Olli Virtaperko:

”From 2002 I had been writing my Master’s thesis for the Composition Department of Sibelius-Academy, Finland. In Spring 2005 I finally completed my studies with an academc study titled: ”Zappa on Baroque instruments - the meeting and synthesis of two musical cultures”. Evaluated with the highest academic grade, the 135-paged study focuses on the musical analyzes of Zappa’s music and introduces the methods and means in transcribing and arranging Frank Zappa’s music for Ensemble Ambrosius. All 15 compositions of The Zappa Album are profoundly analyzed with some 60 music examples.

Up until now, Zappa’s music has been analyzed from textural, cultural, sosio-antropological, philosophical, semiotical and conceptual point of view. However, the most essential part of the Zappa heritage - the music - has practically been left untouched and unanalyzed. My study exists in order to meet the quest for real, seriosly taken analyzes of Frank Zappa’s music.

For the time being, the study only exists in Finnish language. I hope to be able to make the English translation soon and have it available to the Zappa afficinados. Meanwhile, you can download the Finnish version as a PDF-file.