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1 Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2007 John Cage's Notion of "A Piece" Sara Kathryn Nodine Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact

2 THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC JOHN CAGE S NOTION OF A PIECE By SARA KATHRYN NODINE A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2007 Copyright 2007 Sara Kathryn Nodine All Rights Reserved

3 The members of the committee approve the thesis of Sara Kathryn Nodine defended on October 27, Denise Von Glahn Professor Directing Thesis Jane Piper Cledinning Committee Member Charles E. Brewer Committee Member The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii

4 For my mother, Sue Nodine, who has supported my work and encouraged me in all of my endeavors. Without her support this project would never have been possible. iii

5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I offer my deepest gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. Denise Von Glahn, for her support, encouraging words, and enduring patience throughout all stages of this project. She has been an inspiring model of the curiosity, persistence, and perseverance it takes to be a scholar. I would like to thank Dr. Charles E. Brewer for whom my first paper on John Cage was written two years ago. His breadth of knowledge and appreciation for American music has encouraged me to read beyond my focused area and search for music that expands and exercises my mind. I am grateful to Dr. Jane Piper Clendinning for introducing me to new theoretical methods and stretching my thoughts to incorporate both theory and history. To my fellow colleagues in the music department, thank you for your undying support during this entire process. Were it not for your smiles, hugs, and s, the stressful times would have seemed unbearable. My love and affection to my mother, and siblings, Suzi and Sonny, for their unwavering kindness and willingness to open their ears to new music and listen to me ramble about my latest late-night discoveries. I am also indebted to Matt for his constant friendship, devotion, and love over the last few years as I have begun a new journey. I have been blessed by the Lord with an overwhelming passion for music and the desire to share my love with others. iv

6 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ABSTRACT vi vii INTRODUCTION 1 1. LIVING ROOM MUSIC 6 2. A VALENTINE OUT OF SEASON WATER MUSIC 35 CONCLUSION 48 BIBLIOGRAPHY 50 DISCOGRAPHY 54 MUSICAL SCORES 55 VIDEOGRAPHY 55 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 56 v

7 LIST OF FIGURES 1.1 Instructions for Living Room Music Living Room Music movement 1 To Begin, measures Living Room Music movement 2 Story, measures Living Room Music movement 3 Melody, measure Living Room Music movement 3 Melody, measures Living Room Music movement 3 Melody, measures Living Room Music, movement 1: To Begin Living Room Music, movement 1: To Begin Living Room Music, movement 1: To Begin Living Room Music, movement 2: Story Living Room Music, movement 2: Story Living Room Music, movement 2: Story Living Room Music, movement 2: Story Living Room Music, movement 2: Story Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody Living Room Music, movement 4: End Living Room Music, movement 4: End 25 vi

8 1.23 Living Room Music, movement 4: End Living Room Music, movement 4: End Table of preparations, A Valentine Out of Season A Valentine Out of Season movement 1, measures A Valentine Out of Season movement 2, measures A Valentine Out of Season movement 3, measures Diagram of posted score, Water Music Robert Rauschenberg, White Painting Robert Rauschenberg, Black Painting c New School for Social Research, John L. Tishman Auditorium (stage view) New School for Social Research, John L. Tishman Auditorium (rear view) second analysis, Water Music David Tutor performing Water Music, Darmstadt, Radios dating around Water Music, seconds, prepare piano Water Music, seconds, water poured in receptacles Water Music, seconds, duck whistle gradually in water Water Music (graph) Water Music (graph) Water Music (graph) Water Music (graph) 47 vii

9 ABSTRACT John Cage s music includes a wide variety of styles, genres, performing forces, and approaches to musical creation that together challenge the notion and existence of a piece. In large part, due to the wide range of possibilities in performing Cage s work, critics of his music often fault its apparent randomness and lack of organization. Such criticisms raise two initial questions: 1. How do Cage s pieces manifest compositional control; and 2. is understanding the organization important if its effects are, at first, inaudible? In this thesis I will focus on Cage s Living Room Music (1940), A Valentine Out of Season (1944), and Water Music (1952), and how each demonstrate Cage s notion of a piece. When applying these two questions to any musical composition, it is helpful to define a piece and analyze all elements of the work as they relate to this established definition. Patricia Carpenter classifies a piece as an object manipulated by the composer and experienced by the listener without the requirement of a tangible product. Expanding upon this idea, Robert Cogan and Pozzi Escot approach musical analysis in a way that allows for flexibility unique to each work. These definitions of a piece will be applied and expanded with regards to the selected works. Many discussions of Cage s work focuses on the unorganized nature of his creative process, thus misunderstanding the aspects of control maintained by the composer and performer. Cage controls the largest dimensions while allowing freedom within. Cage s balance of control and freedom can be traced not only musically, but also in his larger philosophical and aesthetic ideas. Studying the notion of a piece in Cage s works provides insight into its relationship with earlier musical periods traditionally characterized by structure and form. viii

10 INTRODUCTION This thesis explores the notion of a musical piece in select early works by John Cage. In this study there are three basic questions: 1. What is a musical piece, 2. what are its essential attributes, and 3. does the concept of a piece change over time? This thesis focuses on three essential attributes of a musical piece: organized action, a predetermined goal where all parts facilitate the goal, and autonomy. 1 Though these criteria may be easier to discern in pieces from earlier periods because of a clearer adherence to forms and genres, the variety of compositions especially in the twentieth century allows new possibilities for understanding the musical product. 2 John Cage s music includes a wide variety of styles, genres, performing forces, and approaches to musical creation that together challenge the notion and existence of a piece. Cage s compositions may also appear to challenge what is traditionally considered to be music, although applying the suggested criteria of what defines a piece illustrates how even those compositions can be music. In additional to flexible frameworks, his works utilize not only traditional musical instruments in conventional and unconventional ways, but also non-traditional instruments, such as the radio, prepared piano, and household items. The size of the performing forces also varies, from one player in his solo works, such as Metamorphosis ( ) and Cheap Imitation (1969), to five orchestras in Thirty Pieces for Five Orchestras (1981). In large part, due to the wide range of possibilities in performing Cage s work, critics of his music often fault its apparent randomness and lack of organization. Such criticisms, while not acknowledging Cage s careful compositional processes, raise a number of questions: 1. How do Cage s pieces manifest compositional control; and 2. is understanding the organization important if its effects are, at first, inaudible? When applying these two questions to any musical composition, it is helpful to define a piece and analyze all elements of the work as they relate to this established definition. In her article The Musical Object, Patricia Carpenter classifies a piece as an 1 These essential attributes were determined based upon the traditional elements in pieces from previous musical periods. 2 The phrase musical product is used to describe the result of the creative process. 1

