has taken place between the tradition of Miles and Marvin and that of European art music?[65]

Recordings
Title Conductor Performers Label Year Ref(s)
Unknown Public 08: Sensuality: Essence And Nonsence[lower-alpha 1] Peter Rundel Ensemble Modern, with John Scofield (guitar), Martin Robertson (saxophone) and Peter Erskine (drums) Unknown Public 1996 [30]
Blood on the Floor Peter Rundel Ensemble Modern, with John Scofield (guitar), Martin Robertson (saxophone) and Peter Erskine (drums) Argo 1998[lower-alpha 2] [19][66][67]
Some Days; Your Rockaby; Dispelling the Fears; Blood on the Floor Peter Rundel Ensemble Modern, with John Scofield (guitar), Martin Robertson (saxophone) and Peter Erskine (drums) Decca 2001 [10][68]
Blood on the Floor[lower-alpha 3] Peter Rundel Ensemble Modern, with John Scofield (guitar), Martin Robertson (saxophone) and Peter Erskine (drums) Arthaus Musik 2006 [14][69][70][16]

See also

Notes, references and sources

Notes
  1. Only movement four (Sweet and Decay)
  2. Some sources say 1997
  3. Video performance recorded by Hessischer Rundfunk[67]

References
  1. Lowery 2008, p. 2.
  2. Lowery 2008, p. 15.
  3. Clements 2000, p. 66.
  4. Sulcas, Roslyn (11 July 2011). "Echoing the Tones of Francis Bacon". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  5. Morrison, Richard (20 January 2003). "Blood on the Floor". The Times. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  6. Clements 2000, p. 35.
  7. Davidson, Justin (28 May 2000). "Jazzed About the Possibilities of Musical Genre-Crossing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  8. Burrows & Wiffen 2012, p. 343.
  9. Tollåli, Aksel (29 October 2012). "Blood on the Floor with the Oslo Philharmonic". Bachtrack. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  10. Clark 1998, p. 536.
  11. Turnage 2008.
  12. Evans 2002, p. 15.
  13. Lowery 2008, p. 16.
  14. Gutman, David (July 2006). "Turnage's magnum 'fusion' opus: a triumph of breathtaking artistry". Gramophone. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  15. Clements 2000, p. 67.
  16. Isserlis & Rye 2017, p. 931.
  17. Styles 2008, p. 57.
  18. Styles 2008, p. 74.
  19. "Turnage Blood on the Floor". Gramophone. May 1998. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  20. Styles 2008, p. 61.
  21. Ginell, Richard S. "Blood on the Floor Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  22. Styles 2008, p. 75.
  23. Lowery 2008, p. v.
  24. Lowery 2008, p. 11.
  25. Lowery 2008, p. 4.
  26. Styles 2008, p. 53.
  27. Lowery 2008, p. 5.
  28. Styles 2008, p. 56.
  29. Styles 2008, p. 62.
  30. Evans 2002, p. 9.
  31. Styles 2008, p. 63.
  32. Lowery 2008, p. 27.
  33. Lowery 2008, p. 29.
  34. Styles 2008, p. 58.
  35. Styles 2008, p. 65.
  36. Lowery 2008, p. 6.
  37. Clements 2000, p. 34.
  38. Lowery 2008, p. 7.
  39. Lowery 2008, p. 32.
  40. Styles 2008, p. 77.
  41. Lowery 2008, p. 31.
  42. Lowery 2008, p. 8.
  43. Styles 2008, p. 59.
  44. Dyer, Richard (2 August 2006). "'Blood on the Floor' is a wild sonic ride". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  45. Lowery 2008, p. 9.
  46. Styles 2008, p. 76.
  47. Tregear, Peter (14 April 2021). "Blood on the Floor". Australian Book Review. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  48. Lowery 2008, p. 10.
  49. Styles 2008, p. 66.
  50. Styles 2008, p. 67.
  51. Styles 2008, p. 68.
  52. Clements 2000, p. 36.
  53. "Striking a violent chord". Moreover. The Economist. 10 July 1997. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  54. Birdle 1996, p. 32.
  55. Styles 2008, p. 85.
  56. Tommasini, Anthony (1 October 2011). "Provocative At a Time of Provocation". Music Review. The New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  57. Smith 2002, p. 19.
  58. Morrison, Richard (1 October 2002). "Rattled but not shaken". The Times. p. 18.
  59. Kandell 2006, p. 12.
  60. Noltingk 2017, p. 200.
  61. Vellianitis 2018, p. 94.
  62. Clements, Andrew (24 May 1996). "Composer Mark Anthony Turnage's new work, Blood on the Floor, is inspired by urban alienation, drugs and personal tragedy". The Guardian. p. 16.
  63. Ivan, Hewett (18 January 2003). "Classical choice". The Times. p. 10.
  64. Wolfson, Richard (6 January 2001). "Pop has learnt from classical. Can classical learn from pop?". The Daily Telegraph. p. 7.
  65. Coleman, Nick (27 March 1998). "Going back to his roots". The Independent. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  66. Gimbel 2000.
  67. Stuart 2009, p. 825.
  68. "Turnage: Some Days; Your Rockaby; Dispelling the Fears; Blood on the Floor". BBC Music Magazine. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  69. Johnson, Stephen (20 January 2012). "Turnage: Blood on the Floor". BBC Music Magazine. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  70. Oliver 2010, p. 78.

Sources

Further reading
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