A Performer’s Guide to the Prepared Piano of John Cage: The 1930s to 1950s. A document submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS in the Keyboard Studies Division of the College-Conservatory of Music By Sejeong Jeong B.M., Sookmyung Women’s University, 2011 M.M., Illinois State University, 2014 ________________________________ Committee Chair : Jeongwon Joe, Ph. D. ________________________________ Reader : Awadagin K.A. Pratt ________________________________ Reader : Christopher Segall, Ph. D. ABSTRACT John Cage is one of the most prominent American avant-garde composers of the twentieth century. As the first true pioneer of the “prepared piano,” Cage’s works challenge pianists with unconventional performance practices. In addition, his extended compositional techniques, such as chance operation and graphic notation, can be demanding for performers. The purpose of this study is to provide a performer’s guide for four prepared piano works from different points in the composer’s career: Bacchanale (1938), The Perilous Night (1944), 34'46.776" and 31'57.9864" For a Pianist (1954). This document will detail the concept of the prepared piano as defined by Cage and suggest an approach to these prepared piano works from the perspective of a performer. This document will examine Cage’s musical and philosophical influences from the 1930s to 1950s and identify the relationship between his own musical philosophy and prepared piano works. The study will also cover challenges and performance issues of prepared piano and will provide suggestions and solutions through performance interpretations. By understanding how playing the prepared piano is different from conventional performance, pianists will enhance their musical and intellectual interpretations of these works. i Copyright © 2018 by Sejeong Jeong. All rights reserved. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I give thanks to God who have led, provided, and guided my life until now. Without his endless love and grace, it would not be possible for me to devote my life to piano. Also, I want to give special thanks to my dear professor, Awadagin Pratt for his musical guidance, inspiration, and encouragement. Without his teaching, I would have remained a young music student lost in vast world of music. He inspired me to be a strong independent pianist. I also greatly appreciate my committee chair, Dr. Jeongwon Joe and committee member Dr. Christopher Segall for their advice and effort on my final document. Special thanks go to Dr. Jessica C. Hajek, who helped me with lecture recital and assisted me with the document proposal throughout spring and summer of 2018. Their passion and dedication gave me a sense of what kind of a teacher I want to be. Lastly, my deepest appreciation and thanks go to my family and relatives who constantly supported me with endless prayers and love during six years of study abroad. Without their faith and prayers, I would not have been able to finish my doctoral study. Additionally, special thanks go to my dear husband, Jaehoon Ha, who has been supportive, trusting, and loving over the last few years. Without his encouragement and care, I could not have continued this persistent race to finish the degree. iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS COPYRIGHT PERMISSIONS.................................................................................................... 5 LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... 6 LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES .............................................................................................. 7 LIST OF PICTURES ................................................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION Purpose of this study Literature Review Methodology Document outline 2. JOHN CAGE’s MUSICAL AND PHILOSPHICAL INFLUENCES (1930s- 1950s) ............................................................................................................................. 10 3. BACCHANALE (1938): EARLY PERIOD ............................................................. 19 4. THE PERILOUS NIGHT (1944): MIDDLE PERIOD ................................................... 38 5. 34'46.776" FOR A PIANIST AND 31'57.9864" FOR A PIANIST (1954): LATE PERIOD ........................................................................................................................ 63 6. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 80 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................... 