“‘Why Can’t I Just Do It Straightaway?’ Bluey, Joff Bush, and Accumulation” by Derek J. Myler is now available at SMT-V.org and on YouTube.
Abstract:
Like many kids’ TV shows, Bluey frequently repurposes classical music. In designing Bluey’s soundscape, lead composer Joff Bush has frequently favored an end-oriented approach to revealing classical themes, engaging a formal process that productively interfaces with Peter Burkholder’s (1995) idea of thematic growth via cumulative form and Mark Spicer’s (2004) extension of the concept, textural growth via accumulative form. In this video, I generalize both kinds of growth into a holistic process of accumulation, and I show how Bush and his creative team often apply this process to support Bluey’s narrative goals. Three analytical vignettes demonstrate how Bluey’s audiences are often taken on a journey of discovery in the seven to nine minutes each episode encompasses—themes are initially hinted at, gradually assembled, and finally revealed in their full splendor at the episode’s narrative climax.