Edith Cowan University
Research Online
Theses : Honours
Theses
2015
Zeena Parkins’ contribution to experimental music
and the development of the harp in the late
twentieth century
Catherine Ashley
Edith Cowan University
Exegesis only available, online access restricted to ECU staff and students by author's request
Recommended Citation
Ashley, C. (2015). Zeena Parkins’ contribution to experimental music and the development of the harp in the late twentieth century.
Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/1470
This Thesis is posted at Research Online.
http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/1470
Edith Cowan
University
Copyright
Warning
You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the
purpose of your own research or study.
The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate
or otherwise make available electronically to any other
person any copyright material contained on this site.
You are reminded of the following:
• Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against
persons who infringe their copyright.
• A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be
a copyright infringement.
• A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation
to offences and infringements relating to copyright material.
Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be
awarded, for offences and infringements involving the
conversion of material into digital or electronic form.
Use of Thesis
This copy is the property of Edith Cowan University. However the literary
rights of the author must also be respected. If any passage from this thesis
is quoted or closely paraphrased in a paper or written work prepared by the
user, the source of the passage must be acknowledged in the work. If the
user desires to publish a paper or written work containing passages copied
or closely paraphrased from this thesis, which passages would in total
constitute and infringing copy for the purpose of the Copyright Act, he or she
must first obtain the written permission of the author to do so.
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Edith Cowan University
Zeena Parkins’ contribution to Experimental
music and the Development of the Harp in
the late Twentieth Century.
By
Catherine Ashley
This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Bachelor of Music Honours
2015
Copyright Declaration
I certify that this thesis does not, to the best of my knowledge and belief:
(i)
incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or
diploma in any institution of higher degree or diploma in any institution of higher
education;
(ii)
contain any material previously published or written by another person except where
due reference is made in the text of this thesis;
(iii)
contain any defamatory material;
(iv)
contain any data that has not been collected in a manner consistent with ethics
approval.
Signed:
Date:
This copy is the property of Edith Cowan University. However, the literary rights of the author must
also be respected. If any passage from this thesis is quoted or closely paraphrased in a paper or
written work prepared by the user, the source of the passage must be acknowledged in the work. If
the user desires to publish a paper or written work containing passages copied or closely
paraphrased from this thesis, which passages would in total constitute an infringing copy for the
purpose of the Copyright Act, he or she must first obtain the written permission of the author to do
so.
2
Abstract
This thesis will analyse and discuss the performance and compositional style of American harpist
Zeena Parkins (b. 1956). It will outline her performative and compositional approaches in relation to
the harp, and will describe a piece I have composed and performed, inspired by Parkins’ work.
Parkins’ use of the instrument outside of its traditional idioms is unique, pioneering the use of the
harp as a tool for improvisation and composition by using extended techniques and a range of
compositional approaches.
The research will outline her exploration and extension of the possibilities of the instrument as a
performer, and how she has transformed common perceptions of the harp and of the harpist in
contemporary music practice. It will examine her compositional style for the harp and will include an
analysis of one of her works as a soloist. The thesis will conclude with a description of the work I
have composed in her style.
The thesis is divided into four chapters: the first consisting of biographical information in order to
contextualise Parkins’ music, while the second outlines her performance and compositional styles
and techniques. Chapter three will present an example of Parkins’ work for analysis, which will be
followed by a discussion of the piece I have written and how it is has been influenced by Parkins’
work.
3
Acknowledgments
Thank you first to my amazing dissertation supervisor A/Prof Cat Hope for her guidance throughout
the various stages of this project. To my long suffering harp teacher Tony Maydwell, thank you for
your constant support. I wish to also acknowledge the valuable assistance given to me by Stewart
Smith and Jonathan Paget in the direction of this project. Most of all, thank you to my daughter
Amy, for putting up with me throughout this year.
4
Table of Contents
Copyright Declaration ............................................................................................................................. 2
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................... 4
Index of Figures ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Chapter One: Zeena Parkins - The Musician ........................................................................................... 8
1.1: Parkins’ Early Musical Life ............................................................................................................ 8
1.2: The New York Downtown Scene ................................................................................................ 10
1.3: Parkins’ Collaborations with Dance Choreographers ................................................................ 13
Chapter Two: Zeena Parkins - The Performer....................................................................................... 15
2.1: Parkins’ Harps ............................................................................................................................ 15
2.2: Parkins’ Use of Extended and Non-Traditional Techniques with the Harp ............................... 18
2.3: Parkins - The Composer ............................................................................................................. 22
Chapter Three: Analysis of Parkins’ Work “Bubble” ............................................................................. 25
Chapter Four: Utilising Compositional and Performance Techniques as Demonstrated by Zeena
Parkins in My Own Work ...................................................................................................................... 28
4.1: Sensum - The Concept................................................................................................................ 28
4.2: Sensum - The Process................................................................................................................. 30
4.3: Sensum - The Work .................................................................................................................... 32
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 34
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 35
Discography........................................................................................................................................... 37
Audiovisual Recordings ......................................................................................................................... 39
Appendix A ............................................................................................................................................ 41
5
Index of Figures
Figure 1 - Skeleton Crew Poster ............................................................................................................ 11
Figure 2 - Parkins and a long time dance collaborator, Jennifer Monson. ........................................... 13
Figure 3 - Parkins' second version of the electric harp. ........................................................................ 16
Figure 4 - Parkins' third version of the electric Harp. ........................................................................... 16
Figure 5 - An example of a 'Blue 47' pedal harp by Camac Harps. ....................................................... 17
Figure 6 - Parkins rattling a metal rod between two strings ................................................................ 18
Figure 7 - Parkins rubbing a scrubbing brush on the sound strip of the electric harp. ........................ 20
Figure 8 - Parkins bowing the strings with horsehair. .......................................................................... 21
Figure 9 - Parkins scraping the strings with a mini cymbal. .................................................................. 21
Figure 10 - A performance of "Spellbeamed", the harp as a patient. .................................................. 23
Figure 11 - One slide projected from the "Spellbeamed" score. .......................................................... 23
Figure 12 - Selections from Parkins' work "Lace Piece". ....................................................................... 24
Figure 13 - A peak frequency spectogram of the first 30 seconds of "Bubble" .................................... 25
Figure 14 - "Bubble" 1:20 - 2:00............................................................................................................ 26
Figure 15 - "Bubble" 2:57 - 3:25............................................................................................................ 26
Figure 16 - Sensum 1st movement, 1st thirty seconds ......................................................................... 32
Figure 17 - Sensum, 2nd movement, 4:30-5:00.................................................................................... 33
Figure 18 - Sensum, 3rd movement, 0:45-1:30 .................................................................................... 33
6
Introduction
The harp has traditionally been associated with classical and folk idioms. Several harpists in the
twentieth century, including Alice Coltrane (1937-2007) and Dorothy Ashby (1932-1986), have used
the harp in a jazz setting, but there have been very few harpists who have utilised the extended
possibilities of the instrument, particularly in experimental and avant-garde music.
American harpist Zeena Parkins has pioneered the use of the harp as a compositional and
improvisational tool in the experimental music scene since the mid 1980s, making her one of the
world’s few ‘experimental’ harpists. Contemporary compositional practice in New York during the
eighties was typically a combination of improvisation and composition as musicians attempted to
redefine genre boundaries and notions of musical scoring. Parkins’ work exemplifies this style of
“structured improvisation”. Discontented with the conservative outlook of the instrument, she has
created new sounds, and a new way of defining the harp. Her dissatisfaction with the limitations of
the standard concert harp prompted the creation of her own electric harps, fifteen years before
similar instruments became commercially available.
Parkins has released thirteen albums as leader, over forty collaborative albums, and has over two
hundred other album credits to her name. As her work as been largely unexamined academically,
this thesis will document many of the performance and compositional techniques utilised by Parkins
in relation to the harp.
7
Chapter One: Zeena Parkins - The Musician
Zeena Parkins’ music in improvised and compositional settings is directly influenced by her musical
upbringing, her time spent in New York City, and her collaborations with the dance community.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a context for Parkins’ compositional and performance style
in relation to the harp.
