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John Cage - Three Dances for Two Prepared Pianos: Dance No. 1 (Rhythm &…
John Cage - Three Dances for Two Prepared Pianos: Dance No. 1
Harmony & Tonality
Occasional triad shapes do not sound as triads
We hear nothing that corresponds to any recognised form of harmony, functional or non-functional
The score provides the performers w/ full rhythmic information but beyond that it merely tells which key to strike. It does not indicate the actual pitches.
'Pedal points' is some passages but have no harmonic/tonal significance
No sense of tonality - because can only exist where clearly defined pitches and obvious hierarchy of pitches
Varèse -
Ionisation
- also abandons notions of melody & harmony to focus on texture
3 piano piece no. 1, 2 & 3
- atonal
Sonatas 1&2
- no conventional tonality, but repeated patterns emphasise certain pitches
Sonata 1
- some harmonic moments e.g. G7 chords
Sonata 2
- occasional suggestions of pentatonicism
Eight Songs
- frequent dissonances
Quartet
- atonal and serial, freq no harmony but when there are multiple notes playing simultaneously they are mostly dissonant
Structure & Form
Each section is split into figures - units of bars that follow this pattern: 30 bars split into 2-5-2, 2-6-2, 2-7-2 for each of the 9 sections
Each small group has its own type of rhythm
8 sections, with the last repeated, so 9 sections - each are 30 bars
This kind of structure is related to the Indian Tala, though the Indian version groups beats not bars
The structure is based on tempo and rhythm
Ionisation
- miniature sections each w/ different texture e.g. ominous opening w/ rolling bass drums and gongs, then shuffling passage led by snare drum and bongos - end of piece, gongs slowly fade out
Form identified by changing sonorities e.g. coda marked by piano entry
Piano Piece 1
- vague ABA structure; repetition of rhythms & to an extent, short melodic phrases
Sonatas 1&2
- mathematical structure similar to that of Dance No.1 of Three Dances
Quartet
- arguably ternary or possibly sonata form
Texture
2 piano parts are independent - one never doubles the other - the patterns and ideas are generally different in each
Mostly 4-part texture e.g. Fig 5 but Cage varies texture constantly
These include:
Monophony (Bar 3 of Fig 5)
2-part (Fig 6)
3-part (Fig 7)
Silences (final sections at fig 64/73 - gives power to following)
Homorhythm (Fig 7&9 - helps clarify 2/2 metre)
Piano Piece 2
- silences to break up sense of metre
Sonata 1
- Chordal/homorhythmic
Sonata 2
- monophony
Ionisation
- polyphonic/rhythmic texture shared by 2 or more instruments of opposing timbres - contrasted by relatively short interjections by others
Section 3 - monophonic/rhythmic --> not a
single line
- all parts converge into one rhythmic idea - most of the ensemble
Piano Piece 2
- chordal based homophonic texture 10-13
Quartet
- extremely thin texture - often almost monophonic, though, it is fundamentally polyphonic
General Context
John Cage (1912-1992) was one of the most influential American composers of the 20th century. His one-time teacher Arnold Schoenberg famously described him as 'an inventor of genius'.
Like Debussy before him, Cage was influenced by oriental music, specifically the Javanese/Balinese Gamelan (comprises only percussive instruments w/ fast interlocking patterns). Indian rhythmic structures, particularly the tala were also an important influence.
Cage wrote a lot of music for dance and had a lifetime collaboration with dancer/choreographer Merce Cunnigham (1919-2009) - he also worked as a music director for multiple contemporary dance groups.
Three Dances for Two Prepared Pianos: No.1
is a virtuoso work for two amplified prepared piano composed in 1944 and premiered early 1945. It was written for a dance piece called
Dromenon
by choreographer Merce Cunningham. The dance had African emphasis - a piano was available but Cage thought a standard piano wouldn't be suitable to produce the ethnic quality required.
So, Cage experimented with the inside of the piano + discovered that by placing a variety of objects between the strings, the piano sounded more like a percussion ensemble. He found a set of materials that worked best - less likely to fall between the strings or leap out from them.
These materials include: screws, bolts, washers, nuts, rubber, plastic, cloth, wood, pennies
Cage was a champion of Chance music and a pioneer of the Happening
Chance music = Also known as aleatoric music, is music in which an element of composition is left to chance or a primary element of realisation is left to the performer(s).
