a portrait of the audience from inside the cage

for
for any solo-instrument

08/07

note:
john cageĀ“s name contains four different pitches (c-a-g-e), but only two different intervals:
minor third and major second.
these two intervals constitute the framework for reading the audience as a musical score.
its female members are associated with minor thirds, males with major seconds.
estimated differences in age between them account for the intervals direction: younger = up, older = down.
the resulting pitches are shaped by associating features in the persons look with musical parameters.

score:
- place yourself in front of the audience, so that you can overlook it as comfortably and complete as possible.
- start with looking at the leftmost person in the first row. play the pitch in the middle of your instruments range.
- the duration of the pitch is according to the size of that person, the volume to the persons volume, the sonic qualities according to features in the persons look.
- then look at person next to the first.
- if it is female, then the next pitch is a minor third from the first, if male, a major second.
- if the person seems older then the previous, the interval is downward, if younger, upward.
- the other sonic qualities again follow the persons look.
- play the audience one member after the other.
- looking at the persons and making decisions constitutes pauses between the pitches.
- the piece is over, when either
-- the last person is reached or
-- the intervallic progression leads grossly outside the instruments range.

download score as pdf

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