11 object manipulated by the composer and experienced by the listener without the requirement of a tangible product. She proposes three ways in which to approach the construction of a piece. First, a musical work is constructed based on a delineated amount of time and is considered a distanced object which we can analyze as a single, serious action, shaped as one intensely directed motion, clearly defined as to beginning, middle, and end, and unified as to content. 3 Second, music is a heard object that articulates not only a piece, a stretch, of time, but also shapes and fills a kind of tonal space of its own. 4 In this instance Carpenter is referring to tonal space as it relates to the actual tones produced, not the analytical method used for music with specified key centers. Each musical sound becomes fixed in our minds in such a way that we construct organization; what is important is how we distinguish the sounds and break up simultaneous occurrences. Finally, Carpenter demonstrates how both physical and aural musical products shaped the concept of a piece from the early 15 th through the beginning of the 20 th centuries. The qualities outlined by Carpenter are supported by Robert Cogan and Pozzi Escot as they explain how to understand musical works from four main points of view: how each piece organizes its musical space, language, time, and tone color. 5 The ways in which Cogan and Escot approach the study of a piece allows flexibility of analysis while also providing methods for determining structure and relationship in musical compositions. In conjunction with Carpenter s ideas, these unifying elements enable both traditional musical analysis as well as newly constructed methods used to more fully understand unconventional works. A variety of analytical methods is necessary when looking at the compositions of composers such as John Cage who expanded the nature of music through flexible approaches to form. This thesis argues that the design of each of Cage s pieces, though not necessarily traditional, was built upon carefully considered rhythms, timbre, pitch content, dynamic contours, motivic repetition, and spatial or time constraints. These foundational elements, though not apparent or audible in the first moments, grow in importance as the 3 Patricia Carpenter, The Musical Object, Current Musicology 5 (1967): Ibid, Robert Cogan and Pozzi Escot, Sonic Design: The Nature of Sound and Music, (New Jersey: Prentice- Hall, 1976), xii. (Words are italicized by the author.) 2

12 work unfolds. Using three early pieces as exemplars, Living Room Music (1940), A Valentine Out of Season (1944), and Water Music (1952), I will locate the deepest level of organization and demonstrate that at least until 1952 Cage s music, regardless of its apparent lack of organization, was based upon different predetermined plans, thus each work constitutes a piece. In Cage s early percussion works pervasive rhythmic motion and the juxtaposition of a variety of timbres all found in a single instrument family formed a cohesive unit. When referring to these early pieces, Cage states The early works have beginnings, middles, and endings. The later ones do not. They begin anywhere, last any length of time, and involve more or fewer instruments and players. They are therefore not preconceived objects, and to approach them as objects is to utterly miss the point. 6 Rhythm drives these early pieces and, even without reference to pitch, they are convincing, integrated works. By the 1940s Cage began to experiment with nontraditional instruments including radios, kitchen appliances, and other common household items. The growing use of these found objects meant his music became increasingly accessible to those without traditional musical instruments, but the practice raised another question: What qualifies as a musical instrument? As will be seen, though Cage encourages a degree of freedom in instrument selection, he stipulates specific timbres and tessituras. The selection of Living Room Music as a case study for the thesis was based upon its use of a non-traditional ensemble and Cage s control over structural dimensions. Though other percussion pieces could have also served the purpose of the study, Quartet (1935), First Construction (in metal) (1939), Second Construction (1940), Imaginary Landscape No. 2 (March No. 1) (1940 and second version in 1942), Double Music (1941), Third Construction (1941), Imaginary Landscape No. 3 (1942), Credo In Us (1942), and The City Wears a Slouch Hat (1942), all of these pieces use more traditional instruments thus eliminating one of the most challenging questions in deciding what constitutes a piece, the production of sound. A distinguishing feature in the second movement of Living Room Music is the percussive use of the voice without instrumental assistance. Each of the four parts uses articulations and inflections to create varying 6 John Cage, Silence, (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1961), 31. 3

13 timbres, thus exploring the possibilities of vocal sounds. One other piece in which Cage incorporates voice and percussion is Forever and Sunsmell (1942). This piece uses the low voice part in a more traditional way; therefore I concluded that a study of this work would not be as effective when analyzing manipulations of sounds. Cage s works for percussion provided a foundation from which he created the prepared piano. With a single instrument he could now produce the same effect he had achieved with an entire percussion ensemble. While rhythm is still important, organization of his prepared piano music was based primarily on the control of the sounds through the preparations he made to the instrument. They are written using traditional Western notation, but because of the preparations, the resulting sound does not match what is seen in the score. For pianists accustomed to traditional repertoire it is baffling to follow scores of these pieces; though the rhythmic values of notes are clear, the relationships between notated pitches and their aural manifestations are unexpected. A Valentine Out of Season was chosen for this study because it is a set of three pieces using the same preparations throughout, although each movement produces distinctly different sounds. There are other collections of prepared piano music from around 1940 such as In the Name of the Holocaust (1942), A Book of Music (1944), Perilous Night (1944), Three Dances (1945), Sonatas and Interludes ( ), and Two Pastorales ( ). Each of these pieces provides similar examples of Cage s work with the prepared piano, but, as is especially the case with Sonatas and Interludes, the variety of the movements diffused the focus of this study. 7 Other pieces which use the prepared piano, Four Dances (What So Proudly We Hail) (1943), Amores (1943), She is Asleep (1943), Music for Works of Calder (1950), and Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra (1951), were not considered for this study because of their use of instruments beside the prepared piano. In addition to controlling timbre and structure, Cage also introduced a new approach to the temporal aspect of a piece fixing time constraints to within milliseconds and thus affected the attack and release of sounds or the commencement and cessation of activities in a way and to a degree that had never existed before in his music. The only element of time that was not specified in his previous works was tempo although he does 7 Sonatas and Interludes contains twenty movements with varying characteristics. 4