A Happening is a performance, event or situation which is considered to be art, a term first used in the 1950s by Allan Kaprow, a student of Cage
Edgard Varèse - French-born composer
Ionisation
- composed 1931 - expansion and variation of rhythmic cells - 1st western classical to be scored for solely percussion ensemble --> Gamelan influence
Arnold Schönberg -
Drei Klavierstücke/Three Piano Pieces
- 1st truly atonal piece - completely dispenses 'tonal' means of organisation
John Cage -
Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano - Sonatas 1&2
- (written after Three Dances)
Peter Maxwell Davies -
Eight Songs for a Mad King Op 39
- 1969 - George III - one of few consolations was cage of bullfinches he taught to sing
Webern -
Quartet Op 22
- Second Viennese School w/ Berg and Schönberg
Instrumentation
Written for 2 prepared pianos
"Mutes of various materials are placed between the strings of the keys used, thus effecting transformation of the piano sounds with respect to all of their characteristics"
Most notes have 3 strings - he specified which would be affected & how near the bridge/dampers the item is placed
Traditionally mute restricts vibration of string but here muting device stops normal resonance, leaving percussive sound
Using una corda (soft pedal) hammer just strikes one string cause (on grand piano) all hammers move to the left when pedal is pressed
Only 'prepared' notes are used so no ordinary piano tone is heard.
Pianos are amplified in performance by microphones
Ionisation
- scored for 13 musicians - specific instructions for instrumentation --> opening - gong and bass drum are struck simultaneously so short hollow sound of drum appears to hang in the air
use of gong, cencerro, slapstick, Chinese blocks, sleigh-bells, triangle and other unusual timbral combinations e.g. sirens - trademark of Varèse's work
Piano Piece 1
- hands moving clef to clef; pressing keys down silently so strings vibrate --> add to texture
Sonatas 1&2
- also prepared piano
Eight Songs
- extreme vocal techniques and ranges of voice and instruments - scored or Baritone but of extreme range e.g. end of song 7 reaches top B of TREBLE clef
Quartet
- Webern wanted widest range of timbre from small no of players: Violin (String), Clarinet (woodwind), saxophone (properties of woodwind & brass) and piano
Unorthodox grouping for Quartet - wide range of techniques e.g. violin mute, arco, pizz (rapid changes), piano spread chords, wide ranges of pitch and dynamics
Melody
Patterns of note recur but are perceived much more in rhythmic terms than as having a real melody
Few possible exceptions - 2-bar pattern in Piano 1 RH that's heard total 16 times in Sections 8&9; Fig 50 - 'rising pattern' gives sense of build up
Use of ostinato - short repeated figures are important e.g. 3-note pattern in P1RH at beginning
Varèse -
Ionisation
- also abandons notions of melody & harmony to focus on texture
Sonatas 1&2
- more recognisable melodic patterns, repeated patterns, arch-shaped melodies, limited pitches
Quartet
- Use of tone row - semitones and tritons, wide angular intervals
Rhythm & Metre
Tempo = 88 minims per minute and Metre = 2/2
Ornaments e.g. acciaccatura bar 29 & septuplet (w/ metrical shift) bar 63 --> rhythmic embellishment
Almost entirely crotchets and quavers - longer notes/rests often used to mark end of section
Often continuous quaver movement gives sense of moto perpetuo (continuous motion)
Frequent use of polyrhythm e.g. opening phrase = P1 sets of 3 quavers in both hands, P2 has LH crotchet rhythms with varying stressed accented beats and RH off-beat syncopated quaver 8ves
Phrases repeated at different positions in bar giving metrical shift effect e.g. fig 23 w/ septuplet --> hectic & fig 26 - accents and moto perpetuo in P2 is highly polyphonic
Rhythm is the most important feature of the piece, closely followed by Sonority
Use of rhythmic ostinato (repeated motifs) helps ensure coherence e.g. fig 20 - although often works against underlying 2/2 metre
Ionisation
- rhythmically difficult - complex polyrhythms
Piano Piece 1
- slow start but tempo fluctuates - 3/4 changes to 4/4 in middle section
Piano Piece 1
- much use of dotted rhythms - short rhythms and short value rests
Piano Piece 2
- regular change of metre
Piano Piece 2
- ostinato like persistent quaver pulse in many sections
Piano Piece 2
- (melodic) ornamentation e.g. arpeggios and trills
Sonatas 1&2
- irregular groupings of rhythm sometimes obscure natural pulse
Sonatas 1&2
- displaced stresses - strong beats unclear and makes metre vague
Quartet
- freq time sig and tempo changes; freq rests give fragmentary feel
Dynamics & Accents
Important in piece though preparations mean sounds are often quieter than usual
Mostly quiet but 'gradual diminuendo through the repeat to the end' - direction in score
At times little/no dynamic change e.g. opening and fig 17 --> gives almost machine like quality
strong dynamic contrasts e.g. v quiet beginning to fig 36 then ff passage w/ repeated accents very soon afterwards
Silence emphasises dynamics e.g. end of fig 4
Metrical shifts create accents at unusual points in bar e.g. Fig 41 --> Accents emphasise metrical shifts e.g. opening 2 phrases
Ionisation
- dynamics clear and specific throughout
Piano Pieces 1 & 2
- clearly marked contrast of dynamics