John Cage
American composer, philosopher, writer and printmaker. He was educated in California and then made a study tour of Europe (1930-31), concentrating on art, architecture and music. On his return to the USA he studied music with Richard Buhlig, Adolph Weiss, Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg; in 1934 he abandoned abstract painting for music. An interest in extending the existing range of percussion instruments led him, in 1940, to devise the 'prepared piano' (in which the sound is transformed by the insertion of various objects between the strings) and to pioneer electronic sound sources.
American composer, philosopher, writer and printmaker. He was educated in California and then made a study tour of Europe (1930-31), concentrating on art, architecture and music. On his return to the USA he studied music with Richard Buhlig, Adolph Weiss, Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg; in 1934 he abandoned abstract painting for music. An interest in extending the existing range of percussion instruments led him, in 1940, to devise the 'prepared piano' (in which the sound is transformed by the insertion of various objects between the strings) and to pioneer electronic sound sources.
Blackearth Percussion Group (LP)
Great 1974 album on Opus One with six compositions for percussion (and prepared piano), including Cage's Amores and a rare recording of a Bertoncini piece. Never re-issued on either LP or CD. With inserts.
Double Music (LP)
Cage's 1940 piece for percussion and his 1941 collaboration with Harrison plus two compositions for percussion from the 1970's and 80's, performed by The New Music Consort and released by New World Records in 1985.
The Kroumata Percussion Ensemble & Manuela Wiesler, Flute, Play Music By Jolivet, Harrison, Cage & Sandström (LP)
Cage's 1943 composition for percussion and prepared piano, plus Harrison's 1939 and Jolivet's 1965 compositions fol flute and percussion, performed by the Swedish ensemble and released by BIS in 1984.
Den Danske Slagtøjsgruppe (LP)
Cage's 1941 piece for unusual percussion plus three other minimalist works for percussion from the 1970's and 80's, performed by The Danish Percussion Group and released by Point in 1985.
At The Tomb Of Charles Ives / Divertimento / Party Pieces / Academic Graffiti (LP)
Cage's mid-1940's "exquisite corpses" pieces in collaboration with Cowell, Harrison and Thompson, plus Ussachevsky's 1981 electronic valve instrument composition and two 1960's compositions by Harrison and Smit, performed by The Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lukas Foss abd released by Gramavision in 1983.
Five Hanau Silence (7" + book)
1992 book with enclosed EP released by KomistA in a limited edition of 500 numbered copies with performances of Cage composition by Sterneck and KomistA.
M: Writings 67-72 (Book)
Why does the letter 'M' stand alone as the title of this book by the author of Silence and For the Birds? The dictionary gives the definition of 'M' as the 13th letter of the alphabet, the symbol for 1000, and if you think they fit, they do. Or you may find clues in Cage's topics, words beginning with M that figure among the author's concerns: including music, mesostics, Marcel Duchamp and making matters worse. From Buckminster Fuller to Chairman Mao, from Merce Cunningham to mushrooms - here ar…
Silence: Lectures and Writings (Book)
John Cage (1912-1992) was an American composer, philosopher, poet, music theorist, artist, printmaker and amateur mycologist. He is arguably the most influential composer of the mid-twentieth century. He dedicated himself to the search for new horizons in musical composition. His method of composition: an amalgam of chance operations, latitude in performace, the use of electronic sound and the inclusion of ambient noise. His aim: to increase the territory of his art and to celebrate the richness…
Anagram For Strings / Geography & Music (LP)
Rare 2005 release on Slowscan in an edition of 150 numbered copies (with three cover variations of 50 each) on clear vinyl. It couples a 1961 piece with a 1979 piece by the Japanese Fluxus composer, with an all-star performing group including Takehisa Kosugi, David Tudor, John Cage and Malcom Goldstein!
Anagram For Strings / Geography & Music (LP)
Rare 2005 release on Slowscan in an edition of 150 numbered copies (with three cover variations of 50 each) on clear vinyl. It couples a 1961 piece with a 1979 piece by the Japanese Fluxus composer, with an all-star performing group including Takehisa Kosugi, David Tudor, John Cage and Malcom Goldstein!
