Daughters of the Lonesome Isle
Music for the dance by Jean Erdman




Category: Musical composition
Dated: Late 1945
Instrumentation: Prepared piano
Duration: 12' (usually performed in 8'-9')
Premiere and performer(s): February 4, 1945 (?) at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, with Jean Erman's dance
Other performances: * January 18, 1952 at Hunter Playhouse, performed with the choreography. David Tudor, piano.
Dedicated to:
Choreography: Jean Erdman
Published: Edition Peters 6785 © 1977 by Henmar Press. Also published in "John Cage - Prepared Piano Music, Volume 2 ¤ 1940-47", Edition Peters 67886b © 2000
Manuscript: Score, including table of preparations (holograph, signed, in ink - 14 p.); Notes concerning publication of Daughters of the Lonesome Isle and Ophelia (typescript - 1 lf.), both in New York Public Library.


This is a solo piano piece with an atmospheric character. It is divided into nineteen clearly defined sections. The phraseology is that of the dance, for which it was written. The preparations of the 39 notes are moderately complicated.