From: jwp@dobro.Princeton.EDU ()
Subject: The Essential John Cage
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 14:54:44 GMT

Given the interest in Cage on this group, and since people have asked for
suggestions of works to listen to, I thought I'd post the following list,
which will be part of my forthcoming book on Cage's music.  As I explain
in the prefatory paragraphs, I make no great claims for my list, except that
it is a reasonable core repertory of Cage works with which to start listening.

The list as it stands below is not a final version.  I wrote it off the
top of my head, without any reference information except a couple of
pre-CD era, out-of-date discographies.  I still have to research the
recordings information, but I may take some time to get around to that, so
I figured I'd post it in its incomplete state.

If I've made a mistake and claimed that there aren't >available< recordings
of a piece when there are, I'd like to know about it.  Some of the recordings
I list may be out of print, too, and I just don't know it.  

James Pritchett
jwp@silvertone.Princeton.EDU

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                     The Essential John Cage
                   (a very select discography)


Cage wrote a huge number  of  works,  many  of  which  have  been
recorded  (although  many  of  the early recordings are no longer
available).  A complete listing  of  all  Cage's  recorded  works
would  be  so large as to be confusing.  What I present here is a
list of the "essential" Cage: the 30 or so works that I feel best
summarize  his  achievement  as a composer. In order to make this
list, I took the works highlighted in each chapter of  this  book
and  selected those I felt to be the most characteristic of their
type or style.  Where I had multiple options, I used  other  cri-
teria:   works of exceptional quality, works of historical impor-
tance, works available today as recordings.  Lists such  as  this
are  bound to please no one:  I am sure to have omitted someone's
favorite work (even some of my own).  But I  hope  that  it  will
guide  the  reader  through the thickening jungle of Cage record-
ings, so that he may discover his own favorites.

I list some works that have never been recorded, or whose record-
ings are no longer available:  this is, in part, to offer sugges-
tions for performers and record producers.   The  information  on
recordings  that I give here will certainly be out-of-date by the
time this book appears in print: the Cage discography swells dai-
ly,  and,  if things go as they usually do, will grow even faster
now that Cage has died.  In particular, look to the Wergo,  Mode,
and Hat Hut labels for their ongoing series of Cage recordings.

Solo with  Obbligato  Accompaniment  (1933-1934):   No  available
recording.   The six inventions were on the 25-year retrospective
concert in 1958, and hence were part  of  the  privately-produced
recording of that event.

Metamorphosis (1938):  No available recording.  The  Jeanne  Kir-
stein recording, part of the double-album of Cage piano music is-
sued by Columbia (M2S 819) is no longer in print (but should be).



Imaginary Landscape No. 1 (1939):  No available recording.   This
was on the 25-year retrospective album.

First Construction (1939), Third Construction  (1941):   [various
recordings].   The  first Construction is the most important his-
torically, but I prefer to listen to the third.

Bacchanale (1940):  [Musical Heritage?].

Amores (1943):  [???].

The Perilous Night (1943-1944): Wergo; New Albion (Margaret  Leng
Tan, prepared piano).

Music for Marcel Duchamp (1947):  Wergo.  The Kirstein  recording
(part  of the Columbia double-album of Cage piano music mentioned
above) was better than this, but is out of print.

Sonatas and Interludes (1946-1948): Wergo; [Label?]  (Takahashi);
[Label?]  (Fremy).   There  are other recordings of excerpts from
the cycle, but it really should be heard in  its  entirety.   The
1951  recording  made by Maro Ajemian used to be available as CRI
199.  One hopes that it will be reissued:  despite the  technical
flaws in the recording, it is of tremendous historical importance
(a very beautiful performance, too, perhaps the best).


The Seasons (1947): CRI  SD-410  (American  Composers  Orchestra,
Dennis Russell Davies, conductor).

String Quartet in Four Parts (1949-1950): Mode (Arditti Quartet);
DGG (LaSalle Quartet).

Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber  Orchestra:  Nonesuch  H-
71202 (Yuji Takahashi, piano; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Lu-
kas Foss, cond.).



Music of Changes (1951): Wergo (Herbert Henck, piano).   As  much
as one would wish for it (and not to belittle Herbert Henck's ac-
complishment), there is no complete recording of David Tudor per-
forming  this work.  Live concert recordings (complete with audi-
ence laughter) of Tudor's rendition of the third and fourth parts
alone are available on New World NW 214.

