Klarinet Archive - Posting 000802.txt from 1997/10

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: Chance Compositions
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 08:44:11 -0400

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.16
> Subj: Chance Compositions

> While adding new compositions to the clarinet music database,
> I've often come across the term "Chance Composition". What
> does this mean, exactly? In the context I've been reading it in
> it seems to mean "play whatever you feel like with some
> constraints", but it doesn't _really_ mean that, does it?

Chance compositions are of two types: (1) the creation of the
composition itself was done with chance methods, or (2)
the performance was done under these circumstances.

Mozart wrote a chance framework called "The Musical Dice Game"
though some say that Mozart did not have a hand in it. You
can buy it as a board game.

It consists of 12 measures any one of which can be used as
the first measure of the composition you are about to construct,
another 12 measures any one of which can be used as
the second measure of the compositions, etc.

You roll dice and pick the first measure randomly. And you
repeat the process until you have a complete minuet. Then
you play it.

It is chance music.

As for (2), John Cage was the one who worked in this arena. I
once played one of his works in which four of us were standing
around a table. One the table was a sheet of paper with a lot
of marks on it. Each mark (and there were about a dozen) had
a specific meaning. You had to know the meanings of the marks.
Then there was a clock.

When Cage started the clock, the four players would, at random
and together, pick out a symbol, play its meaning and the
continue until the clock ran out.

It is also chance music.

Cage wrote a piece for 12 radios in which all 12 were tuned
to different stations but the sound was turned way donw.
Performing the work consisted of having people turn the
volumes up and down at random. It was played on the same
program on which I described the "quartet around the table
with a clock" piece. When one of the stations happened
to have a string quartet on it was turned up, everyone
applauded. Cage thought that that was sensational.

I fell asleep but awoke when I was paid. I went home and
hid under the bed for three weeks.

That was chance hide-and-go-seek.

> --
> Mark Charette, MIKA Systems, Inc., charette@-----.com
> ">>As far as I can tell, no."
> ">Fortunately, this is not correct."
> "Proving once again that ... the best way to extract useful infor-
> mation is to post wrong information." - Roger Glover, F90 mail list
=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
=======================================