Fusion

Fusion refers to the process or consequence of combining elements to form a new, unified object. In music, fusion can refer to the perceptual combination of elementary aspects of music such as frequencies or tones (perceptual fusion) or the result of combining distinct musical styles (such as jazz and rock) to form a novel genre or sound (fusion music).

Perceptual fusion refers to (1) the combination of pure tone partials into a complex tone sensation for a listener and (2) the blending of individual tones in a musical chord as a perceptual whole. This plays an important role in consonance. The tendency for different tones to cohere into a single perceptual whole was first investigated by Carl Stumpf and is termed tonal fusion. Stumpf presented listeners with two concurrent tones and asked them to judge whether they heard a single tone or two tones. He noticed that the degree of fusion that was perceived by listeners varied with the pitch interval between the two concurrent tones. Additionally, he found that the degree of fusion was higher for more consonant intervals. This prompted Stumpf to equate consonance with tonal fusion and argue that consonance is caused by tonal fusion. However, the relationship between consonance and tonal fusion is more complex. For example, fusion is also influenced by factors that influence auditory stream segregation. Johann Sebastian Bach's polyphonic music is composed in such a way that it promotes auditory streaming of melodic lines (rules of voice leading) and hence minimizes the perception of concurrent tones sounding as one (tonal fusion).

Fusion also refers to the combination of two or more distinct music genres, resulting in the creation of a hybrid genre. There are a few important reasons why this type of fusion occurs in music. A musician with specialized training in a specific genre might feel limited by the existing music rules, idioms, and practices within that genre. He or she might like specific techniques in other genres that are distinct and idiosyncratic to those genres. Based on her music listening preferences and influences, he or she could borrow and incorporate techniques from these outside genres. Although these techniques could become a consistent part of his or her compositions, the [Page 493]compositions would still largely fall within one genre and follow its rules. Thus, based on a creative need, musical fusion might occur between two or more separate genres. One example of this type of fusion is the origin of the jazz fusion genre. Both rock and jazz existed as separate music genres until the late 1960s, after which jazz musicians started incorporating elements from rock music such as distorted guitar sounds and steady backbeat rhythms. Likewise, rock musicians started incorporating jazz elements such as free-form improvisation and jazz harmony. Miles Davis's album Bitches Brew (1970) is a good example of a jazz fusion album, an album reflecting the fusion of two separate genres of music: jazz and rock. Other prominent examples of jazz fusion musicians and bands in the 1970s that combined jazz and rock genres include John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell, Chick Corea, and Mahavishnu Orchestra.

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