Imaginary Landscape No. 5 (1952) by John Cage

Imaginary Landscape No. 5 (1952) was John Cage's first work for magnetic tape, employing "chance" procedures in a pre-determined fashion using block-graph notation. Each block on the score equals three inches of tape, equivalent to one-fifth of a second. There are a total of eight simultaneous tracks made from any forty-two phonograph records. Duration and amplitude (volume) are notated for each of the forty-two records, but there is no indication of what the records should be. It is the performer of the score, rather than the composer, who finally determines what the content will be. The only basic contribution that Cage provides is how the records are to be used. The finished tape is a fixed and unalterable object. Originally, Cage wrote Imaginary Landscape No. 5 to accompany a choreographed dance called "Portrait of a Lady" by Jean Erdman, an influential figure in the world of modern dance. He used jazz records that Ms. Erdman used in her studio for jazz improvisation dance exercises (however, as stated before, the score can be realized with any forty-two records, not necessarily 1940's jazz). Cage's compositional process was based on the I-Ching, a Chinese symbol system designed to identify order in what seem like chance events. The philosophy centers on the ideas of the dynamic balance of opposites, the evolution of events as process, and acceptance of the inevitability of change.In an attempt to update the format of this composition for modern day, I used GarageBand and iTunes on my Mac PowerBook G4, instead of using tape and records. I chose forty-two of my favorite tracks from over 5,000 in my iTunes, determined to choose as wide a variety of genres and styles as possible (also including one track from each of my previous recitals, for nostalgia). The tracks I chose are listed on the back of this program. In GarageBand, I created eight channels, dragged in my pre-chosen tracks from iTunes, made "cuts" of the clips (some random, some not), and placed them in the appropriate time markings as indicated in the score. Even though I did not pre-determine where the clips would end up in the score, some of the final outcomes are fairly amusing and some fairly "musical." Although John Cage was highly interested in chance operations, this score is extremely specific about where each musical fragment should be placed, down to the fraction of a second, and at what amplitude each fragment should be played. My final format is an MP3, instead of a tape. Julie Nathanielsz, a graduate student from the UT Dance Department, and Alexa Bourdage, the Longhorn Band Feature Twirler, have choreographed movement to the piece, completing what I consider to be a true twenty-first-century realization of the work.A Door is Ajar -- Traditional / Kronos QuartetA Night in Tunisia -- Ella FitzgeraldAny Way You Want It -- JourneyAracana -- Edgard VarèseBells for Stokowski -- Michael DaughertyBlack Angels -- George CrumbThe Cage -- Charles IvesThe Call of Boromir -- Daniel McCarthyChariot -- Gavin DeGrawCircus Maximus (Symphony No. 3) -- John CoriglianoDancing Queen -- ABBAThe Danserye -- Tielman SusatoDaphnis et Cloe -- Maurice RavelDrumming -- Steve ReichEinstein on the Beach -- Philip GlassEscape! -- Justin R. StolarikEtude No. 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 10 -- Frédéric ChopinThe First Circle -- Pat MethenyHarmonielehre -- John AdamsI Get a Kick Out of You -- Frank SinatraI was Looking at the Ceiling and then I Saw the Sky -- John AdamsJudgement Day Blues -- Carolyn WonderlandKoyaanisqatsi -- Philip GlassLa Suerte de los Tontos -- Stan KentonLe Api -- Antonio PasculliLovely Day -- Bill WithersMagical Mystery Tour -- The BeatlesMorris Brown -- OutKastPiano Sonata "Pathetique" Op. 13 -- Ludwig van BeethovenThe Pines of Rome -- Ottorino RespighiThe Rite of Spring -- Igor StravinskyShepherd's Hey! -- Percy GraingerShort Ride in a Fast Machine -- John AdamsSix Marimbas -- Steve ReichSymphonic Metamorphoses -- Paul HindemithSymphony in B-flat -- Paul HindemithSymphony No. 3 in E-flat, Op. 55 "Eroica" -- Ludwig van BeethovenSymphony No. 5 -- Dmitri ShostakovichVelocities -- Joseph SchwantnerVertigo (movie soundtrack) -- Bernard HerrmanWithout Me -- EminemYou'll Never Walk Alone -- Rodgers & HammersteinProgram Note by Justin R. Stolarik

Channel: Music
Uploaded: December 31, 1969 at 6:59 pm
Author: datimpster

Length: 04:25
Rating: 3.48
Views: 28544

Tags: cage  imaginary  john  justin  landscape  no  percussion  stolarik  texas  

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