Music for Piano (1952-1956):  Hungaroton SLPD 12893  (Zoltan  Je-
ney,  Andras  Wilheim,  Laszlo  Vidovszky,  Laszlo Sary, Barnabas
Dukay, pianos).  This is an inventive and very beautiful realiza-
tion  designed  by  Andras Wilheim, in which 80 of the pieces are
played simultaneously via multi-track recording.

26' 1.1499'' for a String Player (1953/1955), 34' 46.776'' for  a
Pianist  (1954), 31' 57.9864'' for a Pianist (1954), 27' 10.554''
for a Percussionist (1956) ["The Ten Thousand Things"]:  Hat Hut.
Two  performances of all four works performed simultaneously with
"45' for a Speaker" (once in English and once  in  German).   The
string  piece  has  been  recorded  separately:  Nonesuch H-71237
(Bertram Turetsky, contrabass).  The  percussion  piece  is  also
available on its own:  [Label?].



Winter Music (1957), Atlas Eclipticalis (1961): Mode.

Concert  for  Piano  and  Orchestra  (1957-1958):   No  available
recording.  The first performance of the piece was on the 25-year
retrospective album, but the performance there was atrocious  and
the  recording is marred by catcalls, whistles, and other disrup-
tions from the audience.  This is perhaps the most grievious  om-
mission in the Cage discography.  See the next entry, however.

"Indeterminacy:  New Aspect of Form in Instrumental and Electron-
ic  Music"  (1958):   Folkways FT 3704 (John Cage, reading; David
Tudor, piano).  This is the classic recording  of  Cage's  story-
telling  lecture.   As  an  accompaniment, David Tudor performs a
realization of the Solo for Piano  from  Concert  for  Piano  and
Orchestra, using bits of Fontana Mix as a noise source.

Fontana Mix (1958):  Turnabout TV 34046S. Cathy Berberian's  per-
formance  of  Aria  played  together with Fontana Mix was on Time
58003, later Mainstream MS-5005, both now out of print.

Variations II (1961):  Columbia MS-7051 (David Tudor,  piano  and
electronics).  Perhaps  the best example of David Tudor's remark-
able abilities as a performer of Cage's indeterminate music.



Few of Cage's works of the 1960's have been recorded--given their
nature,  any  recording  would be of questionable value.  0' 00''
has been recorded (Hat Hut), although without much success.   The
two Everest recordings of Variations IV are legendary, but total-
ly  misrepresent  the  composition.   The  recording  of   HPSCHD
(Nonesuch)  is  notable for the inclusion of a score by which the
home listener alters the volume and tone  controls  during  play-
back.  The  effect  of the multi-media circus is sorely missed in
one's living room, however.



Cheap Imitation (1969): Wergo (piano); CP2 (Paul  Zukofsky,  vio-
lin).   The  version  of this piece that Cage loved the most--the
one for orchestra--has never been recorded, and, because  of  its
difficulty,  is almost never performed.  A full orchestra perfor-
mance (which has never occurred) would be beautiful, indeed.

Song Books (1970): No recording of  the  complete  set,  although
there  are  recordings of excerpts:  [e.g., New Albion's Joan La-
Barbara "Singing Through"].  Again, as  with  the  works  of  the
1960's, one misses the theatrical aspects.

Empty Words (1974):  Wergo (John Cage, reading).   Performed  to-
gether  with  parts of the Song Books, this is only an excerpt of
Empty Words.

Inlets (1977).  This has never been recorded.  I am  not  certain
whether the loss of the spatial aspect of the work would ruin the
experience, but a recording would be worth trying, anyway.

Freeman Etudes (1977-1991) CP2.  There are also recordings of the
Etudes Boreales (Mode) and Etudes Australes [Label?].

Hymns and Variations (1979).  Neither this, nor any of the  other
imitations of early American choral music, has been recorded.

Ryoanji (1983):  Mode (Isabelle Ganz,  voice;  Michael  Pugliese,
percussion).

Music for (1984): Hat Hut ["Music for Five"];  Mode  ["Music  for
Four"] (Arditti Quartet).  Hopefully more renditions of this work
will be performed and recorded in the future.

Two (1987):  Hat Hut.   Four  (1989):   Mode  (Arditti  Quartet).
These  are  the  only  two  of the "number" pieces that have been
recorded as of the time I am writing this (mid-1992).   No  doubt
by  the time this appears in print, more will have been released.
If not, they should be (especially the orchestral ones).

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