Variations II



Category: Musical composition
Dated: Middletown, Connecticut, February-March, 1961
Instrumentation: For any number of players and any sound producing means
Duration: indeterminate
Premiere and performer(s): March 24, 1961 at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Performed by David Tudor, piano.
Dedicated to: ---
Choreography: ---
Published: Edition Peters 6768 © 1961 by Henmar Press
Manuscript: Score (holograph, signed, in ink, lacking 4 transparent sheets - 2p. + 2 transparent sheets); Directions for reproduction (typescript - 1 lf.); Realisation (worksheets - 2 p.) , all in New York Public Library


The materials consist of 5 small transparencies with a single point each, and 6 larger tranparencies with one line each. These may be superimposed in any way, creating a configuration of the points and lines, to be interpreted as a way of producing sounds. This is done by dropping perpendiculars from the points to all of the lines (creating a total of 30 perpendiculars). Measurements of the perpendiculars are used to obtain readings for frequency, amplitude, timbre, duration, point of occurence in an established period of time and the structure of the event (number of sounds).

Sources: Published score; Paul van Emmerik: Thema's en Variaties; New York Public Library online catalog; William Fetterman: John Cage's theatre pieces: Notations and performances