1.1: Parkins’ Early Musical Life
Zeena Parkins was born in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan in the United States. The daughter of a
Hungarian-American pianist, she grew up in a musical household, with her sisters and brother also
studying music to a high level. 1 Although Parkins studied classical piano and dance from an early age,
she was exposed to different styles of music such as jazz and Motown. During this time her mother
was completing her Masters in piano at Wayne State University and exposed Parkins to many
extended techniques for the piano in the repertoire she was preparing. 2
At the age of fifteen, Parkins auditioned for and was accepted into Cass Technical High School, a
combined technical college and performing arts pre-college high school. A serious music student,
she studied piano to a very high level at the school. The school’s policy was to assign all pianists an
orchestral instrument, and Parkins was assigned the harp. She studied the harp for three years with
Velme Fraude. Parkins took instantly to the harp, describing it as “an amalgamation between being a
dancer and being a musician”. 3 Although she loved the instrument and benefitted greatly from
Fraude’s firm and rigorous teaching, Parkins became restless with the conservative training and
knew she was not using the harp to its full potential. During this period Parkins did not own a harp as
the school had provided one for her.
Upon graduating from high school, Parkins spent one year dancing full time in a ballet company and
preparing further piano recitals. Told she did not have the right physique to pursue ballet further,
and no longer having a harp to use, Parkins focussed on piano, majoring in classical performance at
the University of Michigan. Although she never formally studied composition, she became interested
in contemporary piano repertoire, leaning towards composers such as Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971),
1
Seth Cluett, “Zeena Parkins in Conversation with Seth Cluett,” Movement Research Performance Journal 43
(2013): 27.
2
Cluett, “Zeena Parkins in Conversation with Seth Cluett,” 27.
3
Danielle Goldman, “A Conversation with Zeena Parkins 7 May 2007,” Women & Performance: A Journal of
Feminist Theory 17:2 (2007): 247-256, accessed March 15, 2014 doi:10.1080/07407700701387408.
8
Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Bela Bartok (1881-1945), Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) and
Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951). Even though she was a serious pianist, Parkins again felt stifled by
the conservative conservatorium approach. After two years at Michigan she transferred to Bard
College, a liberal arts college in New York State, where she continued to major in piano performance.
In the free artistic environment at Bard, Parkins developed an interest in avant-garde film, and was
further drawn to contemporary music and dance.
“Mixing with people other than classical music nerds was such a revelation to me... that was sort of
the gathering information time for me in terms of all of the stuff that [I learned about], the different
kinds of music, and different kinds of film and art and meeting people that were doing, making
thing”. 4
After graduating with a Fine Arts Degree from Bard in 1979, Parkins joined the Janus Circus, a
travelling theatre collective directed by fellow Bard student Christopher Wangro (b. 1958). In the
circus Parkins worked as a seamstress, designer, grant writer and bookkeeper, as well as performing
on the accordion dressed as a dancing bear. Performing in the circus further exposed Parkins to new
ideas that she says “opened up a new kind of flexibility in my relationship to music”. 5 During this
time Parkins continued to think about going back to the harp, noting that “It seemed like there were
enough keyboard players around, and I thought it would be interesting to extend an instrument noone had thought of”. 6 In the circus Parkins met English drummer Chris Cutler (b.1947), who
mentioned he had been looking for a harpist for a recording project. This was the catalyst for Parkins
to return to the instrument, this time with a fresh vision of her musical direction.
Parkins returned home to Detroit where she rented a harp and took intensive lessons for eight
months with harpist Maryanne Bartlett. She then travelled to London to record with the group News
from Babel, a recording project featuring Cutler, Lindsay Cooper (1951-2013), Dagmar Krause (b.
1950) and Robert Wyatt (b. 1945).
4
Paulo J. Almeida, “Organized Improvisation By Three Downtown Composers In 1980s New York” (MA diss.,
California State University, 2008), 155-156.
5
“Phantom Orchard: An Interview with Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori,” Steve Elkins, accessed June 3, 2014,
http://www.steveelkins.net/Interviews/Phantom-Orchard-An-Interview/5297362_x2zJ38.
6
Andrew Jones, Plunderphonics, ‘Pataphysics & Pop Mechanics (Middlesex: SAF Publishing, 1995), 116.
9
1.2: The New York Downtown Scene
In December of 1984 Parkins moved to New York City where she was exposed to the music
improvisation community that was thriving during this period. 7 Surrounded by an array of different
musical genres, her performance style was able to grow and develop.
In order to connect with the city’s harp community Parkins took a job working for the International
Harp Society in Manhattan, whose building also housed a harp shop. Here she had the opportunity
to buy a troubadour harp for performing on, as well as the use of pedal harps for practicing.
Within six months Parkins performed with Butch Morris (1947-2013) in his first “Conduction” 8 (1985)
as well as with John Zorn (b. 1953) in his seminal “Game Piece” 9 Cobra (1984) 10. Both Morris and
Zorn combined elements of structured improvisation in their works, which was later to have a
profound influence on Parkins’ compositional processes. It was also through Zorn’s ensemble that
Parkins was introduced to many other musicians in the improvisation community.
“Before you know it, people were very open and very curious and I had the right [abilities]. I played
accordion, I played piano, I played harp and I had never really improvised, but I was very anxious to
jump right in.” 11
Parkins also began playing with the group Skeleton Crew, a trio with Fred Frith (b. 1949) on guitar
and Tom Cora (1953-1998) on cello. Frith and Cora were anxious for Parkins to perform harp with
the group, but Parkins had difficulty amplifying the acoustic instrument, as well as transporting it for
performances. Cora assisted Parkins in building a prototype of her first electric harp for the group in
1986 which was then used to record The Country of Blinds 12 in the same year. The album was
described as being “the high water mark of the 80s decade”. 13
7
Almeida, “Organised Improvisation.”
A type of structured free improvisation where Morris directs and conducts an improvising ensemble with a
series of hand and baton gestures.
9
An experimental piece utilising “controlled improvisation” by means of cue cards.
10
John Zorn, Cobra, ©1987, Hat Hut Records, ART 2034. Vinyl LP.
11
Almeida, “Organized Improvisation.”
12
Skeleton Crew, The Country of Blinds, ©1986, Rift, RIFT 11, Vinyl LP.
13
Vern Weber et al., Music Is Rapid Transportation...from The Beatles to Xenakis. (Toronto: Charivari, 2010),
203.
8
10
Figure 1 - Skeleton Crew Poster
14
“It was frenetic energy propelled along, tumbling and rumbling, by great playing. These were songs
that were strapped together by wild, musical stretches, always seemingly on the brink of flying apart
at the seams, but always managing to hold together.” (Weber, 2010, p204)
Parkins, Frith and Cora all contributed vocals, and each member acted as a drummer whilst
simultaneously playing their respective instrument. Interested in exploring music with less
improvisation and more structure, the trio also utilised pre-recorded tape in the mix. What resulted
was a hybrid of Eastern European gypsy jazz and Brechtian lounge and cabaret music. Parkins’
contributed a diverse range of sounds on the electric harp, organ and accordion, often paying
homage to the New Wave 15 and her circus roots.
In 1987 Parkins recorded her first album as leader, Something Out There 16, a vinyl LP. The album
features a selection of Parkins’ works on the electric and acoustic harps with various tracks
accompanied by drums, drum machines, live sampling and turntables performed by Samm Bennett
(b. 1957), Tom Cora, Wayne Horvitz (b. 1955), Christian Marclay (b. 1955), Jim Meneses (b. 1957)
and Ikue Mori (b. 1953). Far from her classical origins, Parkins employs a guitar-like aesthetic on the
album, utilising electronic effects on her harps and an aggressive plucking technique.
14
“WREK Posters,” WREK, accessed November 1, 2014, http://www.wrek.org.
An umbrella term for several late-1970s to mid-1980s pop/rock musical styles with ties to 1970s punk rock.
16
Zeena Parkins, Something Out There,©1987, No Man’s Land, NML 8712, Vinyl LP.
