Imaginary Landscape No. 5 (1952) by John Cage

Imaginary Landscape No. 5 (1952) was John Cage's first work for magnetic tape, employing "chance" procedures in a pre-determined fashion using block-graph notation. Each block on the score equals three inches of tape, equivalent to one-fifth of a second. There are a total of eight simultaneous tracks made from any forty-two phonograph records. Duration and amplitude (volume) are notated for each of the forty-two records, but there is no indication of what the records should be. It is the performer of the score, rather than the composer, who finally determines what the content will be. The only basic contribution that Cage provides is how the records are to be used. The finished tape is a fixed and unalterable object. Originally, Cage wrote Imaginary Landscape No. 5 to accompany a choreographed dance called "Portrait of a Lady" by Jean Erdman, an influential figure in the world of modern dance. He used jazz records that Ms. Erdman used in her studio for jazz improvisation dance exercises (however, as stated before, the score can be realized with any forty-two records, not necessarily 1940's jazz). Cage's compositional process was based on the I-Ching, a Chinese symbol system designed to identify order in what seem like chance events. The philosophy centers on the ideas of the dynamic balance of opposites, the evolution of events as process, and acceptance of the inevitability of change.

In an attempt to update the format of this composition for modern day, I used GarageBand and iTunes on my Mac PowerBook G4, instead of using tape and records. I chose forty-two of my favorite tracks from over 5,000 in my iTunes, determined to choose as wide a variety of genres and styles as possible (also including one track from each of my previous recitals, for nostalgia). The tracks I chose are listed on the back of this program. In GarageBand, I created eight channels, dragged in my pre-chosen tracks from iTunes, made "cuts" of the clips (some random, some not), and placed them in the appropriate time markings as indicated in the score. Even though I did not pre-determine where the clips would end up in the score, some of the final outcomes are fairly amusing and some fairly "musical." Although John Cage was highly interested in chance operations, this score is extremely specific about where each musical fragment should be placed, down to the fraction of a second, and at what amplitude each fragment should be played. My final format is an MP3, instead of a tape. Julie Nathanielsz, a graduate student from the UT Dance Department, and Alexa Bourdage, the Longhorn Band Feature Twirler, have choreographed movement to the piece, completing what I consider to be a true twenty-first-century realization of the work.

A Door is Ajar -- Traditional / Kronos Quartet
A Night in Tunisia -- Ella Fitzgerald
Any Way You Want It -- Journey
Aracana -- Edgard Varèse
Bells for Stokowski -- Michael Daugherty
Black Angels -- George Crumb
The Cage -- Charles Ives
The Call of Boromir -- Daniel McCarthy
Chariot -- Gavin DeGraw
Circus Maximus (Symphony No. 3) -- John Corigliano
Dancing Queen -- ABBA
The Danserye -- Tielman Susato
Daphnis et Cloe -- Maurice Ravel
Drumming -- Steve Reich
Einstein on the Beach -- Philip Glass
Escape! -- Justin R. Stolarik
Etude No. 4 in C-sharp minor, Op. 10 -- Frédéric Chopin
The First Circle -- Pat Metheny
Harmonielehre -- John Adams
I Get a Kick Out of You -- Frank Sinatra
I was Looking at the Ceiling and then I Saw the Sky -- John Adams
Judgement Day Blues -- Carolyn Wonderland
Koyaanisqatsi -- Philip Glass
La Suerte de los Tontos -- Stan Kenton
Le Api -- Antonio Pasculli
Lovely Day -- Bill Withers
Magical Mystery Tour -- The Beatles
Morris Brown -- OutKast
Piano Sonata "Pathetique" Op. 13 -- Ludwig van Beethoven
The Pines of Rome -- Ottorino Respighi
The Rite of Spring -- Igor Stravinsky
Shepherd's Hey! -- Percy Grainger
Short Ride in a Fast Machine -- John Adams
Six Marimbas -- Steve Reich
Symphonic Metamorphoses -- Paul Hindemith
Symphony in B-flat -- Paul Hindemith
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, Op. 55 "Eroica" -- Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 5 -- Dmitri Shostakovich
Velocities -- Joseph Schwantner
Vertigo (movie soundtrack) -- Bernard Herrman
Without Me -- Eminem
You'll Never Walk Alone -- Rodgers & Hammerstein


Program Note by Justin R. Stolarik

Category:

Music

Tags:

• imaginary
• landscape
• no
• john
• cage
• justin
• stolarik
• percussion
• texas

[realmusicone]

Ok whatever happened to "real creativity?" I'm so sick of this Cage nonsense, the guy didn't have talent, it shows in this video including the attendance. As a composition major at a major university, we're forced to attend these BS concerts otherwise the place would be EMPTY. This music makes me sick, I don't get how "chance" is suppose to be pleasant sounding. Yeah, check out the dancer...VERY LAME. Looks like a sick puppy frolicking on stage. Chance my backside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!

[datimpster]

@realmusicone After reading your comment it's, of course, no surprise that you don't have any videos posted on your own page. For the record, there were at least 100 people in the audience, but that's a different story. Have you heard John Cage's "Dream" or "In a Landscape"? Very beautiful music there. This is obviously a matter of taste. The point of including Imaginary Landscape No. 5 on that presentation was to contrast the performance of "Dream." I would suggest you read the program notes.

[MissCSUFJess]

Simply genius..well done! Not everyone can appreciate let alone fully understand what it is that you are doing but it is simply amazing.

[datimpster]

@MissCSUFJess Thank you so much! And thank you for realizing that. It may just sound like noise, but it definitely took a lot of effort to make it happen, thanks to John Cage's exceptionally detailed score.

[Radwalls]

big audience

[datimpster]

There were actually about 100 people in the audience, at least. It was a big hall and they were mostly sitting in the back! :)

[element774]

yea..but 40 thousand people here.

[realmusicone]

@datimpster I just don't subscribe to nonsense. Everything Cage "wrote' is crap! Now go find yourself a mushroom and chew on it!

[drashfield]

shit wow thats skilllllllls



[jillykobilly]

I was kind of bored with the twirler at first, but HOLY COW!! She's amazing! And I really like how you took the liberty to bring Cage's piece into the 20th century. Well done.

[q1q1q127]

Worthless faggotry.

[jkljkl1945]

Glad to be able to experience som Cage on Youtube. This piece does not give me much. But now at least i know this. Some of his other compositions are much more melodic and "easy" to enjoy as far as i'm concerned. "Dream" being one of those. Thanks for performing and uploading.