Edgard Varèse, Miloslav Kabeláč, Iannis Xenakis, Maurice Ohana, Carlos Chavez, John Cage, Kazimierz Serocki
Les Percussions De Strasbourg (2LP)2LP set including some of the most important compositions for percussion ensemble of the 20th century, performed by Les Percussions De Strasbourg and released by Philips in 1983.
Prima Vista (LP)
Rare compositions for solo instruments or small ensembles with or without electronics by some of the greatest XXth Century composers (Mauricio Kagel, Earle Brown, John Cage, Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Wolfgang Fortner, Klaus Hinrich Stahmer, György Ligeti, Henri Pousseur) spanning from 1952 to 1979 performed by Pro Musica Da Camera and released on Thorofon in 1981. With insert.
Appearance/Music for Solo Performer
Big tip! Beyond Rare! These historical recordings of a 1967 concert at Hope College in Michigan involving John Cage, Toshi Ichiyanagi and David Tudor, performing compositions by Ichiyanagi and Alvin Lucier, were recently discovered in an archive in Japan. The Lucier piece, "Music for Solo Performer", was the first musical composition to utilize human brainwaves; this 1967 performance, released here for the first time, is an early realization of the piece, featuring Tudor, Ichiyanagi and Lowell C…
Mozart Mix (Art Multiple)
One of the first sound multiples ever created. Published by Edition Block in an edition of 36 copies, signed and numbered. Complete sound installation in wooden box (10.2 x 86 x 81 cm) containing 25 cassettes with different recordings of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart compositions, 5 tape decks with built-in speakers, and accompanying screenprint. Created for the 200th anniversary of Mozart's death, Mozart Mix is considered the first sound installation published as a numbered edition. Cage composed wor…
Mozart Mix (Print)
Screenprint from one of the first sound multiples ever created. Published by Edition Block in two versions: the complete sound installation in wooden box (edition of 35-36 copies) and this screenprint in red (70.2 x 70.2 cm, edition of 35, signed and numbered). Created for the 200th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's death, Mozart Mix reflects Cage's fundamental aesthetic principles of chance, indeterminacy, and the dissolution of boundaries between composer, performer, and audience. The s…
Gelbe Musik (1991)
This copy is slightly damaged in transportation and has been mounted on plexiglass for protection and presentation. A rare signed and numbered screenprint created for the tenth anniversary of Ursula Block's legendary gelbe MUSIK record store in Berlin. Edition of 60, signed and numbered, 54 x 100 cm. Founded by Block in 1981, gelbe MUSIK was one of the world's most important places for New Music enthusiasts, a gathering point for collectors, artists, and radical sound practitioners. Cage (*1912 …
The Readymade Boomerang (Print)
Rare signed and numbered screen print by the legendary composer and conceptual artist. Published in a total edition of 60 numbered copies. Two-color screenprint, 70 x 100 cm. Created near the end of Cage's life, The Readymade Boomerang continues his lifelong investigation of chance operations, visual composition, and the dissolution of boundaries between art forms. The title evokes Marcel Duchamp's readymade while suggesting return, repetition, and transformation - key concepts in Cage's practic…
Gelbe Musik (1991)
A rare signed and numbered screenprint created for the tenth anniversary of Ursula Block's legendary gelbe MUSIK record store in Berlin. Edition of 60, signed and numbered, 54 x 100 cm. Founded by Block in 1981, gelbe MUSIK was one of the world's most important places for New Music enthusiasts, a gathering point for collectors, artists, and radical sound practitioners. Cage (*1912 Los Angeles – †1992 New York City), student of Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg, was among the most influential co…
Number Pieces (Piano)
2018 release **
"Two versions of Cage's 'One' and one of his 'One5' performed by pianist Guy Vandromme. 'One' was written in 1987, a ten-minute long piece for solo piano. Per the Cage Works page, the commentary is: "This work comprises 10 systems of piano chords, varying in dynamics, selected by chance. Each system is roughly 1 minute long, and all but one is flexible. Each system contains 2 sets of chords. The order of each set is maintained, but the relationship between the two sets of chords …
Il Gesto Del Suono
2009 release ** Featuring: Marcel Duchamp, John Cage, Steve Jansen, Demetrio Stratos, Emanuele Casale, Robert Ashley, Stefano Scodanibbio, Edoardo Sanguineti, Nine Horses, Walter Prati, Robert Wyatt, Fred Frith, Massimiliano Viel, Picchio Dal Pozzo.