84 v COPYRIGHT PERMISSIONS Bacchanale by John Cage. Copyright © 1960 by Henmar Press Inc. Sole Selling Agents: C.F. Peters Corporation, 373 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. The Perilous Night by John Cage. Copyright © 1960 by Henmar Press Inc. Sole Selling Agents: C.F. Peters Corporation, 373 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. 31'57.9864" For a Pianist by John Cage. Copyright © 1960 by Henmar Press Inc., Sole Selling Agents: C.F. Peters Corporation, 373 Park Ave. S.O., New York 16, N.Y. 34'46.776" For a Pianist by John Cage. Copyright © 1960 by Henmar Press Inc., Sole Selling Agents: C.F. Peters Corporation, 373 Park Ave. S.O., New York 16, N.Y. vi LIST OF TABLES Example 1 Table of Preparations of Bacchanale ………………………………………………. 32 Example 2 Table for Structure of Bacchanale …………………………………………………. 33 Example 3 Comparison of three metronome tempi for Bacchanale ………………………. 44-45 Example 4 Table of preparations for The Perilous Night …………………………………….. 52 Example 5 Table of each movement’s tempo and phrase measures ………………………….. 53 Example 43 Table of preparations for 34'46.776" ……………………………………………... 77 Example 44 Table of preparations for 31'57.9864" ……………………………………………. 78 vii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example 6 Instances of colotomic structure (mm. 1, 16, 30, and 132 in Bacchanale) ………... 34 Example 7 Motivic rhythm in the left hand (m. 21 in Bacchanale) …………………………… 40 Example 8 Instances of cross rhythm and polyrhythm (mm. 3 and 27-28 in Bacchanale) …..... 41 Example 9 Instances of irregular accents (mm.3-5 and mm.62-64 in Bacchanale) ………... 41-42 Example 10 Instances of transition of time signatures (mm. 144-150 in Bacchanale) ………... 43 Example 11 Beginning of the B section (mm. 74-82 in Bacchanale) ………………………..... 43 Example 12 Sampling of descriptive tempo markings (mm. 1,10,74, 87 and 108 in Bacchanale) ………………………………………………………………………………………. 43-44 Example 13 Correlation between dance and fermatas (mm. 9-10, and mm.42-43 in Bacchanale) ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 46 Example 14 Example of phrases structure (mm. 1-10 of the first movement in The Perilous Night) ……………………………………………………………………..………….... 54 Example 15 Example of phrase structure (mm.91-100 of the first movement in The Perilous Night) …………………………………………………………………………………... 55 Example 16 Example of ostinato and repeated two notes (mm.1-8 of the fourth movement in The Perilous Night) …………………………………………………………………………. 56 viii Example 30 Performing a precise dynamic range (mm.75 -79 of the first movement in The Perilous Night) …………………………………………………………………………. 62 Example 31 Performing contrasting dynamics representing Cage’s emotional state (mm.7-10 and mm.31-35 of the first movement in The Perilous Night) ………………………………. 63 Example 32 Timbral pallet (mm. 1-3 of the second movement in The Perilous Night) ……….. 64 Example 33 Performing a pitched and non-pitched passage (mm. 25-36 of the second movement in The Perilous Night) ………………………………………………………………….. 65 Example 34 Dynamic markings with and without the una corda pedal (mm.1-4 of the third movement in The Perilous Night) ……………………………………………………… 66 Example 35 Example of slurred passage (mm.100-108 of the third movement in The Perilous Night ……………………………………………………………………………………. 66 Example 36 Example of natural decay (mm.41-49 of the fourth movement in The Perilous Night) ………………………………………………………………………………………...… 67 Example 37 Contrasting dynamic characters between the hands (mm.1-9 of the fifth movement in The Perilous Night) ………………………………………………………………….. 68 Example 38 Emphatic dynamic markings (mm.20-24 of the fifth movement in The Perilous Night) …………………………………………………………………………………... 69 Example 39 Independence of sounds and dynamics between the hands (mm.1-8 of the sixth movement in The Perilous Night) ……………………………………………………… 69 ix Example 40 Performing balanced dynamic (mm.69-72 of the sixth movement in The Perilous Night) …………………………………………………………………………………... 70 Example 41 Example of counting quintuplet notes (mm. 125-132 of the sixth movement in The Perilous Night) …………………………………………………………………………. 71 Example 42 Floating cadence (mm.145-162 of the sixth movement in The Perilous Night) …. 72 Example 45 Example of graphical notation (excerpt from 34'46.776") ……………………….. 81 Example 46 Performing numerous dots (excerpt from 31’57. 9864”) ………………………… 82 Example 47 Example of blank space for timings (excerpt from 31’57. 9864) ……………….... 83 Example 48 Instances of ‘A’ and ‘H’ notations (excerpt from 31’57. 9864") ……………….... 84 Example 49 Example of rhythmic notations (excerpt from 31’57. 9864") ……………………. 86 Example 50 Example of rhythmic notation (excerpt from 31’57. 9864") ……………………... 86 Example 51 My personal markings for actual