John Zorn - Working with the Performer

John Zorn was perhaps one of the feistiest composers we have had speak to us this semester at Forum—and also one of the most interesting perspectives we have heard, in my opinion, so I’m glad I waited to blog about him. His process was quite specific to the type of music he composes and starkly highlighted a very important point to consider as a composer: the performers of your pieces.

Our discussion in class focused fundamentally around his pieces he writes that require improvisation, such as the Bagatelles, and the challenges of having this music be executed properly. Since our discussion centered around the execution, it made sense that we talked about how he works with the performers who play his piece and have to do the actual improvisation. As a composer (specifically a songwriter), it is always nice to be able to work directly with the singer for whom you are writing a song, but the reality of the business does not always make this possible. John’s discussion changed my perspective on the importance of this and might inform how I try to work in the future, at least for demos.

He said that “music for him is not about the relationship between composer and audience, but rather composer and performer.” He reiterated this point several times, and he was very adamant about this part of his composing process. In fact, he said several times if you don’t have the performers that you want who are the best to perform your music, to “just forget it.”

I think this is important because it expands the composition process beyond simply the composer writing a piece and handing it off – it creates a dialogue between composer and performer/improviser, which is essentially an extension of the composition process since it this step ultimately informs the final performance of the piece. (John Zorn’s way of saying this is that “he doesn’t want it to seem like Moses is being handed a tablet of music on Mt. Sinai” to bring back and have that be the be-all and end-all that is the only thing that informs the performance.

For the songwriters in Composers’ Forum (or at least for me) I believe this can be transformed into advice to make our compositions better. Although we cannot always decide who will sing the song we sell or how it will be changed in the studio, it is still very important for us to make the best demos possible. And this—in order to be done successfully—requires a lot of collaboration with “performers”—from studio musicians to producers and engineers who will help make your compositional idea come to life exactly how you want it. Just like Zorn wants the best performers to add to his compositions through their playing and improvisation, a songwriter wants some great collaborators to either bring ideas to the songwriting session/studio or to be able to improvise new hooks/lines/melodies on the spot to add to the track. And without the proper singer who can really get the point of your song across as the main instrument, the demo track will not sound right and I have heard many stories where this is the reason a song doesn’t get chosen or cut by an artist – because the demo was not up to par.

This was a talk that we will not forget anytime soon! Although a bit crass and perhaps coming off as egotistical in demeanor and in his “demand” for the best performers (as opposed to incompetent *expletive expletive expletives*), he does have a very important point in working together with your collaborators and performers. Great and informative class!