More Fun Historical Tidbits

Yesterday, I brought you a bit of musical history restored. Today here's a bit of musical history that you no longer have to dig for. Life Magazine is all on google books and all searchable. That means that the legendary review of Cage's percussion concerts from the early 1940s is now available at the click of a button. I've long had the text, but now I also know that pictures of the ensemble rest side-by-side with "the single slice of have that serves five!"

A New Note!

I've long been fascinated by a performance currently going on in the St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, Germany. In 2001, a performance of John Cage's work "Organ2/ASLSP (As Slow aS Possible)" was begun. For the work, Cage did not specific how slow the performer should go, so the four page work often gets played for around an hour. The organizers of this new concert decided that since the organ in the church was built in 1361, or 639 years before the original start date of 200, that the performance should last 639 years. That's right, a musical performance that will late 20 generations.

Thousands of people have flocked to the small church since the first note on September 5, 2001, and I'd love to go for an afternoon. But since I can't go anytime soon (and if I did, Sam would get restless and probably go change the notes on the organ), I'll content myself with giving you this update that last week, on February 5, the seventh change occurred. If you'd like to see it happen, here's a short video from the BBC which covered the event with typical wit.

More Prepared Piano Pictures

After yesterday's post, I thought you might be interested in some fabulous photos Misty took of my preparations (and I say that because the photos themselves are wonderful, not necessarily the subject). You get to see a bit of how I do it and can see the crowd that developed around the piano as I worked and talked and made (slightly) witty remarks. (Click on the picture for the entire set.)

Preparing for a Recital

Even though I usually only perform once a year at best, this fall has seen a large upswing in my performing schedule. It started when I began talking with George Keck about my coming down to Ouachita Baptist University, the ole alma mater, to perform Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for prepared piano. You may remember that I performed the work on a Musicircus in Kansas City a little over a year ago. I love the work and am always looking for opportunities to play it, so we scheduled the concert for the day before Halloween, and I began preparing (in all the senses needed for the work).

I decided to open up my preparation of the piano to any interested students; over twenty showed up. Misty and Stephen came for the performance and Misty took pictures while Stephen helped me prepare. The number of curious students should have made me realize that the concert was going to be a big event. I was expecting perhaps 50-100 people for a odd Cage recital. At least 250 showed up. The concert was great fun, and the audience members seemed to be entranced by the sounds floating out of the piano. Both before and after the concert the piano was mobbed by people wanting to look inside; I think the piano was a bigger celebrity than myself as performer.

After I had scheduled the Cage performance, a student with whom I'd worked on a project about postminimalist piano music asked me to play David Borden's Double Portrait with him. Long fascinated by this beautiful piece of music, how could I say no? So this Saturday, only two weeks after my Cage performance, I'm on stage again playing a piece that has challenged me in ways no traditional piece of music ever has. Perhaps after this weekend I can take a small break.

Happy Birthday, John Cage!

If John Cage were still alive, we'd be celebrating his 95th birthday today. Several performing organizations have taken this date to produce interesting programs, so if you're in New York tonight, head over to the Kitchen and see Avant Media's concert that includes one of my favorite Cage scores, Four6. Since the Musicircus was enough concert organizing for me for this year, I'll mark the occasion with this simple video featuring one of the most interesting and underrated composers of the generation following Cage's, James Tenney, playing a bit of the Sonatas and Interludes:

You Should Be In the Movies

I've just discovered the most enjoyable website of the day. MyHeritage takes a picture you upload, runs it through its magic machine, and matches it to a likely celebrity. It's like casting your own bio-pic of your favorite people. Just for fun, and because my mind is consumed with the Harry Partch paper I'm writing, I decided to run the four composers I taught in my American Mavericks class this past spring semester. And, as the immortal Dave Berry would remark, I'm not making this up.

First in our lineup is Mr. Charles Ives. Connecticut's state composer evidently looks like David Carradine. No word yet on when Mr. Ives will be showing us his kung-fu moves, but I'm sure the composer who once remarked "I don't write music for sissy ears" has some moves in him.





Next up is composer of the whole world of music, Mr. Henry Cowell. Evidently, Cowell would work well in a superhero movie because he looks like none other than Sir Ian McKellen.