14 at times include metronome and meter markings. 8 Now in creating pieces based primarily on time, Cage dictates precise durations of a particular action. In Water Music, the third case study piece, the prominent notation of time, the specification of instruments needed, and the indirect control of the performance support the idea that a predetermined plan existed. This piece was chosen not only to exemplify the path in which Cage was moving with his experiments in silence, but also to show his continued work with overall structural and timbral control. Cage s work with silence as sound and specific notation of time do not begin until around the time of Water Music and its inclusion in this study represents the new ideas being incorporated into his work. 9 Other pieces based similarly on time and space do not appear until after At any performance of a piece there are choices made by the performer which vary the outcome. That raises another question: Will there be a point when too many variations destroy the edifice of the piece? It might be argued that because the nature of Cage s works encourages seemingly infinite possibilities in performance, there is no real piece. 10 However, in the case of all three works, analysis reveals that each was composed according to a predetermined plan that withstands variation. Discussions of Cage s music that focus exclusively upon the unorganized nature of his oeuvre misunderstand his creative process. In these works Cage maintains complete control of the largest dimensions of his pieces while allowing freedom within. His attitudes toward balancing control and freedom continue throughout and inform his larger philosophy and aesthetic. Similar studies could be conducted on many of Cage s works to demonstrate the presence of both control and freedom. In considering the notion of a piece in Cage s music, we are able to track relationships between it and music of earlier periods where structure and form were more readily apparent. Similar studies can be conducted on works by other contemporary composers, thus solidifying the connections that exist among composers over many centuries. 8 In his early works Cage generally excluded descriptive tempo markings. 9 Silence has been incorporated by other composers such as Franz Joseph Haydn s use of the grand pause. This usage of silence, however, was meant to achieve a coherent end or an effect unlike Cage s inclusion of silence functioning similarly to notes. 10 Real is used here to mean official or justified. 5

15 CHAPTER 1 LIVING ROOM MUSIC The earliest of the three pieces in this study, Living Room Music (1940) 11, was written for percussion and speech quartet. An analysis of the overall and internal structure, rhythm, textural and timbral palette, instrument selection, and dynamic and melodic contour of this piece, will provide insight into John Cage s thoughts regarding musical organization and his notion of a piece. In 1940 when Cage wrote Living Room Music he was living in San Francisco and had been working at the Cornish School in Seattle with the dancer Bonnie Byrd. At this same time he was first experimenting with the prepared piano, using materials such as bolts, screws, and rubber placed on the strings, to create an instrument to accompany the dance classes at the school. Other compositions he completed in the same year include: Bacchanale, Second Construction, A Chant With Claps, America Was Promises, Four Songs of the Moment, Dance Music: for Elfrid Ide, Imaginary Landscape No. 2, and Fads and Fantasies in the Academy. These pieces are for a variety of instrumental groupings from solo piano (prepared or not), singing or speaking voice, percussion instruments, to found objects (assorted items that are not traditionally recognized as musical instruments). Cage s early music, for the most part, concentrated upon percussion. This focus continued as Cage performed these and other of his works in various venues, both with other groups and the group he formed, the Cage Percussion Players. Many of these concerts took place in academic venues. In the twentieth century especially, more universities and institutions began to support the arts which provided an arena for performances of modern music. Following the composition of Living Room Music, Cage continued to write for percussion instruments, although his focus shifted to mainly works for the prepared piano. From alone, Cage composed approximately 37 works, 32 included the piano, and 19 were written specifically for the prepared piano. Though Cage was not 11 John Cage, Living Room Music, (New York: Henmar Press, 1976). 6

16 writing exclusively for percussion instruments as much as in previous years, he was experimenting with the ways he could create more percussive sounds out of traditionally pitched or more melodic instruments and those found objects not usually associated with musical composition. As John Cage explained on the title page of the score, Living Room Music was composed as a four-movement suite. The movements, titled To Begin, Story, Melody, and To End, could be considered a hybrid of a suite and symphony. The similarity to a suite can be found in the varying moods, characteristic dance rhythms, consistency of key, and the independence of each movement. However, in its programmatic associations and four movement structure, it also recalls the model of a symphony. A plot-like idea can be found in the text used in the second movement, Story. The brief text by Gertrude Stein, comes from the beginning of a children s book entitled The World is Round (1939): Once upon a time the world was round and you could go on it around and around. 12 It could also be argued that the text is related not only to the second movement in which it appears, but also informs the entire work suggesting coming round, at least timbrally. The first and last movements are solely for percussion instruments without any vocal or melodic parts. The middle two movements, Story and Melody, introduce the text and develop the plot, first through words and then a melodic line, before returning to a final percussive movement. In looking for unifying elements in this piece, such as the role of the text to the overall construction, an argument can be made that the work functions as a cohesive unit and the whole can be viewed as a complete piece. Cage uses rhythm, timbre, and time to organize this work. Cage also constructs this work using square-roots to arrive at the total measure count for each of the movements: 6x6, 7x7, 8x8, and 7x7. 13 These numeric structures form an outer shell which is common in Cage s works where there is more freedom in the internal structure. In a comment that does not refer specifically to Living Room Music, Cage explained that some of his earlier works were based on a number of measures having a square root, so that the large lengths have the same relation within the whole that the small lengths have within a unit of it. Formerly, however, these lengths were 12 The text is provided at the top of the first page of movement two. 13 Rupert Kettle, Dining Room Music, (S.I.: Studio 4 Productions, 1984), preface. 7

17 time-lengths, whereas in the recent work [Imaginary Landscapes No. IV and Music of Changes] the lengths exist only in space, the speed of travel through this space being unpredictable. 14 In this piece internal freedom is found in the unspecified instruments that are selected by the performer, and the fact that Cage wrote two of the movements, the second and fourth, and did not adhere exactly to the square-root formula. 15 Both the second and the fourth movements are a 7x7 structure with additional measures included to close each movement. Outside of the square-root plan, the additional measures in the second movement create an even number of total measures, thus rounding out the odd numbered movement. The fourth movement, however, ends with an odd number of measures including the additional two. One could speculate that Cage purposely intended to reveal his control over all aspects of the external structure, but also wanted to show his freedom to alter the plan or disregard the rules, leaving the work open-ended. 16 The completion of each 6, 7, or 8 measure group within a movement does not consistently align with a structural point in the movement. This is another example of Cage s overall control of the outer-most dimension of a movement while allowing freedom within. End points of measure groups are handled in different ways throughout the entire work, including delineation with a double bar, cadential moments, rehearsal letters, appearance or repetition of text, and occasionally at moments in the score where no apparent changes are made. The majority do occur at double bar lines, the fourth movement exactly lining up the ends of the square-root phrases and the double bar lines. Following the importance of the structural control in Living Room Music, the next strongest element of organization is rhythm. This work for percussion instruments, including both struck instruments as well as the spoken voice, illustrates the unlimited possibilities of percussive sounds. Though one rhythmic idea is not consistent throughout the entire piece, a unifying surface rhythm is introduced in each movement. The eighth note is the fundamental pulse in movements one, three, and four, whereas the sixteenth note creates the pulse in the second. The rhythmic groupings created in each movement provide metric information and suggest the tempo which is otherwise 14 John Cage, Silence, (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1961), Cage used the square root of the total number of measures in a movement to determine the size of each group. He does take the liberty to alter the execution of this system in movements two, three, and four. 16 Though no specific reference to square root is made, James Pritchett discusses Cage s affinity for related numeric groupings in his book The Music of John Cage. 8