15
11
Aside from improvisation, musicians active in the “Downtown Scene” (as the experimental music
community in New York during this period was known), 17 also promoted ensemble playing with
stylistic diversity and fusion, and as such Parkins soon became a sought after collaborator. Over the
next decade Parkins partnered with Chris Cochrane to create the progressive-rock band No Safety
(1989-1993), recorded with Elliot Sharp (b. 1951) as a duo called Psycho Acoustic (1994-1996), and
held long term collaborative relationships with Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, Nels Cline (b. 1956) and Björk
(b. 1965), among others.
“Parkins exemplifies the generation of New York downtown musicians that critics have deemed
‘crossover’ artists, smoothly gliding across genre boundaries and intermixing musical practices –
making the future generation, for who ‘crossover’ is ordinary rather than novel, even possible.” (Bell,
2013, p32)
This active period of collaboration and performance style development established the ground work
for Parkins’ development as a composer.
17
Jones, Plunderphonics, 8.
12
1.3: Parkins’ Collaborations with Dance Choreographers
A defining influence on Zeena Parkins’ compositional style was her involvement with the dance
community.
In the mid-1980s, Parkins and several of her colleagues formed a collaborative workshop called
“MusicDance” in a studio space at PS122. The workshops focused on the process of creating and
exploring, rather than preparing for a performance. The participants explored how sound and
movement related to each other in improvised settings. Out of these workshops Parkins established
many ongoing relationships within the dance community. Many of Parkins’ significant works began
as dance scores, which she then reworked into separate instrumental entities.
“With dance I am triggered to pursue things that I’m sure I wouldn’t pursue otherwise, or certainly
not in the same way”. 18
The album Ursa’s Door 19 (1992) was Parkins’ first composition. It began as a commissioned dance
score for choreographer Jennifer Monson (b. 1961)and was performed with Chris Cochrane (guitar),
Ikue Mori (drums) and Parkins’ sisters Sara Parkins (violin) and Margaret Parkins (cello). As Cochrane
and Mori did not read music, and Parkins’ sisters had little experience in improvisation, Parkins used
the piece as an opportunity to explore the idea of combining written scores with improvised
elements. Parkins has since utilised the dance medium to explore the use of foley sound, field
recordings and multichannels within her compositions.
Figure 2 - Parkins and a long time dance collaborator, Jennifer Monson.
20
The supportive environment of the dance community, as well as the large amount of rehearsal time
for each piece, allowed Parkins a significant amount of compositional freedom. Performing to a
18
Danielle Goldman, “A Conversation with Zeena Parkins,” 254.
Zeena Parkins, Ursa’s Door, ©1992, Les Disques Victo, VICTO CD 018, CD.
20
“Zeena Parkins – Dance Scores,” Zeena Parkins, accessed November 1, 2014, http://www.zeenaparkins.com.
19
13
dance audience, rather than a music audience meant that she was able to experiment with a large
range of different sounds, orchestrations and processes and to think more about space and gesture
in her work. These opportunities allowed Parkins to develop as a composer and to explore the idea
of sound as a live installation.
“I was able to do something as a composer for dance that I wouldn’t do otherwise. And that was a
doorway into thinking about every piece as an opportunity to do something that I’d never done
before, and that was huge. I was beginning to become a composer as a result... Eventually this led to
moving away from what we call “music” to what we call “sound”... there was this expansion of what
the instrument was, what the materials were, what their sounding is in space. What a space is.” 21
21
Cluett, “Zeena Parkins in Conversation with Seth Cluett,” 28.
14
Chapter Two: Zeena Parkins - The Performer
Zeena Parkins displays a compositional and improvisational style that is more similar to a guitarist
than that of the traditional harpist. Her choices of extended and non-traditional techniques are
influenced by her choices of instrument. The use of a one-of-a-kind electric harp has played a pivotal
role in the development of Parkins’ unique sound, however she has also been able to successfully
adapt this style to the pedal harp in various settings.
2.1: Parkins’ Harps
Zeena Parkins’ instruments play a significant role in her distinctive sound as a composer. As a
pioneer of the electric harp her instruments are one-of-a-kind and provide unique sound palettes.
Parkins’ homemade electric harps have evolved over time to reflect her developing sound
requirements.
The emergence of Parkins’ electric harps was inspired by her desire to extend the instrument in
addition to practical issues. Facing problems with amplification of her troubadour acoustic harp, as
well as having trouble transporting such a cumbersome instrument, Parkins’ first electric harp was
designed out of necessity.
The prototype was designed in 1986 by Parkins’ Skeleton Crew colleague Tom Cora and Julian
Jackson, a visual artist. Described by Parkins as being built out of “a bunch of two-by-fours” 22 in a
triangular shape, the harp included steel guitar strings, a single coil and five used humbucker guitar
pickups. The instrument was then clamped on the side of Parkins’ Korg CX3 organ during Skeleton
Crew performances. This harp was used throughout Parkins’ time with Skeleton Crew as well as on
her solo album Nightmare Alley 23 (1993) which was the first album released by the Table of the
Elements label. Although this first harp was very primitive and had difficulty staying in tune, Parkins
was inspired to continue with the idea, and built a second harp.
22
Zeena Parkins, interview by David Weinstein, Experimental Composers: Zeena Parkins, Clocktower Radio,
March 19, 2010.
23
Zeena Parkins, Nightmare Alley, ©1993 Table of the Elements, H1 TOTE 1, CD.
15
Figure 3 - Parkins' second version of the electric harp.
24
The second version of Parkins’ harp (figure 3) was built by guitar maker and designer Ken Parker.
This instrument had a whammy bar 25 installed and could now be played freestanding with the use of
some modified drum hardware. Over several months Parker and Parkins continued to finesse the
harp, adjusting the shape and weight of the instrument.
Figure 4 - Parkins' third version of the electric Harp.
26
Parkins’ third harp (see figure 4) was created by sound artist Douglas Henderson (b. 1960) in 2003.
This instalment of Parkins’ harp was built with swamp wood and includes an ebony sound strip on
the pillar end of the harp, underneath the three lowest strings. The harp uses six Semour Duncan
humbucker pickups, which Henderson repositioned from their previous positions at the top of the
string to a lower position, and placed them at an angle in order to improve the sound quality. All the
components for this instrument were fabricated by Henderson including metal casings, house wires,
brass bridges, modified guitar tuning hardware and a modified metal drum stand. This version of the
electric diatonic harp is still used by Parkins today.
24
“Chris Cutler – Bands,” Chris Cutler, accessed November 1, 2014, http://www.ccutler.com.
A device commonly used on electric guitars that sets a metallic string into continuous vibration, often
producing a vibrato or pitch-bend effect.
26
“Zeena Parkins,” Bill Davis, accessed November 1, 2014,
http://deepartnature.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/zeena-parkins.html.
25
16
Although Parkins’ feels that this version of her harp is the final instalment, she is still working on
ways to further expand the capabilities of the instrument. A harp she is currently designing is a
plexiglass midi-harp controller which uses light sensors and video cameras to control light and
sound. Parkins is also designing a room sized harp installation.
Figure 5 - An example of a 'Blue 47' pedal harp by Camac Harps.
27
While none of Parkins’ versions of the electric harp include levers or pedals to create chromatic
notes, Parkins occasionally performs on an electric-acoustic pedal harp. Used most notably in her
performances with Björk such as the Vespertine 28 (2001) tour, and her duo with Ikue Mori, Phantom
Orchard, this harp is a “Blue 47”, a 47 string pedal harp with a straight soundboard made by Camac
Harps, in France.
27
28
“The Blue 47,” Camac Harps, accessed November 1, 2014, http://www.camac-harps.com.
Bjork, Vespertine, ©2001 One Little Indian, TPLP101, CD.
