University of Huddersfield Repository Anderson, Simon Peter The Prepared Piano Music of John Cage: Towards an Understanding of Sounds and Preparations Original Citation Anderson, Simon Peter (2012) The Prepared Piano Music of John Cage: Towards an Understanding of Sounds and Preparations. Masters thesis, University of Huddersfield. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/18082/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. 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For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ The Prepared Piano Music of John Cage: Towards an Understanding of Sounds and Preparations Simon Peter Anderson A thesis submitted to the University of Huddersfield in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy October 2012 Contents List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................... 6 Permissions ............................................................................................................................................. 6 Copyright Statement ............................................................................................................................... 7 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction.............................................................................................................................................. 9 Chapter 1: Historical Perspectives ..................................................................................................... 25 1.1: Context ................................................................................................................ 25 1.2: Henry Cowell ...................................................................................................... 27 1.3: Percussion .......................................................................................................... 37 1.4: Dance .................................................................................................................. 49 1.5: Early Works ........................................................................................................ 56 1.6: Invented Instruments and Noise ...................................................................... 63 Chapter 2: John Cage’s Prepared Piano Music ................................................................................ 72 2.1: Context ................................................................................................................ 72 2.2: Overview of Pieces and Preparations .............................................................. 75 2.3: Grouping of Preparations ................................................................................. 76 2.4: Descriptions by Cage on the Envelopes of the Sonatas and Interludes...... 78 2.5: Definitions of Screws and Bolts ....................................................................... 83 2.6: Prepared Piano Works ....................................................................................... 88 2.6.1: Solo Prepared Piano Works 1940-1950 ........................................... 88 2.6.2: Music for Two Prepared Pianos ..................................................... 117 2.6.2: Prepared Pianos Works Composed After 1950 ............................ 122 2.7: Preparation Specifics ...................................................................................... 131 Chapter 3: Piano, Strings and Preparations.................................................................................... 138 3.1: Physical Relationships Between Piano, Strings and Preparations ........... 138 3.2: Preparing the Piano ......................................................................................... 140 3.3: Analysis of Notation of Preparation Material ................................................ 144 3.4: Science of Preparing a Piano ......................................................................... 147 3.5: The Mechanics of the Piano ............................................................................ 150 3.6: Sonographic Analyses .................................................................................... 158 3.6.1: Individual Screw Analysed for Different Winding Depth ............ 160 3.6.2: Individual bolt Analysed for Distance from the Damper ............. 164 2 3.6.3: Individual Notes Analysed by Seven Different Performers ........ 167 3.6.4: Virtual Analysis of a Prepared String ........................................... 177 Chapter 4: Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 182 4.1: Context ............................................................................................................. 182 4.2: Musical Gestures ............................................................................................. 190 4.3: Harmony: Role and Function .......................................................................... 206 3.4: Structural Analysis .......................................................................................... 211 Chapter 5: Considerations for the Pianist ....................................................................................... 233 5.1: Context ............................................................................................................. 233 5.2: Considerations for the Pianist ........................................................................ 234 5.3: Big Fish Audio .................................................................................................. 242 Chapter 6: A Case Study: The Perilous Night ................................................................................. 247 6.1: Context ............................................................................................................. 247 6.2: Preparing the Piano for The Perilous Night .................................................. 248 6.2.1: Preparations for each movement of The Perilous Night ............. 249 6.3: The Sounds of The Perilous Night ................................................................. 253 Conclusion........................................................................................................................................... 269 Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ 272 Discography ........................................................................................................................................ 277 Word Count: 80, 324. 3 List of Figures Figure 1: John Cage preparing a piano ............................................................................................... 24 Figure 2: An Extract from Aeolian Harp by Henry Cowell (bars 13-21) ................................................ 33 Figure 3: An Extract from the Explanation of Symbols in The Banshee (Opening Page) .................... 34 Figure 4: An Extract from The Banshee (bars 1-11) ............................................................................. 34 Figure 5: An Extract from Pulse (player 1, bars 1-20) .......................................................................... 36 Figure 6: John Cage‟s Percussion ensemble, 18 July 1940 ................................................................. 41 Figure 7: Merce Cunningham, Bonnie Bird, Syvilla Fort and Dorothy Herrmann, 1938 ...................... 50 Figure 8: Table of collaborative prepared piano works of John Cage and Merce Cunningham .......... 55 Figure 9: Pre-arranged schematic for Imaginary Landscape No.1 ....................................................... 59 Figure 10: Schematic of micro-macrocosmic structure in First Construction (in Metal) ....................... 61 Figure 11: Luigi Russolo and his assistant Ugo Piatti with their Intonarumori ..................................... 69 Figure 12: An example of Cage‟s preparations inside a piano ............................................................ 74 Figure 13: Table summarising the extent to which each piece is prepared ......................................... 75 Figure 14: Table analysing all of Cage‟s preparation for his prepared piano music ............................ 77 Figure 15: Table categorising all of the materials used in Cage‟s prepared piano music ................... 77 Figure 16: Box containing