18 unspecified. In this way, each movement relates to the suite model where the rhythmic identity of a dance informs the performer as to an appropriate tempo and character. Throughout the work the use of syncopation aids the rhythmic drive and continuity; as well it provides indirect clues for performance and instrument selection through the nature and character of each line. Because of the similarity of rhythmic figures and complexity among the four parts in each movement, no one line is the consistent or prominent leader. There are examples where one player may carry a line or idea more than others, but this is abated by Cage s distribution of important ideas to other parts. In this way, Living Room Music is an example of a collaborative chamber piece. The rhythmic drive required by this piece influences the particular instruments selected, and thus Cage has some control over the textural and timbral palette of the work. In suggesting instrumentation but requiring different tessituras, Cage creates a hierarchy of sounds, from low to high in the work that might go unnoticed in looking only at the score. Instrumentation is thus another example of the composer s control over the largest dimensions of the work while he allows freedom within. Regarding tessitura the main requirement was that it be set so that there is a gradual change in pitch, high to low, from the first to fourth player. In Figure 1.1, a copy of the instructions shows Cage s suggestion for each part: first player magazines, newspaper or cardboard; second player table or other wooden furniture; third player largish books; and fourth player floor, wall, door or wooden frame of window. Cage requests that unconventional beaters be used, while also specifying the use of fingers and fists according to the selected parts. There are no specifications that the instruments selected and used in the first movement must be retained throughout the entire work, therefore Cage opens the overall timbre to numerous possibilities and combinations. By not specifying instruments Cage once again reflects his intention to control the external object by leaving some choice with regard to the specifics of its realization. 9

19 Figure 1.1: Instructions for Living Room Music 17 The optional third movement Melody is perhaps the most obvious manifestation of Cage s ideas regarding control. Not only does Cage leave the choice of the melodic instrument to the performer, but he also allows for the omission of the third movement entirely if an instrument is not available. It is important to note that Cage considered this piece to be performable by anyone, not just professional musicians. Living Room Music, however, is complex in rhythmic structure and general musical demands, and would be almost impossible for anyone without some musical knowledge to perform. The work, therefore, is an exemplar of chamber music as its instrumentation clearly reflects a performance in the living room These directions are taken from page two of the score. 18 Rupert Kettle. Dining Room Music, (S.I.: Studio 4 Productions, 1984). Rupert Kettle composed a companion piece to Cage s Living Room Music titled, Dining Room Music. This piece, also consisting of four movements titled Appetizer, Fable, Mountain Song, and Dessert, mirrors Cage s piece in character, form, and basic idea. The square-root formula can also be applied to this piece and fits exactly with Cage s second and third movements, but Kettle adds three measures at the end of movement one and one measure at the end of movement four. The text of the second movement was written by Phyllis Stein (possibly a play on the word Philistine ) and is Happily ever after the world is flat/ Don t you fall off and go ker-splat. Dynamic markings are sparse in this work and Kettle advises the performer to think mezzo forte and let the lines rise and fall naturally. Kettle also recommends that his piece should be performed on a concert with Cage s Living Room Music so as to make a clear connection between the two. 10

20 The numerous possibilities Cage allows for the timbre of the piece as well as the choices of percussive instruments, vocal accent and articulation, melodic instrument chosen, and the option of omitting the third movement, suggests that each performance might create a different piece. The overall construction, rhythmic ideas, and basic delineation of tessitura, however, will remain the same. Should the performers choose one set of instruments to use throughout the entire work, there will be eight timbres because each player has two instruments, one for each hand. The third movement is an exception because the fourth player has the melodic line, therefore reducing the number to seven. Also, in the fourth movement, each player selects a third timbre in addition to their initial two. Though timbre does not seem to be the only important element in the overall conception for this piece, it is clear that Cage seriously considered the general sound he desired. Dynamics of both individual movements and the work as a whole also show the composer s larger plan. Each movement has particular dynamic qualities that separate it from the others. The first movement is the most active and varied dynamically. The overall range is pianissimo to fortissimo with the opening five measures containing the greatest variety of dynamic levels in a short period of time (Figure 1.2). Figure 1.2: Living Room Music movement 1 To Begin, measures 1-4 Though the parts do not always change dynamics simultaneously, there are instances where two or more may be changing concurrently. The nature of the parts in Living Room Music relates to the interaction of chamber ensembles in general where each player 11

21 is dependent on the others to keep the piece together, while also being independent and individually responsible for creating meaning and a cohesive work. Unlike the first movement, the following three are not as active dynamically. The second movement ranges from triple pianissimo to forte though there are not as many places where the dynamics alternate between the extremes. For the most part, in the second movement, the dynamic level centers around piano with select moments of forte that usually results from a small crescendo. Many of the dynamic variants in this movement can be related to the use of text and the natural inflection of the voice and pronunciation of words (Figure 1.3). Figure 1.3: Living Room Music movement 2 Story, measures The third movement ranges only from pianissimo to mezzo-forte. The dynamic contrast in this movement is not based on short changes from one extreme to another, but rather on a gradual shift between levels. The lack of dynamic contrast in this movement allows for more attention to be placed on the melodic line. The fourth movement remains at the pianissimo level throughout. Possibly seeming more static because of the lack of dynamic change, this movement reaches the softest dynamic of the piece. With the most dynamic activity occurring in the first movement, Cage slowly reduces the variety of contrast, ultimately to one single dynamic over the entire last movement. Generally with multi-movement works, such as the symphony, the concentration of lower dynamic levels occurs in the middle movements where the tempo is generally slower and in the second movement the material is more lyrical. In this instance Cage alters that idea. Not only is 12