17
2.2: Parkins’ Use of Extended and Non-Traditional Techniques with the Harp
Parkins utilizes an array of extended techniques on the harp. Most notable is her use of a guitar
plectrum to pluck the strings in a number of different ways. Parkins picks the strings individually,
occasionally while plucking the strings with the fingertips in the opposite hand. She also uses the
plectrum when playing glissandi, often using the opposite hand to muffle the strings. This
“dampened plectrum glissando” creates a more percussive effect than the lushness of a traditional
glissando as the pitches of the strings are not resonating. Parkins also uses the plectrum to strum the
strings backwards and forwards in a nature similar to that of a guitarist. Often dampened much like
the glissandi, these effects create sounds that are unusual to the harp. These effects can be found in
many of her live performances including her improvised performance at Le Poisson Rouge in New
York from 2013. 29
Figure 6 - Parkins rattling a metal rod between two strings
30
Parkins frequently employs the use of a metal rod for various techniques on the harp. In many
performances, including the beginning of her performance of “Unison” with Bjork at the Royal Opera
House 31, she can be observed placing the rod horizontally between two strings and rattling it so that
it vibrates both strings (see also figure 6). When used on the bass wires of a pedal harp the effect is
metallic and percussive, with little to no pitch heard. When this technique is used on the higher
nylon strings of the pedal harp or the metal strings on Parkins’ electric harp it creates a pitched
effect similar to a tremolo. Parkins also scrapes the rod vertically up the bass wires and taps the rod
on the strings. Examples of all of these effects can be heard in Parkins’ improvised cadenza in Bobby
29
“Zeena Parkins @ Poisson Rouge , New York - June 11,2013- Set I,” YouTube Video, 26:08, posted by “Juan
Ant,” September 1, 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGzP2sA0Wmg.
30
“Harps,” Zeena Parkins, accessed November 2, 2014, http://www.zeenaparkins.com/harps.
31
Ibook4113, “Bjork – Unison,” YouTube Video, 6:45, August 30, 2007,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PEybjgUj6U.
18
Previte’s work Terminal 1 for percussion quartet and harp, premiered in 2011. 32 The metal rod is
often used by Parkins to bend pitches by placing it against a string while it is being plucked and
sliding it vertically. As this has the effect of shortening or lengthening the amount of string that is
vibrating it can create a true glissando effect, or can wobble the pitch when the rod is moved up and
down in quick succession. Parkins also uses the rod as a means of fretting the strings that lie in front
of the ebony strip on her electric harp. By doing this she is able to treat the strings similar to that of
a bass guitar, moving the rod up and down to create different pitches on the same string while it is
being plucked.
Parkins’ use of electronics is again more aligned with that of a guitarist than of a traditional harpist.
Parkins utilises a range of effects pedals, rather than computer effects in her work, with
compressors, overdrive, whammy and loop pedals being the most common. Parkins often uses an
Ebow 33 in performances with her electric harp. Placing it against the pickups she predominantly uses
it to draw out long individual pitches, or shaken across the pickups to create a more staccato effect.
Many of her techniques, including the use of the Ebow, are often paired with the use of the
whammy pedal or whammy bar on her electric harp. This can be observed in Parkins’ live
performance with Thomas Lehn and Jason Willett at the High Zero Festival in 2011, at around the
thirty minute point. 34
Parkins uses certain techniques exclusively when performing on the pedal harp, due to the nature of
the instrument. Pedal bends have long been used by harpists performing jazz music as well as in
select contemporary repertoire. Parkins uses this technique in much the same way, also extending it
to a “pedal bend tremolo”, vigorously shifting the pedal up and down to create buzzes in the bass
wires. Parkins also uses the “thunder effect”, an effect produced by playing the bass wires with
enough force that they buzz against each other. She adds further dimensions to this sound by
touching a metal rod against the already buzzing string. Parkins further enhances her picked
glissando by playing it above the bridge pin on the pedal harp, producing a sparkling pizzicato sound.
Examples of many of these techniques can be found in a video recording of Phantom Orchard in the
studio. 35
32
Bobby Previte, “Bobby Previte’s TERMINAL 1 – So Percussion and Zeena Parkins,” YouTube Video, 18:06,
April 24, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qzc78GfqnA.
33
A device which creates an electromagnetic field in order to vibrate a string. Commonly used on the electric
guitar.
34
Lemming Vision, “Thomas Lehn, Zeena Parkins and Jason Willett at High Zero 2011,” YouTube Video, 39:28,
Oct 3, 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4hia3G6o2c.
35
Eyes Like Propellers, “Phantom Orchard: Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori in the studio,” YouTube Video, 4:21,
October 25, 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S0UhAHskgY.
19
Figure 7 - Parkins rubbing a scrubbing brush on the sound strip of the electric harp.
36
Further extended techniques in Parkins’ music include the use of non-musical objects. Parkins’
interest in foley sound37, found particularly in albums such as Money $hot 38 (2002) and Necklace 39
(2006), is often included in her harp playing. In her performance with August Rosenbaum and Lars
Greve in 2014, Parkins uses scrunched cellophane to wipe the strings. 40 Several examples of live
performances include Parkins using a scrubbing brush to wipe the strings on the sound strip in a
vertical motion, and occasionally a mini cymbal to scrape the strings. She also utilises prepared harp
techniques similar to those found in prepared piano such as alligator clips, bolts, timpani mallets and
horse hair which are used directly as means to pluck the string, to bow the string, threaded between
the strings to create different timbres when plucked, or used to strike the strings or soundboard.
36
“Bands with harp,” The Gear Page, accessed November 2, 2014,
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=1035361.
37
The use of everyday sound effects, commonly used in film.
38
Zeena Parkins, Money $hot, ©2002, Casestudy, 01c, CD.
39
Zeena Parkins, Necklace, ©2006, Tzadik, TZ 8022, CD.
40
Unseen Recordings, “Zeena Parkins, August Rosenbaum & Lars Greve,” YouTube Video, 10:29, February 19,
2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtlNmEhvK-c.
20
Figure 8 - Parkins bowing the strings with horsehair.
41
Figure 9 - Parkins scraping the strings with a mini cymbal.
42
As well as her use of external objects such as plectrums on the harp, Parkins is widely gestural when
performing with just her hands. She can frequently be seen hitting or tapping the strings with the
palm of her hand, as well as wiping the strings vertically. Tapping the strings on the ebony strip with
the fingertips produces another guitar-like effect.
Parkins unique instrument is capable of many inimitable effects, predominantly due to the addition
of a strip of ebony laid vertically underneath the lowest three strings, and many of the
aforementioned techniques are utilised here. This feature is another example of how Parkins
approaches her instrument using guitar idioms. A frequent technique she utilises here is the fretting
of the strings. Either done with her fingers or a metal rod, Parkins is able to stop the string and
create new pitches, frequently moving the rod up and down to create wobbles and bends in the
pitch.
41
“Andrea and Zeena Parkins,” Wayward Music Series, accessed November 2, 2014,
http://www.waywardmusic.org/event/andrea-zeena-parkins/.
42
“Artist Daria Martin,” Artnet, accessed November 2, 2014, http://www.artnet.com/galleries/maureenpaley/artist-daria-martin/.
21
2.3: Parkins - The Composer
“I see the instrument as a luxurious sound machine more than a sweet angelic stringed creature
floating around on a cloud.” 43
Described as walking “the tightrope between classical structure and the chaos of free playing”, 44
Zeena Parkins’s compositional style can generally be defined as “structured improvisation”. Whilst
she has been heavily involved in the free-improvisation music scene since the mid-1980s, Parkins’
compositions for recording and for live performance, especially within her work with dancers,
combine elements of fixed composition with improvisation. Parkins’ first work which portrays this is
Ursa’s Door 45 (1992).
Parkins’ music is characterised by occasional sudden changes of mood, shifting from lyrical haunting
melodies and sparse soundscapes to frenzied distortion driven lines of a more percussive nature.