Amazingly, the recognition software knew our next composer, Mr. John Cage. But an equal match for himself was Gary Busey. Is it the hair or the grin?








Finally, there is good old Harry Partch. I figured Kenny Rogers might come up or someone else with an impressive beard or mustache. No, tonight the role of Harry Partch will be played by none other than David Cronenberg, director of Videodrome.


Go ahead, give it a try. The whole process is endlessly fascinating.

John Cage Has a Secret

Since John Cage has made an appearance on this blog a few times the past month, I thought I'd give you a chance to see the man in a rare television appearance.

In 1960, at what could arguably be the height of Cage's infamy, the composer appeared on the hit show "I've Got A Secret." Running from 1952 to 1967, the show featured a panel of four who took turns questioning and then attempting to guess the contestant's secret. I'm sure American audiences weren't quite prepared that Wednesday night on CBS when John Cage appeared and performed his "Water Walk." In fact, my favorite part occurs when Garry Moore attempts to prepare Cage for the audience's reaction. Cage's response? "Of course I consider laughter preferable to tears."

Thanks to WFMU for finding this and making it available.

Musicircus Redux

Just a quick report - the Musicircus last night was a triumphant success. Sitting in my spotlight at the prepared piano, I wasn't able to see any of the event, but I was washed with stray sounds that drifted in from other works down the hall. People moved freely about, lay underneath the piano on a large mattress, reclined on the cushy pillows we had strewn about, and stuck their head inside the piano to gaze at the preparations as they rang with my performance. Most notable to me were the children enthusiastically taking in the event. (except for the one child who inexplicably covered his ears while listening to the toy piano. I still haven't figured that one out.) They ran around, entranced by both the music and the freedom to move, dance, and experience a concert completely on their own terms.

Here's one example to give you an idea of the evening's atmosphere: While I was playing, someone came up and stood beside me while a friend took our picture. I have no idea who this person was, but if you're reading, I'd love a copy!

Musicircus - Kansas City Style

A quick plug for the concert I'm putting together for ArtSounds along with Dwight Frizzell at the Kansas City Art Institute:

The Musicircus is a kaleidoscopic event that resembles a carnival more than a concert because everything is performed simultaneously. Besides the Sonatas and Interludes, we've got people reading Cage's "Lecture on Nothing" and "Lecture on Something," the Suite for Toy Piano, Four6, Radio Music, and much more. It should be quite the shindig. If you're free Tuesday night at 8:00, come on by Vanderslice Hall at the Kansas City Art Institute and check it out.

Piano Prepared, Dream Accomplished

I've long harbored a secret dream. It began as an undergraduate when I first encountered John Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano. I was mesmerized by the delicate sounds that were so unlike anything I'd ever heard the piano produce. The work immediately found its way into my honor's thesis, and I began scheming to play it, or another prepared piano work, on my senior recital. Visions of three pianos littering the stage danced in my head: one for my Classical and Romantic requirements, one for an electronic work, and one prepared piano.

I ended up having two pianos on the stage; the prepared piano there in spirit only. I went to graduate school, focused on the academic side of music, and played when and where I could. But still no prepared piano.

Then, last year, I began developing a new course on a few of the American Mavericks - Charles Ives, Henry Cowell, Harry Partch, and John Cage. I came up with the idea of having my students experience Cage's music first-hand by performing it in a Musicircus. Here was my chance, I could finally prepare a piano and perform the Sonatas and Interludes.

If you aren't familiar with the prepared piano, here's your quick and dirty introduction: In 1938, Cage was asked to write music for a dance. At the time he was mainly composing for percussion orchestra, so he planned to continue that trend. But when he showed up at the theatre, it was tiny. The stage would barely hold a piano. So he began putting things inside the piano. Eventually, in later works, the items grew to include screws, bolts, nuts, pieces of weather stripping, pennies, and even an eraser.

Preparing the piano takes a long time, as Cage was initially very specific about the sounds he wanted, but I had a blast putting things between the strings of the piano. I felt like I was playing hooky from my job and vandalizing a piano to boot. Piano prepared, dream almost accomplished. Now it just waits for me to play it next week. I'll keep you updated.