| Category: | Musical composition |
| Dated: | 1968 |
| Instrumentation: | For diverse performers, a plurality of electronic musics, gated by a game of chess played on an electronically prepared board |
| Duration: | Ca. 5 hours during the first performance |
| Premiere and performer(s): | March 5, 1968 in Toronto. John Cage and Marcel Duchamp playing chess on a board prepared by Lowell Cross. Teeny Duchamp looking on, David Tudor, Gordon Mumma and David Behrman operating the sound systems. |
| Dedicated to: | |
| Choreography: | --- |
| Published: | --- |
| Manuscript: | None: Not notated |
| Event with no score. In its first performance John Cage and Marcel Duchamp were playing chess on a board
prepared by Lowell Cross, Teeny Duchamp looked on, Gordon Mumma,
David Tudor and David Behrman operated the sound systems. Everyone should have his or her own sound sources and systems, connected to the board. The idea of the composition is to bring together many sound systems, each activated by a different composer, like a coming together of people (Reunion). The work is a realization of 0'00" No.2, a work identical to Solo for Voice 23 from Song Books. Cage planned to compose another (similar) work entitled 0'00" No.2: Reunion, but he never did. The first performance was recorded and released on a 5 inch LP (details can be found in the discography under the Takeyoshi Miyazawa label), accompanying a photo-book of the performance entitled Marcel Duchamp and John Cage, copyright by John Cage and Shigeko Kubota (the photographer), which was published ca.1969 by Takeyoshi Miyazawa in a limited release of 500 copies. More details can be found in an article written by Mr.Lowell Cross in 'Leonardo Music Journal Vol.9' (1999) Sources: Paul van Emmerik: Thema's en Variaties ; Richard Kostelanetz: John Cage writer - Previously uncollected pieces; James Pritchett: The Music of John Cage; Daniel Charles / John Cage: For the Birds; Lowell Cross, personal correspondence Thanks to Lowell Cross for his extensive information. |