Her music often features repetition of small fragments, either of a few notes or occasionally a single
pitch. When playing the harp with the finger tips in the traditional way she often utilises fast moving
rolled chords and clusters of arpeggio like patterns, and juxtaposes this with sparse individual notes
over the whole range of the instrument. Her music is generally not diatonic or atonal, but uses
shifting timbres as its tonal basis instead. 46 Many of her works include layers of timbres which
develop and shift throughout the performance. Far from the traditional harp technique, Parkins
could often be observed as treating her harp more like a guitar. The whammy bar and sound strip
features on her instrument provide many opportunities for this, and her playing technique expands
upon this idea with the use of a guitar plectrum. Of Parkins’ album Pan-Acousticon 47 (1999), Jazziz
Magazine reviewer Patrick Hughes describes it as “encompassing everything from pulsing minimalist
composition to what sound like bridge suspension cables buckling in an earthquake. Choruses of
decaying chimes, distorted voices and mechanical blips jolt briefly before resolving into textured
rhythm patterns... Alternately cohesive and broken, delicate and disruptive, Pan-Acousticon rebukes
insincerity and ironic detatchment, embracing instead a swirling, hallucinatory romanticism.” 48
An interesting example of Parkins’ unique compositional relationship to the harp can be found in her
piece “Spellbeamed” which was performed with the JACK Quartet and members of the Ne(x)tworks
43
Zeena Parkins, liner notes to Nightmare Alley, Zeena Parkins, Table of the Elements H1 TOTE1, CD, 1993
Jones, Plunderphonics, 118.
45
Parkins, Ursa’s Door.
46
Gelsey Bell, “Zeena Parkins and the Play of Translation and Response,” Movement Research Performance
Journal 43 (2014): 33.
47
Zeena Parkins, Pan-Acousticon, ©1999, Tzadik, TZ 7049, CD.
48
Patrick Hughes, “Zeena Parkins: Pan-Acousticon,” Jazziz, July 2000, 72.
44
22
Ensemble as part of “Spellbeamed:Fixexploded; Fixabolished” in 2012. Inspired by the German
philosopher and essayist Walter Benjamin, the harp is treated as a patient to be researched and
diagnosed, and is laid on its side on a table. Wearing surgical gloves, Parkins hands various
implements to be used on the harp to another performer. Implements included glass shards and a
bunch of horse hair. 49 The work involved using hundreds of objects and images such as a box of
paper clips, a shoe and a bus in lieu of traditional written music notation, pushing the boundaries of
what a score could be. Each of the objects was used as a means of developing musical meaning from
a source other than a traditional score. A performer seeing an image of a vase would then have to
extract meaning from it, and develop their own sound language as a response to the “score”.
Figure 10 - A performance of "Spellbeamed", the harp as a patient.
Figure 11 - One slide projected from the "Spellbeamed" score.
50
51
Depending on the group she is writing for and the context of the work, Parkins uses a mixture of
traditional music notation, graphic scores, written cues and more obscure references to scoring such
as in “Spellbeamed” (2012). Using a combination of improvisational structures and written notation,
49
Zachary Woolfe, “Where Words are the Notes,” New York Times, September 12, 2012, accessed April 18,
2014, http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/docview/1039005738? accountid=10675.
50
“Zeena Parkins – About”, Zeena Parkins, accessed November 2, 2014, http://www.zeenaparkins.com/about.
51
Ibid.
23
she is able to communicate her intentions to players from diverse musical backgrounds. 52 Her work
“Lace Piece” is a collection of pieces of lace Parkins has collected throughout her travels in Europe
where each piece is read as a form of graphic notation. Used to present structure in the work, the
different pieces of lace suggest different ways to organise the material whilst offering certain
limitations for the performer to contribute content to the overall work.
Figure 12 - Selections from Parkins' work "Lace Piece".
52
Woolfe, “Where Words are the Notes,” 32.
FundacaoSerralves, “Zeena Parkins,” YouTube Video, 3:25, June 9, 2011,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVwziPXCo6g.
53
24
53
Chapter Three: Analysis of Parkins’ Work “Bubble”
The piece “Bubble” is the seventh track from Zeena Parkins’ solo album Between the Whiles 54 from
2009 on the Table of the Elements label (US). I have analysed this work to demonstrate Parkins’ use
of contrasting timbres as well as the use of layering in her compositions.
For the analysis of this work I first studied a video recording of a live performance Parkins gave of
this piece in 2007. 55 I then studied the audio recording from her album using a peak frequency
spectrogram. I chose to use a spectrogram to represent the work as it clearly shows Parkins’ use of
layering and patterning throughout the piece.
Figure 13 - A peak frequency spectogram of the first 30 seconds of "Bubble"
The piece begins with an ebow being held against an E string which quickly becomes a D, as can be
seen in figure 12. The D is sustained for almost twenty seconds while the ebow occasionally rattles
the string, creating unsettling jarring noises against the pure tone of the singular pitch. Throughout
the opening the ebow alternates between sustained pitches and these frequent interruptions of
rattling. A loop pedal is used to record fragments of the sounds being created which are replayed
and layered over the building texture.
54
Zeena Parkins, Between the Whiles, ©2010 Table of the Elements, TOE-CD-110, CD.
55
Zeena Parkins, Interview with Derk Richardson, Improv:21 – The Texture of Sound: An Informance with Zeena
Parkins, 2007.
25
Figure 14 - "Bubble" 1:20 - 2:00
Parkins then begins to slide the ebow vertically up and down various strings creating sliding
glissandos as can be seen in figure 13. The loop pedal is again used to capture this effect which is
repeated continuously whilst Parkins sustains further strings with the ebow. Up until this point the
ebow has been positioned towards the middle of the string, maintaining a pure timbre. As the
texture grows Parkins begins to position the ebow closer to, or right above the pickups, creating a
harsher, more distorted tone. The distortion creates bursts of extra overtones which can be seen in
figure 14, adding another layer to the texture. At this point, four minutes into the work, Parkins
plucks the string with her finger for the first time, a low note which is more like a dull thud against
the pure tones that have been heard so far.
Figure 15 - "Bubble" 2:57 - 3:25.
Parkins then taps her fingers in fast succession on the strings overlaying the ebony strip on the harp.
Running them vertically up and down the strip the tapping and occasional sliding creates a low
rumbling underneath the texture which is still looping the previous fragments of sustained tones,
sliding glissandos and overtones. Plucking the lowest strings with one hand, she utilises the whammy
bar on the harp to wobble the pitches, before going back to tapping and sliding with the fingers on
the ebony.
26
Parkins then continues using the ebow, this time on the pickups of the highest strings, creating high
pitched squeals before moving down to the middle register of the instrument. She then places a mini
cymbal on the strings overlaying the ebony strip which is slowly slid vertically up and down the
strings creating a subtle hum, slowly shifting in pitch as the cymbal is moved. The ebow is then
placed directly on the pickups and moved horizontally, creating a wavering high overtone effect.
Parkins then vigorously rubs the palm of her hand vertically along the strings on the ebony strip
which produces fluttering fragments of sound. She further explores the ebony strip by tapping and
sliding her fingers up and down the strings, and plucking strings whilst using the whammy bar. After
sliding the ebow along the pickups once more Parkins plays a haunting tune on the melodica over
the layers she has created on the harp. Gradually the layers fade out one by one.
While both Parkins’ live performance and studio recording of this work begin in the same way, they
develop in slightly different directions as the piece progresses. They utilise the same techniques
throughout, although considerably more time is spent using the ebow in the studio recording. It may
be that Parkins utilises more visually stimulating techniques when performing live, and is more
concerned with the sonic palette and development of the work itself when recording her works.
27
Chapter Four: Utilising Compositional and Performance Techniques as
Demonstrated by Zeena Parkins in My Own Work
The following chapter is an outline of a piece I have written entitled Sensum. The purpose of
presenting this work is to demonstrate some of the techniques Parkins utilises in compositional and
improvisational settings, and to implement them into my own practice as a harpist, improviser and
composer. As my experience with electronics on the harp had previously been limited, and many of
the prepared techniques Parkins uses were new to me, the aim of writing this piece was to become
more familiar with them by applying them in my own work.
In writing this piece I have attempted to create a concept of scoring that does not follow the idea of
traditional notation. I aimed to demonstrate Parkins’ style and use of prepared techniques on the
harp but also endeavoured to bring these techniques into my own musical style, rather than to
sound exactly like her. The work consists of three movements which are found on the accompanying
CD in Appendix A.
