Jeff Gabbitas and Dr. Dale Pratt, Spanish and Portuguese,

Through this grant I have been given the opportunity to explore a common thread that ties jazz and 20th century Spanish literature together. I put a large amount of time and thought into this interlinguistic theory by studying different Spanish literary works and comparing the content and processes to some of the jazz pieces I performed while participating in the vocal jazz ensemble at Brigham Young University, and by studying other jazz works.

A major portion of my project includes the many comparisons that exist between these two disciplines. I now understand much better the structure of the content and the way the text is created by having asked different questions. Some of the questions that brought the most enlightening ideas were the following: what are some of the principles of Barthes’ definition of a writerly text that directly coincide with jazz and 20th century Spanish literature, what are the opposing counterparts, how do the different hermaneutic codes parallel the content of the different texts and what are the differences that separate the two disciplines? The answers have been organized into a presentation that Dr. Pratt has asked me to present in the fall semester of 1997 to his students who are studying some facets of 20th century Spanish literature. The presentation consists of visual aids in the form of overheads, excerpts from various jazz pieces and 20th century Spanish literature and a live demonstration of the similarities of jazz and literature.

The results that I have discovered from the research have taught me that there exist certain underlying principles that weave their way through many different disciplines. I feel like I have encountered one of many and hope to be able to continue to find these hidden jewels in the graduate work I pursue.

This interliguistic theory stems from a French author, Rolland Barthes, who coined the idea of a readerly and writerly text. It is precisely this principle of a writerly text that defines and combines jazz and 20th century Spanish literature into a category of its own. The five hermaneutic codes (proairetic, symbolic, cultural, semiotic and hermeneutic), that Barthes describes all work together to create the plural nature of both texts.

It is the difference between the readerly and the writerly text that sets jazz and 20th century Spanish literature apart from the rest of the millions of texts. A readerly text is any text that is spelled out and delivered on a platter merely to be consumed by the reader without much required effort. A writerly text, on the other hand, is one that requires the lector to create and fill in the gaps, to write what is not written. It is in a sense the very essence of improvisation. The writerly texts is active whereas a readerly texts has a reactive value.

This is the same contrast that a jazz score is to a classical score or that a 20th century literary work is to classical standard. The classical score is completely spelled out and written in a fashion that the performer knows exactly what to play just by reading the music. Every note, creciendo, rest and ritard is written so there can be no mistake as to what the author wants to express. A jazz score, however, simply has chords to follow and sometimes a melody which provides the performer with the option to fill in the gaps and write what is not written. This way the performer creates, expresses and improvises due to the writerly capabilities. Just as jazz possesses this writerly quality so does 20th century Spanish literature have the ability to be written in the lector’s mind.

Just as a jazz text is based around the chord structure or chord progression, Barthes explains literature around the code structure, or in other words , the constitution of the five hermaneutic codes. Depending on how the codes are strategically placed (or played) will determine the content of the text. For example, if you changed the rhythm of a jazz score from a swing beat to a Latin beat, the tune would portray a different feeling even though it is the exact same song. Likewise, if you changed the cultural code of a literary work set during the golden age of Spain to one set in modem day France you would get a completely different feeling even though it is the same work.

Another code that adds meaning and fills in the gaps by writing between the lines is the semiotic code. These are the flickers of light and bits and pieces of information that give a sense of drive to the text by hinting to a climax while leading the text in a forward motion. The semes are like the licks and riffs from the horns in a big band that backup the melody. This is the code that garnishes the text with bits of beauty along the way.

Since the proairetic code is the code that consists of the actions in the text, it can be compared to the movement of the melody as it passes through the different measures of music. It is the action that builds, creates and develops the melody and takes the piece to its climax. This is where a large part of the improvisation takes place. These are the verbs of the text. The action can be loud and harsh or can be tranquil and still depending on how the performer wants to express himself.

The last code is the hermaneutic code which has to do with the revealing of the long awaited enigma. This is the code that can be played anywhere in the text and can occur more than once. This is the dissonant chord that needs to be resolved throughout the piece, or the dissonant chords that lead up to the final resolution of the question that needs to be answered. This can be considered the meat of the text, or the reason for the piece.

All of these codes work together to create the beauty and the plurality of the text. Working together does not assume that they are working at the same time because often the author will leave out some codes or even play only one at a time to create the feeling he desires. The beauty of it all is that the reader can both create and improvise a score or text that has never been created.