''A Flower'' is a
song
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...
for voice and closed
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
by
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...
. It was composed in 1950, for a
choreography
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...
by Louise Lippold, wife of sculptor
Richard Lippold
Richard Lippold (May 3, 1915 – August 22, 2002) was an American sculptor, known for his geometric constructions using wire as a medium.
Life
Lippold was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He studied at the University of Chicago, and graduated from ...
. There is no text; the singer vocalises a small number of phonemes such as "uh", "wah", etc., without vibrato. Instructions given in the score include, for some passages, "like a pigeon" and "like a wild duck". The entire vocal line is constructed of just four pitches, except for a single bar near the end where a fifth pitch is used. The pianist plays by hitting the piano lid in various ways - with his fingers, with his knuckles, etc. The composition is somewhat similar to the earlier work for voice and closed piano, ''
The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs
''The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs'' is a song for voice and closed piano by John Cage. It was composed in late 1942 and quickly became a minor classic in Cage's oeuvre. The text was a reworked version of a passage from James Joyce's ''Finne ...
''.
Editions
* Edition Peters 6711. (c) 1960 by Henmar Press.
See also
*
List of compositions by John Cage
This is a list of compositions by John Cage (1912–1992), arranged in chronological order by year of composition.
List of works
Apprenticeship period (1932–36)
* ''Greek Ode'', for voice and piano (1932)
* ''First Chapter of Ecclesiastes'' ...
*
Nowth upon Nacht ''Nowth upon Nacht'' is a song for voice and piano by John Cage. It was composed in 1984 in memoriam for Cathy Berberian, the celebrated soprano singer, wife of composer Luciano Berio.
The text is from page 555–6 of James Joyce's ''Finnegans Wa ...
Compositions by John Cage
1950 compositions
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