4.1: Sensum - The Concept
The piece I have devised, Sensum, is using elements of “prepared improvisation”. I have given the
performer directions with which to create boundaries, but left the musical content to the performer.
Because of this, the work will sound completely different every time it is performed.
I have decided to use a similar concept to that which Parkins utilises in her work Spellbeamed (see
chapter 2.3). The nature of the score will be “text based”, with the performer creating musical
meaning out of written words.
The performer selects a book, preferably fiction. Using a random number generator with the
maximum value set at the number of pages in the book, the performer will select three integers.
These will be the page numbers. The performer will then select a further three integers using the
generator, this time with the maximum number set at fifteen. These will be the sentence numbers.
Using the selected book the performer uses the integers to select three sentences and writes them
on three different cards. If the sentence number is greater than the amount of sentences on that
page it is acceptable to follow the counting of sentences onto the next page. The cards can be played
in any order and each card may be played for any duration. The piece is written for “prepared
concert pedal harp with electronics”. When the piece is performed live each sentence should be
read by a narrator before the commencement of each movement.
28
The book I have chosen is “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster. 56 This book has 256 pages and
as such the maximum number will be set at 256. The following integers were randomly selected
using www.random.org: 125, 144 and 219. When the maximum number was set to fifteen the
following integers were selected as sentence numbers: 4, 2 and 8.
The sentences to be used are as such:
1) “The instruments began again and the color returned.” (page 125, sentence 4)
2)
“”How agreeable and pleasant this valley is”, thought Milo as once again they bounced
along the highway, with the Humbug humming snatches of old songs, to his own vast
amusement, and Tock sniffing contentedly at the wind.” (page 144, sentence 2)
3)
“I have no shape of my own, so I try to be just like whatever I’m near.” (page 219,
sentence 8)
I have decided on performing the cards in the order 3, 2, 1. My aim is to include prepared harp
techniques as demonstrated by Zeena Parkins in each movement, whilst creating musical meaning of
each sentence.
56
Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth (Yearling: New York, 1989).
29
4.2: Sensum - The Process
As I performed the piece on an amplified acoustic pedal harp, rather than the one-of-a-kind electric
harp that Parkins uses, I began by first testing each of her techniques that I had observed. Several of
her techniques have needed to be altered or left out, due to the practicalities of the instrument.
A concert pedal harp does not have a sound strip or a whammy bar like Parkins’ instrument, so any
techniques that are produced on these parts of the harp were left out. I thoroughly researched the
possibility of utilising the Ebow, reading many forums by harpists and other musicians who had had
success using it. As I am using an acoustic instrument, rather than an electro-acoustic, and as such
relying on contact mics to amplify the sound, rather than the pickups found on the instruments
Parkins generally performs on, this has an impact on the viability of the Ebow. After considerable
experimentation I found that the Ebow would only work on the metal bass strings, and only at a
certain point approximately half way up the string. Each time I used the Ebow it took time to find the
point where it would work, with the effect produced being a subtle ringing tone. The likelihood of
this technique working in a live or recording session setting appeared risky so I decided not to use it
in this work.
I have spent time testing various effects pedals and found some of them to work better than others
on the acoustic pedal harp. I have experimented with the looping component of the Korg Kaossilator
2 as well as with various delay pedals which have shown to be very effective at picking up and
looping even the subtlest sounds and effects. Using a Whammy Pedal appeared to be very effective
when used in conjunction with the metal bass strings, creating a pitch bend effect as well as adding
chordal pitch shifting and detuning. Distortion pedals did not appear to work as well on the acoustic
instrument as they do on the electric and were prone to creating feedback. The Overdrive pedal
added a boost to the sound with a more subtle distortion colour, particularly in the lower range.
Tremelo pedals complimented the qualities of the harp’s timbre, whilst Compressor pedals had
almost no effect whatsoever.
Parkins’ various techniques that she produces using a metal rod were all successful on the concert
pedal harp. Using a triangle beater I experimented by bending the strings by placing the rod on the
strings while it is being plucked, scraping the metal strings and rattling in between the strings. I also
used the rod to create glissandos above the bridge pin and also on the metal tuning pins.
Rather than using an individual piece of horse hair to bow the strings I experimented with using a
cello bow. The bow was able to create hoarse scratching noises when bowed on the bass strings, as
30
well as resonant pitches similar to those created on the cello. This technique was very effective
when paired with the Whammy Pedal and Overdrive Pedal.
Utilising the plectrum on the concert harp created some challenges. It was immediately apparent
that a hard plectrum was required for glissandi passages as softer plectrums were not able to have
the required leverage to create the sound, and often broke. Softer plectrums worked much better in
softer passages when plucking individual notes and were able to create a tone that was less harsh
than with a hard plectrum.
31
4.3: Sensum - The Work
The first movement of the work is based around the sentence “I have no shape of my own, so I
try to be just like whatever I’m near.” My aim was to create dense textures with each section
and each technique blending into the next. For this section I decided to improvise with the metal
rod in many different ways. I began by using the rod to ‘bend’ the strings. The rod was placed
against the strings whilst it was being plucked and slid vertically on the strings. This effect was
repeated using a loop pedal to create a layer of droplet-like sounds. Figure 16 illustrates the
repeating patterns gradually becoming denser throughout the opening of the work.
Figure 16 - Sensum 1st movement, 1st thirty seconds
The next layer was created using the ‘rattling’ technique. Here I placed the rod between two
strings and rapidly shook it so as to bounce it between the two pitches. This created an eerie
effect in the upper register and a more metallic effect when used in the lower register. I then
used the rod to scrape up the side of the metal strings and alternated this with aggressive
rattling in the same register. This was followed by ‘stopping’ the metal string with the rod after it
had been plucked. This created a sounding pitch followed by a sharp buzz. The rod was then
used to create glissandi on the top part of the string above the bridge pin as well on the tuning
pins.
The second movement is using the sentence “”How agreeable and pleasant this valley is”,
thought Milo as once again they bounced along the highway, with the Humbug humming
snatches of old songs, to his own vast amusement, and Tock sniffing contentedly at the wind.”.
In this work I utilised a cello bow. The bow was scraped against the lower strings for several
seconds before producing pitch, after which it was used to bow the strings in the same manner
as a cellist. I also utilised delay and whammy effects pedals to create ominous soundscapes. The
32
bow was used to bow strings in the middle and lower registers, as well as to strike the low C
string, which is the lowest string on the harp. At approximately four minutes and thirty seconds I
introduced an overdrive effects pedal which produced additional harmonics above the drones I
was creating with the bow and whammy pedal, which can been observed in figure 17. At
approximately five minutes I began playing harmonics across different registers of the harp
whilst continuing to use the bow.
Figure 17 - Sensum, 2nd movement, 4:30-5:00
Movement three is “The instruments began again and the color returned.” This movement
demonstrates the use of a guitar plectrum on the harp. The opening of the movement displays a
loop of a single pitch being plucked which then expands into a three note cluster. The plectrum
is then used to produce dampened glissandi in a rhythmic pattern which underwrites the rest of
the piece, as can be seen in figure 18. A sparse modal melody is then plucked at the base of the
string with an overdrive pedal adding a discolouring to the sound. The whammy pedal is
introduced to obscure the pitches as strumming figures begin and increase in intensity. The
strumming figures break up and become distorted as the rhythmic dampened glissandi fade out.
Figure 18 - Sensum, 3rd movement, 0:45-1:30
33
Conclusion
Zeena Parkins has made significant contributions to the development of the harp in the late
twentieth and early twenty first century. She has displayed the enormous potential the harp has as
an improvising instrument and as a tool for composition. Her compositions and improvised
performances clearly demonstrate some of the different timbres that can be created using prepared
techniques. Parkins has brought the instrument into contemporary and avant-garde music by
removing it from its traditional classical idioms and approaching it as a “luxurious sound machine”. 57
As a pioneer of the electric harp, Parkins has also displayed the variety of sound palettes available to
the modern day harpist through the use of electronics. She has pushed the concept of what a harp
is, blending its nature with that of a guitar.
