In 1942, John Cage composed a brief piece of music adapted from the textual content of James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake. Titled “The Receivedderful Widow of Eighteen Springs,” the piece was originally commissioned and pershaped by amateur soprano and socialite Justine Honestfinancial institution, and whereas we don’t have a reporting of her performance, we do have Cage’s sheet music (see first web page above, or view your complete e-book right here). It’s—as one may count on—an unusual piece. It appears like music, but isn’t. Because the Library of Congress description of the piece has it:
This essentially rhythmic speech set in opposition to a patterned percussive accompaniment cannot be considered a music within the usual sense. Cage, however, is such an innovator that one typically loses sight of the truth that if one doesn’t count on conventional sounds, his music is commonly very nicely constructed. Right here, for examinationple, the composer weaves a hypnotically compelling pattern of rhythmic tension and chill outation, akin to certain non-Western music, which may be very appropriate for Joyce’s moody prose.
Cage’s personal instructions “for the singer” state: “sing without vibrato, as in folk-singing. Make any transposition necessary with a purpose to make use of a low and comfortin a position vary.”
This flexible organizement permits anyone to choose up the piece, and so we’ve, directly beneath, an in contrast toly interpreter of Cage’s experimalestal artwork, the late Ramones singer Joey Ramone. Ramone’s interpretation of the piece is enthralling simply as a chunk of reported music. Nevertheless it’s additionally a fascinating piece of cultural history, repredespatcheding a confluence of the foremost figures in early twentieth century modernist literature, mid-century avant-garde music, and late century punk rock.
The reporting comes from a complete album of Cage interpretations by New York punk and new- and no-wave art-rockers, including David Byrne, Arto Lindsay, John Zorn, Debbie Harry, and Lou Reed. The album, entitled Caged/Uncaged—A Rock/Experimental Homage to John Cage, was reported in Italy in 1993 and professionalduced by John Cale. You’ll be able to listen to tracks at Ubuweb.
It’s greater than only a tribute report; it’s a serious interactment with the music of a composer whose work—just like the fluid prose-poetry of Finnegans Wake—appears infinitely malleable and adaptcapable of the current. Forty years after composing the music Joey Ramone pervarieties, Cage stated, “we stay, in a really deep sense, within the time of Finnegans Wake.” Perhaps we nonetheless stay within the time of Joyce, and likewise of John Cage.
Notice: An earlier version of this submit appeared on our website in 2013.
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Josh Jones is a author and musician based mostly in Durham, NC.