22 the final movement the softest, but he writes it such that the tempo and character resemble the earlier movements. Finally, the melodic contour of the piece, seemingly present only in the third movement, is in fact also tied to the second movement. Each tells part of the larger story, but approaches melodic ideas in two different ways. The second movement creates a melodic line with the human voice and the natural contour of speech. Timbral variations are created in this movement due to the varied timbres of each voice, therefore producing multiple pronunciations of the same word when spoken by each person. These variations are most apparent when comparing different recordings of the piece. 19 In contrast, a melodic line in the third movement notates exact pitches (Figure 1.4). Figure 1.4: Living Room Music movement 3 Melody, measure 28 The collection of pitches, ranging just over an octave, appears to be related to a whole tone scale beginning on middle C, omitting E and A-sharp, and adding C-sharp and D- sharp creating the span of a minor ninth. The lower portion of this collection is generally presented in a neighboring fashion (Figure 1.5) with the high D-sharp used as a sustained note (Figure 1.6) with only two instances of a shorter value in a leaping passage. 19 A list of recordings has been provided in the discography. 13

23 Figure 1.5 Living Room Music movement 3 Melody, measures Figure 1.6: Living Room Music movement 3 Melody, measures The melody in the third movement does not dominate the other parts dynamically or through the use of unusual articulation, however, the use of a pitched instrument against percussive timbres causes it to be heard as a prominent line. All aspects of this work, its large and small structure, rhythmic contour, textural and timbral variations, instrument selection, and dynamic and melodic contour, work together to create a unified work. While many decisions are left to the performer, Cage has built a unified structure which, no matter the choices, will remain as a cohesive unit. In defining what constitutes a piece of music, certain basic assumptions appear common. Cage does not always state his intentions for a piece, but he controls the largescale events of the piece. In Living Room Music, the goal of the piece is unclear at first. 14

24 Is it the square-root construction, the rhythmic drive creating a unified sense of time and tempo, timbral contracts, instrumental choices, or dynamic and melodic contours? To answer these questions requires not only looking at the musical elements individually in each movement and then the piece as a whole, but also involves being open to the idea that it is a combination of the small and large parts that Cage has in mind when creating this piece. Cage s ultimate goal could be overall structural control with internal freedom, leaving room for the individual performer s voice. In this way, even with all the possibilities for variation in this work, Cage creates a piece. Graph Description In order to provide a visual representation of the movements I have created two graphs representing dynamic change and composite rhythm. The goal of both is to show a relationship between the dynamic and rhythmic activity and where they parallel each other or diverge. Each movement is slightly different not only in musical content, but also in the details of the graph. Colors representing each of the four parts are consistent through the movements: part one red, part 2 sky blue, part 3 green, and part 4 black. The total dynamic span covered over the entire piece is pianissimo to fortissimo. In each graph there are two types of lines, flat and inclined. Because these graphs are representing the actual dynamics Cage wrote in the score, the flat line shows periods of a continuous dynamic and the inclined line represents a written crescendo or diminuendo. A vertical line has been provided where the dynamic changes abruptly. Where a line stops signifies a rest in the part. There are some instances where each part is at the same dynamic level and in order to show that all the voices are still present, the lines are stacked. The graphs for movements one and two show dynamic levels in each part without any additional information provided. The second movement graph does not take into account any natural inflections of the voice that may alter the dynamic level. These 15

25 subtle changes are specific to each individual performing the piece. In addition, only information clearly marked in the score by Cage was included. Movement three presents an additional challenge because the melodic line, found in part four, does not have any dynamic markings. Therefore, the dynamic level changes of parts one through three are provided and a graph of the pitch changes is included as well. The pitch range is a minor ninth from middle c1 to d-sharp2. The comparison of the two graphs in this movement provides insight into how changes in dynamic level may or may not correspond to varying pitch. One example is measures where the dynamic levels are only changing slightly while the melodic line is rapidly moving. Whether Cage intended this is not the issue, but it is of note that there are similar instances throughout the movement. The final movement provides a slightly different graphic representation. All parts are marked pianissimo which is continuous throughout the movement, therefore, it was no longer necessary to graph the dynamic contour. Instead a graph of the presence of a part is provided. The scale reinforces the delineation of parts. In the beginning all parts are moving with very few rests. This changes, however, as the movement progresses and by measure 31 all parts enter and exit much more frequently. As a contrast to the dynamic activity, an attack density graph is also provided. 20 Compared with composite rhythm which reflects the pulse of the music, attack density shows how many cumulative strikes are made per beat. Whenever a note is struck it was recorded as part of the beat on which it first appeared. Any ties or note values longer than one beat were only recorded at their initial attack. In places where there appear to be no attacks, reference the dynamic activity chart to verify whether the part may be playing longer note values or if it is in fact a moment of rest. The inclusion of both graph types was necessary in order to visually demonstrate activity, both dynamic and rhythmic, in the parts. One notable example from movement one is in measures There is an increase in dynamic change from piano to forte, however the number of attacks hovers around six per beat. In these instances it is interesting to note that one aspect of the music tends to be changing more rapidly than the 20 Jane Piper Clendinning, Contrapuntal Techniques in the music of György Ligeti, (PhD diss, Yale University, 1989). 16

26 other. These two graphs provide information that could not be seen by looking at the score and they visualize two important elements of the music. The only element missing from these representations is timbre, but Cage addresses that in his instructions preceding the music. Figure 1.7: Living Room Music, movement 1: To Begin 17

27 Figure 1.8: Living Room Music, movement 1: To Begin Figure 1.9: Living Room Music, movement 1: To Begin 18

28 Figure 1.10: Living Room Music, movement 2: Story Figure 1.11: Living Room Music, movement 2: Story 19

29 Figure 1.12: Living Room Music, movement 2: Story Figure 1.13: Living Room Music, movement 2: Story 20

30 Figure 1.14: Living Room Music, movement 2: Story Figure 1.15: Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody 21

31 Figure 1.16: Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody Figure 1.17: Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody 22

32 Figure 1.18: Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody Figure 1.19: Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody 23