As Parkins’ work has been largely unexamined academically, the aim of this thesis was to document
many of the performance and compositional techniques utilised by Parkins in relation to the harp. As
a classically trained harpist, my knowledge of experimental techniques on the harp has previously
been limited to those within the Western Art tradition. Many harpists knowledge of extended
techniques ends with Carlos Salzedo’s (1885-1961) manifesto Modern Study of the Harp 58, which
although it serves as a good introduction, has not been revised in almost a hundred years. Similarly,
many composers are unaware of the different possibilities available on the instrument. This formal
exploration of Parkins’ techniques has assisted me in becoming a more diverse performer,
improviser and composer by introducing some of her techniques into my own work on the harp. I
hope this research will contribute to a wider knowledge of the capabilities of the harp as a tool for
improvisation and contemporary composition.
57
58
Zeena Parkins, liner notes to Nightmare Alley.
Carlos Salzedo, Modern Study of the Harp (New York: Schirmer, 1921).
34
Bibliography
Almeida, Paulo J. “Organized Improvisation By Three Downtown Composers in 1980s New York.” MA
diss., California State University, 2008.
Bell, Lydia, Seith Cluett, Gelsey Bell and Steve Smith. “Zeena Parkins.” Movement Research
Performance Journal 43 (2013):25-36.
Blangger, Tim. “Contemplating Zeena Hybrid Harp A Symbol of Classical/Rock Blends from Unique
Performer.” Morning Call, September 17, 1994.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/docview/392700052?accountid=10675.
Camac Harps. “The Blue 47.” Accessed November 1, 2014. http://www.camac-harps.com.
Cutler, Chris. “Chris Cutler – Bands.” Accessed November 1, 2014. http://www.ccutler.com.
Davis, Bill. “Zeena Parkins.” Accessed November 1, 2014.
http://deepartnature.blogspot.com.au/2011/01/zeena-parkins.html.
Elkins, Steve. “Phantom Orchard: An Interview.” http://www.steveelkins.net/Interviews/PhantomOrchard-An-Interview/5297362_x2zJ38.
Goldman, Danielle. “A Conversation with Zeena Parkins 7 May 2007.” Women & Performance: A
Journal of Feminist Theory 17:2 (2007): 247-256, doi:10.1080/07407700701387408.
Holmes, Thom. Electronic and Experimental Music. New York: Routledge, 2012.
Hughes, Patrick. “Zeena Parkins: Pan-Acousticon.” Jazziz, July, 2000.
Jones, Andrew. Plunderphonics ‘Pataphysics & Pop Mechanics. Middlesex: SAF Publishing, 1995.
Joseph, Lawrence, Dan Lander, Donal McGraith, Bill Smith, Alan Stanbridge, Scott Thomson and Vern
Weber. Music Is Rapid Transportation...from The Beatles to Xenakis. Toronto: Charivari,
2010.
Juster, Norton. The Phantom Tollbooth. New York: Yearling, 1989.
Karim, Alee. “Harpist Zeena Parkins is Bringing her “Disney Sun Ra” Band, The Adorables, To
Oakland.” SF Weekly, January 30, 2013.
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2013/01/composer_zeena_parkins_on_the.php.
Lewis, George E. “Improvised Music After 1950: Afrological and Eurological Perspectives.” Black
Music Research Journal 16:1 (1996): 91-122.
Masters, Marc, and Grayson Currin. “There’s More Than One Harpist In Town.”
http://pitchfork.com/features/the-out-door/7790-the-out-door-2/4/
Parkins, Zeena. “Zeena Parkins.” http://www.zeenaparkins.com.
Parkins, Zeena and Neil Greenberg. Artist Talk: Zeena Parkins. Whitney Museum of American Art.
July 23, 2010. http://whitney.org/WatchAndListen/Artists?play_id=79.
35
Pareles, Jon. “Mixing Metaphors Suddenly.” New York Times, May 24, 1989.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/docview/427214691?accountid=10675.
Ross, Alex. “Classical Music in Review.” New York Times, March 27, 1993.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/docview/428943607?accountid=10675.
Salzedo, Carlos. Modern Study of the Harp. New York: Schirmer, 1921.
Santoro, Gene. “Harpists Without Halos Test Their Wings.” New York Times, July 15, 1990.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/docview/427731433?accountid=10675.
Sullivan, Jack. “Eclipse Quartet with William Winant – Zeena Parkins, Frederic Rzewski, James
Tenney.” American Record Guide, January 2014.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/docview/1507268928?accountid=10675.
Weinstein, David. “Zeena Parkins.” Radio Interview. Clocktower. 2010.
http://clocktower.org/show/zeena-parkins.
Woolfe, Zachary. “Where Words are the Notes.” New York Times, September 12, 2012.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.ecu.edu.au/docview/1039005738?accountid=10675.
WREK. “WREK Posters.” Accessed November 1, 2014. http://www.wrek.org/gallery/wrek-posters/.
Zorn, John, ed. Arcana II. New York: Hips Road, 2007.
36
Discography
Bjork. Biophilia. ©2011. One Little Indian. 2777665. CD.
Bjork. The Music from Drawing Restraint 9. ©2005. One Little Indian. 9872853. CD.
Bjork. Vespertine. ©2001. One Little Indian. 589001-2. CD.
Cline, Nels. Destroy All Nels Cline. ©2000. Atavistic. ALP122CD. CD.
Cline, Nels. The Inkling. ©2000. Cryptogramophone. Cg105. CD.
Cosa Brava. The Letter. ©2012. Intakt Records. Intakt CD 204. CD.
Cosa Brava. Ragged Atlas. ©2010. Intakt Records. Intakt CD 161. CD.
Cutler, Chris, and Zeena Parkins. Shark! ©1996. Rer Megacorp. CZ1. CD.
Frith, Fred. Step Across the Border. ©1990. RecRec Music. ReCDec30. CD.
Frith, Fred. Stone, Brick, Glass, Wood Wire. ©1999. I Dischi Di Angelica. IDA 014. CD.
Frith, Fred, Ensemble Modern, Ikue Mori and Zeena Parkins. Traffic Continues. ©2000. Winter &
Winter. 9100442. CD.
Gate. Live in Boston NYC 1994. ©1994. Poon Village. PV001. CD.
Mori, Ikue. B/Side. ©1998. Tzadik. TZ 7201. CD.
Mori, Ikue. Hex Kitchen. ©1995. Tzadik. TZ 7201. CD.
Morris, Butch. Testament: A Conduction Collection – Conduction 38, in Freud’s Garden/ Conduction
39, Thread Waxing Space/ Conduction 40, Thread Waxing Space. ©1995. New World
Records.804862. CD.
News From Babel. Contraries. ©1986. Re Records. RE/=/. Vinyl LP.
News From Babel. Letters Home. ©1986. Re Records. RE1 14. Vinyl LP.
News From Babel. Sirens & Silences/Work Resumed on the Tower.© 1984. Re Records. RE 6116.
Vinyl LP.
No Safety. Live at the Knitting Factory. ©1993. Knitting Factory Works. KFW 149. CD.
No Safety and The Flying Luttenbachers. Split. ©1994. Coat-Tail Records CT-001. Vinyl LP.
Ono, Yoko. Blueprint for a Sunrise. ©2001. Capitol Records. CDP 724353606526. CD.
OWT. Good as Gold. ©1989. Homestead Records. HMS140-2. CD.
Parkins, Zeena. The Adorables. ©2013. Cryptogramophone. CG 147. CD.
Parkins, Zeena. Between the Whiles. ©2010. Table of the Elements. TOE-CD-110. CD.
Parkins, Zeena. Devotion. ©2004. Table of the Elements. Lu 71. Vinyl LP.
Parkins, Zeena. Double Dupe Down. ©2012. Tzadik. TZ 7522. CD.
Parkins, Zeena. Isabelle. ©1994. Avant. Avan 018. CD.
