1965
Image: Max Neuhaus, Photo discography archive
John Cage, 27' 10.554" for a Percussionist - Realization ’64
John Cage, 27' 10.554" for a Percussionist - Realization ’65
This is the last work in Cage's '10 000 things' series and was written in 1956, three years before Stockhausen’s solo percussion piece Zyklus.
Cage uses the vertical position of the notes to indicate volume. Time is indicated by horizontal space with one page corresponding to one minute. The work has three types of sound events: point events, line events and a mixture of points and lines. A note in the score says the work may be segmented and the segments superimposed in any way to provide duets, trios, etc. The percussion instruments are representedas four lines ina systemcorresponding to four instrument groups: metal, wood, skin and all others. The performer makes the choice of the actual instruments used.
In Realization ‘64 I chose an amplified Tam Tam and a large automobile spring for the metals, an amplified wood scraper for wood, a timpani for skin and finally an FM tuner for the ‘other’.
For Realization ‘65 I decided to create an electronic mini-instrument. Instead of the rich timbres of amplified percussion instruments, though, I wanted to play with sounds that were sparse and dry. I built a small frame and mounted metal rods, wood, a rawhide cord and a piece of plastic on it and amplified these with contact microphones. I then made an accompaniment tape – concrete sounds from Realization ’64 spliced according to the score – resulting, in effect, in a duet with myself. M.N.