33 Figure 1.20: Living Room Music, movement 3: Melody Figure 1.21: Living Room Music, movement 4: To End 24

34 Figure 1.22: Living Room Music, movement 4: To End Figure 1.23: Living Room Music, movement 4: To End 25

35 Figure 1.24: Living Room Music, movement 4: To End 26

36 CHAPTER 2 A VALENTINE OUT OF SEASON Following the creation of the prepared piano in 1940, Cage began writing numerous works for this altered traditional instrument. One such work is A Valentine Out of Season (1944) 21, written as Music for Xenia to play on a prepared grand piano. 22 David Revill, in his biography The Roaring Silence: John Cage, a Life (1992), proposes that this piece may reflect the break up and divorce between Cage and his wife, Xenia, in Following their split, Cage continued his work in New York, focusing on solo pieces for prepared piano, while Xenia became a museum curator. Other prepared piano works from around 1944 included The Perilous Night, Prelude for Meditation, Root of An Unfocus, Spontaneous Earth, and The Unavailable Memory Of. The titles of each of these pieces connote noticeably darker, more reflective moods as compared with those written earlier such as Bacchanale (1940), and Our Spring Will Come Again (1943). Though only a projection, the titles and works themselves may echo Cage s emotional state as he was coping with his personal state of affairs. Analysis of A Valentine Out of Season includes discussions of timbre, tempo, structural subdivisions, rhythm, repetition, and silence, among other elements. Cage initially created the prepared piano out of necessity. In the late 1930s he was working at the Cornish School in Seattle, Washington as the accompanist for some of the dance courses, particularly for Bonnie Bird and her students. Bird s goal for the class accompanist was to provide music that would be created separately, but relate directly to the dance. Because of the lack of space, the performing venues only allowed the use of a piano. In most cases this would be sufficient, but Cage saw this as a problem when he was trying to create the music to accompany a dance by Syvilla Fort, Bacchanale. After considering how to achieve the primitive sound that would parallel 21 John Cage, A Valentine Out of Season, (New York: Henmar Press, 1960). 22 As seen on the title page of the piece. 23 David Revill, The Roaring Silence: John Cage, a Life, (New York: Arcade, 1992),

37 the dance, Cage experimented with the placement of objects on the piano strings. 24 Using screws, bolts, pieces of wood and other common items, allowed the piano to create an abundance of timbres which before would have required the use of multiple instruments, particularly percussion. Many of the pieces that followed in this genre were written to accompany dances choreographed and performed by Merce Cunningham, a close friend of Cage. Timbre is the most prominent feature in this piece because of the exactitude of the material preparations and the specification of the instrument to be played. Timbre unifies all three movements of the work. Though not as complex as other pieces, the table of preparations for A Valentine Out of Season contains clear instructions for the measurements and placement of materials. 25 The chart of preparations is provided at the beginning of the score and its instructions apply to each movement without any further adjustments. As can be seen in Figure 2.1, the chart provides the pitch being prepared, the material used, which strings are affected, and the distance in inches from the damper. 26 Figure 2.1: Table of preparations, A Valentine Out of Season 24 Due to the musical circles of which Cage was a member, it is possible that he may have known of Henry Cowell s Aeolian Harp (1923) and The Banshee (1925) and they could have influenced this experiment. 25 The preparations demand using a grand piano. 26 As noted by Cage, there are some distances that are from [the] extreme end of strings rather than from [the] damper. These alternate measurements are notated in a square. 28

38 Materials utilized in this piece include rubber, weather stripping, pennies, slit bamboo, a large bolt, regular bolts, and wood. There are four instances where a string is prepared in two places, three of these have two distinctly different materials. The exception to this is on the pitch G-flat above middle C. At 3 ¼ inches from the damper a slit of bamboo is placed between strings one and two, and also at 2 inches a piece of wood is between strings two and three. Both preparations will alter the pitch every time the key is struck. Though timbre is not the only difference in these movements, it is the most prominent in the works for prepared piano. Every pitch in the piece is altered and though the preparations never change, Cage excludes some pitches in the first two movements. In movement one the pitches D and G-flat are not used. The timbre created on the key D does not disappear by its exclusion, however, because a similar preparation using weather stripping and a penny are provided on the E-flat. The exclusion of the G-flat also completely eliminates the timbre created by wood and bamboo from this movment. In the second movement the keys G, A, and C are excluded from the music. These three are the only ones in the collection that are altered in such a way that they sound the closest to the actual piano timbre and pitch because the vibrations are not dampened to the same degree as on the other keys. 27 By removing the only three pitched keys, the result is a completely percussive sound. Finally in the third movement Cage includes all notes, both prepared and natural, creating a varied sound with both percussive and pitched timbres. Timbre is one of the main elements in the piece over which Cage has total control, both in the instrument that is prepared, and in the materials used. Similar to the control of timbre, Cage specifies tempo. The metronome markings provided for each movement are half note equals 80, 72, and 80 respectively. These values do not change throughout the movement. Cage s careful indication of tempo is another example of his overarching control of the larger work. Not only are the overall features of this piece controlled, but each movement is constructed as an organized whole, but with subdivided units. Totaling sixty measures, the first movement has four sections, each distinguished with a return of the opening idea (Figure 2.2) or with silence. 27 The sound vibrates closest to a traditional pitch produced by the piano. 29

39 Figure 2.2: A Valentine Out of Season movement 1, measures 1-7 The midpoint of the movement, measures 30 and 31, is marked by complete silence. In contrast, the opening material returns at the quarter and roughly three quarters point in the piece. Though not marked with double bars, these sectional changes are still clearly heard and can be seen in the score. Movement two, 33 measures total, is not symmetrical.. The midpoint of this movement falls on beat two of measure 17. The end of this measure is notated with a double bar, signifying the end of a section. In the section that follows the rhythmic idea and pitches used are similar to those found in the first part. The distinguishing difference is that instead of the using ascending pitches, Cage uses a more fluid motion of notes both ascending and descending (figure 2.3). Figure 2.3: A Valentine Out of Season movement 2, measures 1-6 In addition, the left hand drops out for seven and one half measures, thus focusing on the single idea presented in the right hand. In contrast to previous examples, Cage provides the double bar line not only to draw attention to the midpoint, but also the new idea. The quarter, and three quarters points in movement two are not clearly outlined with new or returning ideas as in the previous movement. At the quarter point, the first 30