Parkins Zeena. Money $hot. ©2003. Casestudy. 01c. CD.
37
Parkins, Zeena. Mouth=Maul=Betrayer. ©1996. Tzadik. TZ 7109. CD.
Parkins, Zeena. Necklace. ©2006. Tzadik. TZ 8022. CD.
Parkins, Zeena. Nightmare Alley.©1993 Table of the Elements. H1 TOTE1. CD.
Parkins, Zeena. No Way Back.©1998 Atavistic. ALP64CD. CD.
Parkins, Zeena. Pan-Acousticon.©1999 Tzadik. TZ 7049. CD.
Parkins, Zeena. Something Out There. ©1987 No Man’s Land. NML 8712. Vinyl LP.
Parkins, Zeena. Ursa’s Door. ©1992. Les Disques Victo. VICTO CD 018. CD.
Parkins, Zeena, Nels Cline and Thurston Moore. Live at Easthampton Town Hall. ©2001. JMZ
Records. JMZ 002. CD.
Phantom Orchard. Orra. ©2008. Tzadik. TZ 7718. CD.
Phantom Orchard. Phantom Orchard. ©2008. Tzadik. TZ 7718. CD.
Phantom Orchard Orchestra. Trouble in Paradise. ©2012. Tzadik. TZ 7728. CD.
Sharp, Elliot. K!L!A!V!. ©1990. Newport Classic. NPD 85504. CD.
Sharp, Elliot, and Carbon. Void Coordinates. ©2009. Intakt Records. CD 163. CD.
Sharp, Elliot, and Zeena Parkins. >Blackburst<.©1996. Les Disques Victo. VICTO CD 044. CD.
Sharp, Elliot, and Zeena Parkins. Psycho-Acoustic. ©1994. Les Disques Victo. VICTO CD 026. CD.
Skeleton Crew. The Country of Blinds. ©1986. Rift .RIFT 11. Vinyl LP.
Staley, Jim. Don Giovanni. ©1991. Einstein Records. 002. CD.
Tin Hat. The Sad Machinery of Spring. ©2007. Hannibal Records. HNCD 1524. CD.
Tin Hat Trio. Book of Silk. ©2004. Ropeadope Records. RCD 16051. CD.
Various. Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach. ©1997. Tzadik. TZ 7114-2. CD.
Various. Hallelujah, Anyway – Remembering Tom Cora. ©1999. Tzadik. TZ 7602. CD.
Various. State of the Union. ©1996. Atavistic. ALP069CD. CD.
Weightless Animals. Weightless Animals. ©2004. Annette Works. Awpd001. CD.
Welch, Matthew. Luminosity. ©2009. Porter Records. PRCD – 4037. CD.
Zorn, John. The Bribe. ©1998. Tzadik. TZ 7320. CD.
Zorn, John. Cobra. ©1987. Hat Hut Records. ART 2034. Vinyl LP.
38
Audiovisual Recordings
Barney, Matthew. River of Fundament. Film. 2014.
Bjork. Vespertine Live at Royal Opera House. DVD. Directed by David Barnard. London: One Little
Indian, 2002.
Brianlilith. “Bjork – Generous Palmstroke (Live @ Royal Opera House).” YouTube Video, 4:23.
February 10, 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edrq-nCb6kY
Db0622. “William Hooker, Zeena Parkins, Lee Ranaldo (Live @ The Cooler).” YouTube Video, 59:33.
January 25, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaUfDQ6JN6w.
Eyes Like Propellers. “Phantom Orchard: Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori in the studio.” YouTube Video,
4:21. October 25, 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S0UhAHskgY.
FundacaoSerralves. “Zeena Parkins.” YouTube Video, 3:25. June 9, 2011.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVwziPXCo6g.
Greenairsystems. “The Remedy & Zeena Parkins 1995 in Cologne.” YouTube Video, 4:43. December
10, 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmUZy9ih33U.
Ibook4113. “Bjork – Unison,” YouTube Video, 6:45. August 30, 2007.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PeybjgUj6U.
Jasabird’s Channel. “Christian Marclay + Zeena Parkins + Ikue Mori + Mark Nauseef.” YouTube Video,
6:05. August 3, 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJMYDcXcJbU.
Juan Ant. “Zeena Parkins @ Poisson Rouge, New York – June 11, 2013 – Set 1.” YouTube Video,
26:08. September 1, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGzP2sA0Wmg.
Karelsidorjak. “KIHNOUA – 21 Grand, Oakland, Ca 12/08/07 part 1.” YouTube Video, 9:02. January
29, 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SILwu3r4Kdg&list=PLQCCR8AtBAmXEQjpIMzeDH3U3v0HwnYJ.
Kjreilly. “Zeena Parkins, Nate Wooley duo [excerpt] @ the Stone 6-25-13.” YouTube Video, 2:20.
June 26, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxKVQyR5FRs.
Lemming Vision. “Thomas Lehn, Zeena Parkins and Jason Willitt at High Zero 2011.” YouTube Video,
39:28. October 3, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4hia3G6o2c.
Lucidcine. “Matmos & Zeena Parkins.” YouTube Video, 2:07. September 22, 2007.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TocfDi_OcqU&list=PljtJEzwoNwzIjXPeLusUJK8JV92TJ3F9.
Martin, Daria. Harpstrings and Lava. Film. 2008.
Monson, Jennifer, and Zeena Parkins. Homecoming #6. Film. Directed by Charles
Dennis. 2000.
39
Morello, Bryan. “Zeena Parkins Performance from Christian Marclay’s Whitney Festival 2010.”
YouTube Video, 3:26. April 4, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIQ4dBaa9u4.
Parkins, Zeena. Improv:21 – The Texture of Sound: An Informance with Zeena Parkins. Interview.
Moderated by Derk Richardson. 2007. https://archive.org/details/IMP_2007_11_28
Piper, Matthew. “Zeena Parkins at MOCAD, part 1.” YouTube Video, 3:34. April 8, 2011.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-Mmf5hqw1w.
Previte, Bobby. “Bobby Previte’s Terminal 1 – So Percussion and Zeena Parkins.” YouTube Video,
18:06. April 24, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qzc78GfqnA
Retke, Neal. “Phantom Orchard (Ikue Mori/Zeena Parkins) Live at United States Art Authority.”
YouTube Video, 1:58. June 13, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV5gd-gLJMU.
Roulette Intermedium. “Roulette TV: Janene Higgins & Zeena Parkins.” Vimeo Video, 28:59.
May 12 2010, http://vimeo.com/11690451.
Santos, Virgilio. “Noches Blancas 2008 Ikue Mori e Zeena Parkins.” YouTube Video, 1:51. July 31,
2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRSsiSACvjk.
SASSAS. “Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins/sound at REDCAT.” YouTube Video, 9:08. September
19, 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4RW2hyGMR4.
SASSAS. “Ikue Mori and Zeena Parkins/sound at REDCAT.” YouTube Video, 8:51. September 19,
2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnsKQCtqj9o.
Teatro Fondamenta Nuove. “Zeena Parkins/Ikue Mori. Phantom Orchard. Live @ Teatro Fondamenta
Nuove.” YouTube Video, 8:28. April 7, 2010.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgeV3OxNSzE.
Unseen Recordings. “Zeena Parkins, August Rosenbaum & Lars Greve.” YouTube Video, 10:29.
February 19, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtlNmEhvK-c
WhitneyFocus. “Ikue Mori, Zeena Parkins, and Mark Nauseef perform Christian Marclay’s “Screen
Play” (2005).” YouTube Video, 1:49. December 13, 2010.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdFYBiLJz78.
Wro09509. “Zeena Parkins & Janene Higgins, WRO ‘09 Media Art Biennale, Poland #2.” YouTube
Video, 4:31. August 8, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtdEg3NzSR8.
40
Appendix A
Audio Recordings
1. Sensum – 1st Movement
2. Sensum – 2nd Movement
3. Sensum – 3rd Movement
All tracks performed by Catherine Ashley.
Recorded live at the author’s home in October, 2014.
41