"Dream" by John Cage, adapted by Thad Anderson

I discovered this work shortly after I created an similar multi-keyboard adaptation of Cage's "In A Landscape" (both were composed in 1948). Originally intended for solo piano, Dream was composed in 1948 for a dance by Merce Cunningham. When performed on piano, the pedal is predominately notated to be left down creating a vast amount of resonance. The composition follows the rhythmic structure of the choreography and utilizes a fixed gamut of tones. This particular adaptation is orchestrated for marimba, vibraphone, and an assortment of crotales. In this format, the somewhat simple melody becomes a lush combination of texture and color. The use of five mallets also allows for interesting blend between the various sound types. John Cage is another one of my favorite American figures and composers. Beyond his early percussion ensemble masterpieces, adapting his music for solo percussion has given me further insight into his musical brilliance.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• John
• Cage
• Percussion
• Marimba
• Vibraphone

[carpacper91]

I've only seen this done on vibes. Interesting instrumentation though, it definitely makes a difference

[SUNSNARE06]

Is this adaption available for purchase, if so I'd love to have this as part of my senior recital

[dustinreinink]

Where can I get this arrangement?

[jeffreycollins]

please let me know if you have this recorded so I can hear the beauty without having to hear the resonances in the microphones from the cameras.

[fartguy1172]

mallatech is awsome we use mallatech branded bells there so goos that to stop the vibration we have light touch the surface with a towel

btw great performance !! make you wanna question wat dreams really are.lol

[aldo4418]

john cage is amazing

[rahmalec]

This is very good. I have no idea how that marimba is so resonant though. I don't think the marimba would be a good idea unless it did resonate this much.

I would really like to do something like this with "in a landscape". I like that piece better and think something really good could be done on tuned percussion with that.

[reeldeelpeel]

it's very cool! It sounds lot like something I would compose myself, i think thats why I like it so much. And it does sound like a dream would sound!

please check out some of my compositions if you want!