40 half of beat one in measure 9, there is one-half beat of rest. This same idea was presented two measures prior on the first half of beat one in measure 7. The three quarters point is where the listener might expect a structural division but it is relatively uneventful. It occurs on the first half of beat one in measure 26. Unlike before, the hands are not working together because the left plays followed by the right. The lack of attention paid to the subsections of this movement in comparison with the first leads me to assume that Cage was not controlling every aspect of the piece at all times. However, his acknowledgement of the midpoint with the double bar provides a clue that he was merely exercising his freedom to stray from a strict form as he wished. The third movement, combining both pitched and percussive sounds, involves yet another way of acknowledging subdivisions (figure 2.4). Figure 2.4: A Valentine Out of Season movement 3, measures In this movement Cage provides a double bar line at the midpoint, measure 18. At this time the idea changes from a pulsating motivic section to a more lyrical line. The note values are elongated and the overall idea is, as Cage notates, espressivo, misterioso, and dolce. 28 This section lasts only until the three quarters point where the original pulse returns. In the third movement Cage does not present changes directly at the quarter and three quarters points, as in the second movement, but rather delays the new idea, first for one beat at the quarter mark, and then for five beats at the three quarters mark. Though alterations do not coincide with the most prominent points, Cage creates a feeling of change. Again, as in the previous movement, the approximate delineation of 28 These words appear as they are in the score. 31

41 subdivisions exemplifies Cage s control of the structure of the movement in addition to the overall construction of the entire work. Though not as controlled as other elements in A Valentine Out of Season, Cage s focus on specific note values in each movement can be seen. There are similarities between movements, but it is ultimately the way in which Cage decided to combine the prepared timbres that distinguishes each. Movement one focuses mainly on half and whole notes with two measures, 25 and 26, of quarter notes in the left hand. String preparations accelerate the natural decay of a note raising the question why Cage used longer note values. The second movement provides a different idea entirely: rhythmic pulse is of primary importance here and that is only encouraged by the constant use of eighth notes. In contrast with both the first and second movements, the third combines long and short note values. The opening and closing of the movement are focused on the continuous eighth note pulse. At the beginning of the second half of this movement, Cage uses longer note values, the quarter, half, and whole notes in order to create a smoother sounding contrasting section. The use of all ranges of note values in this set is particularly important in revealing Cage s capabilities as a composer to create different moods in relation to each other. Cage uses silence throughout this movement both in prominent structural places and as a part of the musical line. Though his most famous experiment with silence, the piece 4 33, did not occur until 1952, Cage is already exploring the way sounds decay in different timbres, creating unwritten and possibly un-intended silence. The materials used to prepare the strings not only create a different timbre when the note is struck, but also alter the natural decay of the sound. Knowing the specific materials used to prepare the piano allows for predictions to be made with regards to the rate of decay. When looking at Cage s use of silence in A Valentine Out of Season it is important to notice not only how the natural decays of pitches will create silence, but also the points where there are moments of silence written into the score including pedal notations. All three situations contribute to degrees of contrast between sound and silence. 32

42 In movement one the only notated silence is at the midpoint. The significance of this is only known once the piece has been heard all the way through. This silence prepares the listener for the return of original material. Because the score appears to suggest continuous sound, it is baffling to hear the piece and realize that there are many occasions where there is silence. This is a result of the decay of the pitches, which is uncharacteristically fast, because they have been altered. Movement two differs in that there are four instances, measures 7, 9, 23, and 26, where Cage wrote half a measure rest. In measures 7 and 9 there is also a quarter and eighth rest. The only place where more than half a measure of rest occurs is measure 27 where Cage notates an entire bar of rest. This is followed by moving eighth notes continuing to three measures before the end where the motion slows to long notes in the right hand and short accented notes only on the down beat in the left hand. Natural decay is not as present in this movement because of the continuous use of eighth notes. The third movement combines both the idea of natural decay with several occurrences of notated rest values. There are three locations, measures 5, 11, and 13, where a half measure rest is indicated. The only other longer written rest is three beats over the bar line between measures 31 and 32. As in movement one, there are several places where the sound naturally decays leaving un-notated silences. This type of silence is generally associated with the note D which is altered with weather stripping and a penny. The D purportedly held through measures 27 and 28 decays and by the middle of 27 cannot be heard. Experiments with natural decay may have been the beginnings of Cage s larger project exploring silence as music. One final element that Cage controls in A Valentine Out of Season is the use of the damper and una corda pedals. As with the other elements, Cage varies his use of the pedal in each movement. Movement one uses only the damper pedal in two places, measures and Because of the nature of the prepared sounds the pedal is used only to hold over pitches that would have otherwise decayed and created silence. This strengthens the idea of Cage s intention for unwritten silences. Movement two uses no pedal. The third movement uses the una corda pedal throughout with the damper only being pressed on measures 1-5 and the second half of Pedals not only serve the 33

43 purpose of sustaining or softening sounds, but also blending sounds thus creating new timbre collections. As can be seen through analysis of the elements of this piece, Cage carefully controlled every aspect of the music while continually leaving room for interpretation both by the performer and listener. Even those places where uncertainty lingered, the result of accurate preparations and natural decay, Cage s desired goals were accomplished. 34

44 CHAPTER 3 WATER MUSIC The last written of the three pieces discussed in this thesis, Water Music (1952) 29, poses different questions relating to the existence of a piece. Similar to the previous compositions, this work utilizes timbre, dynamics, repetition of ideas, and control of the overall structure as important organizational devices. New concerns raised by this piece are its interdisciplinary nature and the practicality of performance. As a member of the Black Mountain School faculty between 1948 and 1952, Cage experimented further with new creations of sound, all aiming to expand the definition of music. While collaborating with Merce Cunningham, Robert Rauschenberg, and other artists, Cage incorporated each art taught at the school into his music. Dance, visual art, and music are all vital components of Water Music that combine in such a way as to make a unified whole. One example of the role of other art disciplines is the accurate placement of each instrument in relationship to the piano in order to facilitate a smooth, uninterrupted performance. This preparation and rehearsal resembles that of a dance, each movement being carefully dictated by the music. In addition to watching the performer, the audience is also able to view the score, which is hung on the stage. Cage requires that the score be precisely 34 x 55 so that it is visible not only to the performer, but also to the audience (Figure 3.1). Figure 3.1: Diagrom of posted score, Water Music 29 John Cage, Water Music, (New York: Henmar Press, 1960). 35

45 When looking at the score from a distance, one notices the appearance of two colors, black and white, and the shapes they create on the page. It is certain that Cage, with his close connection to Robert Rauschenberg, knew of the black and white 30 paintings Rauschenberg was creating in the beginning of the 1950s (see figures 3.2 and 3.3). It is likely that Cage wanted to reflect similar ideas in this piece. Each component of Water Music validates the argument that the work was created as a complete piece with an outward appearance of non-intention, but an inward requirement of control. Figure 3.2: Robert Rauschenberg, White Painting 1951 Figure 3.3: Robert Rauschenberg, Black Painting c The quotations used here refer to the specific type of paintings Rauschenberg was creating at the time. The punctuation is provided to represent the collection or grouping of paintings. 36

