RE: [microsound] Dialtones - A Telesymphony

[Paulo Mouat <microsound@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I wonder how he felt about the laughers.

He was a laugher himself;  as a matter of fact, I have a video interview
where the interviewer makes the point that he doesn't have the same
attitude as other composers [those from Europe], who typically "suffer"
long and hard for their music.  Cage, on the other hand, takes
everything (or most of it) with a good laugh.  To illustrate this point:
At some point in that video documentary (recorded in England, on the
occasion of a series of concerts celebrating his 70th anniversary), he
mentions he once told someone that one of his earliest dreams was to
listen to every Prelude and Fugue from Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier",
but played *simultaneously*.  That person then asks him "aren't you
afraid that'll be like white noise?" to which he replied, "I'm sure
it'll be noise, but I doubt it'll be white!" with a resounding and long
laugh.

> I know he would insert objects and what not into the strings
> of pianos, but i wonder what other methods did he employ to
> get that wide range of sounds that he coaxed from the pianos.
> Some of those drawn out whistles type sounds, loud
> percussion, and drawn out drones have me curious as to how he
> ahcieved this.  Anyone faniliar with the extent of which he
> manipulated the paino?

The prepared piano uses all sorts of objects (hard, soft, malleable,
rigid, all sorts of materials) placed between strings or laid over them
or even attached to the soundboard.  If initially he was rather free
about giving directions on how to prepare the piano, he tended to be
increasingly precise in later works.

The work premiered in Donaueschingen, also Cage's first appearance in
Europe, had other "utensils" beyond the prepared piano, in fact all that
he and Tudor could think of that would not require using the hands, and
hence the whistling and other sounds.

Cheers,
--
Paulo Mouat