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'.

Occasional triad shapes do not sound as triads

2 piano parts are independent - one never doubles the other - the patterns and ideas are generally different in each

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

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

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

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

Mostly 4-part texture e.g. Fig 5 but Cage varies texture constantly

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)

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

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

Varèse - Ionisation - also abandons notions of melody & harmony to focus on texture

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

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

Arnold Schönberg - Drei Klavierstücke/Three Piano Pieces - 1st truly atonal piece - completely dispenses 'tonal' means of organisation

3 piano piece no. 1, 2 & 3 - atonal

Piano Piece 2 - chordal based homophonic texture 10-13

Piano Piece 2 - silences to break up sense of metre

Piano Piece 1 - vague ABA structure; repetition of rhythms & to an extent, short melodic phrases

John Cage - Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano - Sonatas 1&2 - (written after Three Dances)

Sonatas 1&2 - mathematical structure similar to that of Dance No.1 of Three Dances

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

Sonata 1 - Chordal/homorhythmic

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

Eight Songs - frequent dissonances

Quartet - arguably ternary or possibly sonata form

Quartet - extremely thin texture - often almost monophonic, though, it is fundamentally polyphonic

Quartet - atonal and serial, freq no harmony but when there are multiple notes playing simultaneously they are mostly dissonant