46 Cage composed Water Music for solo piano also using radios, whistles, water, and extended techniques, around the time he was also working on other pieces including Imaginary Landscape No. 5 (for forty-two records realized on tape), Black Mountain Piece (for three speakers, piano, dancer, gramophone, radios, film and slide projectors, and paintings), and, most famously, 4 33 (tacet for any instrument or combination of instruments). An analysis of Water Music provides substantial insight into Cage s ideas concerning the construction a piece at this stage of his career. Water Music, first performed by David Tudor at the New School for Social Research, was originally titled 66 W. 12, the address of the school in Manhattan. Cage s idea for the title of this piece was to reflect the date or place of the performance. 31 Eventually Cage decided upon the official title, Water Music. The first performance, given at the New School, was held in a theatre with a rounded ceiling, approximately one hundred and fifty seats separated with two aisles, two small balconies, and a small wooden stage. 32 The intimate atmosphere of this venue was a suitable match to the nature of the piece (Figures 3.4 and 3.5) In the instructions to the piece Cage writes, The ten accompanying sheets constitute the material for a single sheet of music for a pianist-musician, the title of which changes to be that of the place or date of its performance. David Tutor first performed it at the New School for Social Research in New York City and it was entitled 66 W. 12; at Woodstock, N.Y. it was entitled August 29, Virginia Kurshan. The New School for Social Research, first floor interior. Landmarks Preservation Commission 3 June The NSSR was founded in 1919 by a small group of professors looking for a program in which the focus could be on the current events in life with no divisions of departments, encouraging the liberal arts and new developments in fields such as music, dance, and the visual arts. The school originally did not have its own buildings and it wasn t until 1930 that the design and construction of their facilities began. The architect was Joseph Urban and he designed a building using the principles of the International Style, a very popular style at that time in New York. The structure s clean lines and modern appearance was to reflect the progressive notions of the institution it housed. The auditorium was renovated in 1992 and was named after the contractor John L. Tishman, known for such other buildings as the World Trade Center, the restoration of Carnegie Hall in New York, and the John Hancock building in Chicago. 33 After speaking with the New School for Social Research on April 11, 2006, they confirmed that Water Music was, to their knowledge, most likely performed in this auditorium. 37

47 Figure 3.4: New School for Social Research, John L. Tishman Auditorium (stage view) Photo: Carl Forster Figure 3.5: New School for Social Research, John L. Tishman Auditorium (rear view) Photo: Carl Forster To understand the construction of Water Music, it is first necessary to identify possible organizing factors. Cage maintains coherence through the control of time, practicality of performance, timbre, dynamics, climaxes, repetition of activities, specification of note durations, thematic references, and visual representations. The control of time, at first glance, appears to be most important element in this piece. Cage dictates, to the hundredth of a second, the commencement and cessation of each activity. Notated in ten systems of forty seconds each, the total length of the piece is six minutes, forty seconds or four hundred seconds. An analysis of the actions included in each system is provided in Figure 3.6 and reveals the number of actions appearing in each time bracket. Though the smallest unit of time is forty seconds, the control of the overall structure is similar to the other works discussed. 38

48 0-40: Radio Piano chord (7 notes) Duck whistle 40-80: Radio Duck whistle dim. Piano chord (3 notes) Piano F-sharp sustained w/ pedal : Radio Pizz piano note Piano chord (2 notes) sustained Piano F-sharp released Piano chord (2 notes) released : Radio Keyboard lid slam Shuffle and deal cards on strings w/ pedal : Radio Piano: rapid notes w/ sustained chord (2 notes) Piano chord (2 notes) released Prepare piano (4 objects) Radio to 75 Piano chord (4 notes) Radio to : Radio Piano chord (4 notes) Preparing piano must be finished Repeat of piano action in seconds w/ sustained 2 notes Piano chord (2 notes) released Piano chord (2 notes) + wood stick hits keyboard lid Piano notes (single then 4) Radio to 102 and then turned off : Piano chords (6 then 3) w/ sustained 2 then released Piano flourish Radio on tuned to : Radio gradually to 125 Water poured between 2 receptacles Sustained 2 notes Piano chord (2 notes) Release sustained 2 notes : Radio Water from one receptacle to another Piano note sustained Piano note released Piano flourish from seconds repeated Pour water Figure 3.6: 40 second analysis, Water Music 34 Cage does not specify whether the station is on the AM or FM frequency, but the numbers provided are found on the FM frequency. 39

49 : Radio Piano chord (4 notes) Duck whistle gradually into water Siren Piano flourish from seconds repeated Radio turned off Figure 3.6: Continued In conjunction with the control of time, concern for the practical aspects of performance, and the specification of precise materials needed are also important aspects of organization in that piece. When rehearsing Water Music, each pianist must determine the appropriate placement of the materials required for the performance of the piece in order to adequately utilize the time provided for individual activities. For example, in order to begin preparing the piano with four objects at ( seconds), the materials would need to be close enough for the pianist to reach without interrupting the actions that are occurring simultaneously. Cage does not provide a diagram for the arrangement of the items, leaving room for the performer to adjust them according to individual preferences. Due to the requirements of the piece, however, Cage determines the approximate location of each item without the any exact diagrams (figure 3.7). Figure 3.7: David Tutor performing Water Music, Darmstadt, Photo: Photographer Unknown 35 The Getty Digitized Library Collections, The Art of David Tutor, The Getty, 40

50 What remains slightly unclear in this work, with regard to the types of materials used, is the exact brand or model. The radio used in this piece may have been similar to those seen in Figure 3.8, all from around when the piece was composed. Figure 3.8: Radios dating around Photo: Sara Kathryn Nodine (Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven, FL) After stipulating time constraints and implying performance set-up, the next apparent source of control is the designation of timbres. In a different format than the other pieces discussed in this thesis, Cage specifies the sounds produced, or at least how they are to be created. For example, as opposed to the meticulous preparations chart provided in A Valentine Out of Season, the piano in Water Music is prepared between the time frame of ( seconds) and ( seconds), and no specifications are provided as to the exact placement of the materials (Figure 3.9). Thus, while the hurried nature in which the objects must be placed suggests spontaneous choices, a plan would have had to be constructed by the performer. Figure 3.9: Water Music, seconds, piano being prepared 41