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Three Dances for Two Prepared Pianos: No.1 by John Cage (Rhythm and metre,…
Three Dances for Two Prepared Pianos: No.1
by John Cage
Style/Period
20th Century experimental music
Influenced by Indian rhythmic structures, particularly the
tala
.
Timbres influenced by Gamelan - resulting in the invention of the prepared piano.
Instrumentation
Two prepared pianos - change in timbre - retains some pitch or becomes entirely percussive.
Use of
una corda
- changes the timbre again
Narrow range
Dynamics are important - dramatic changes (
pp-ff
)
Structure
Based on tempo and rhythm
88 bpm
Each section lasts 30 bars - broken up into smaller units 2-5-2; 2-6-2; 2-7-2. Each with a unique rhythm.
Tonality
Atonal
Harmony
Occasional chords but no functional harmony.
Texture
4 part texture
Monophonic - bar 3 of figure 5
Occasional silences. Makes dynamic changes more dramatic.
Melody
Sense of melody is lost.
Ostinato patterns
Note addition and subtraction.
Rhythm and metre
Rhythm is the most important feature.
Polyrhythms
Accented beats
Rhythm is used to structure the whole piece.
Mostly crochets and quavers.