John Cage - Works For Piano 4 / Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle

John Cage - Works For Piano 4


1-3. Triple-Paced (1943) (1:07, 1:01, 0:45)

first version, piano


4. Triple-Paced (1944) (2:04)

second version, prepared piano


5. Totem Ancestor (1942) (1:55)

prepared piano


6. Ad Lib (1943) (3:14)

piano


7. Jazz Study (1942) (3:03)

piano


8. Music for Marcel Duchamp (1947) (5:45)

prepared piano



Works of Calder (1949-50) prepared piano

9. I. Prepared Piano (5:05)

10. II. Film soundtrack with narration* (3:09)

11. III. Film soundtrack with percussion* (2:19)

12. IV. Prepared Piano (10:37)

* with Burgess Meredith, narrator, and John Cage,
percussion & tape collage


First recording


13. One² (1989) (18:51)
for 1-4 pianos, 1 performer

Version for 3 pianos
Written for Ms. Tan




John Cage - Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle

1. Bacchanale (1940) (6:46)
2. In A Landscape (1948) (7:49)
3. Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle (1945) (8:54)

The Seasons, Ballet In One Act (1947)
4. Prelude I (1:28)
5. Winter (1:20)
6. Prelude II (0:47)
7. Spring (2:15)
8. Prelude III (1:35)
9. Summer (3:15)
10. Prelude IV (0:53)
11. Fall (2:24)
12. Finale (Prelude I) (0:56)

Suite For Toy Piano (1948)
13. 1 (1:35)
14. 2 (1:41)
15. 3 (1:34)
16. 4 (1:24)
17. 5 (1:04)

18. Ophelia (6:43)

In the Name Of The Holocaust
19. A (3:37)
20. B (2:22)




Most people remember John Cage as the fellow who wrote that kooky song with nothing in it. Most people who know the name of that kooky song love to RAAAGE about how it's not music, or how it is music (cue 'What is Art?' discussions).

Few people remember John Cage as the loveable old codger who enjoyed picking mushrooms. Fewer still remember him as the guy who wrote a fuckload of incredible piano pieces. For someone who once said that he would bang his head against the wall of melody forever since he didn't have a feel for it (this is paraphrased), he actually wrote quite a few catchy songs! Only you can't call them 'songs', they're 'pieces' because it's classical music. But, whatever, most of them are three to five minutes long... just like songs!

Anyway, I am posting up two of my most beloved John Cage collections, Works For Piano 4 and Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle so the raging people can settle down because 1. it's modern 2. it's music. And it's good music too! The melodies are pretty interesting, the rhythmic structures are very, very engaging and the sounds are... out of this world. Most of the stuff is on prepared piano and Suite For Toy Piano is there too so, rest assured, the sounds won't be boring. One of my absolute favourite tracks off these collections, however, is a straight up non-prepared piano piece titled Jazz Study and is just that, a jazz study. I feel that it's simplicity and deliciousness really shows just how underrated John Cage's actual music is. It's fucking brilliant! It really sounds like jazz that's all chopped up thin like parsley and sprinkled on large portobellos which are then drizzled with olive oil and oven-baked. I can listen to it on repeat for hours. In fact, I used to. Please download Works For Piano 4 at least for this one amazing track.

Actually Works For Piano 4 has so many amazing tracks! The use of dynamics in Triple-Paced is mycologenioutastic, with a singular aesthetic that smells like an expansive backyard. Totem Ancestor is a modern classical classic, but deserves to be a jazz standard instead since 'modern classical classic' sounds so goofy. Even stuff like Works of Calder is great if you have the time to sit and digest it.

Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle takes even more digestion than Works Of Calder. It's much less immediate and insistent. I'm not such a big fan of The Seasons but In the Name Of The Holocaust is creepy and scary and... just perfect for Halloween! No, not really but it is damn good. Suite For Toy Piano executes the child-like feel to perfection. The way the notes play around, as if searching for some kind of order to fall into yet still trying to retain their playfulness and their freedom is just wow. It sounds really cute too.

So there you go, the hidden side of John Cage that is actually more akin to Hello Kitty than Genius Artist or Twisted Bastard.

By the way, if you enjoy the music I post, please take the time to link to this site, tell your friends about it or click on one of the sponsors banners/links. Or just comment so I know people are actually reading this. Also, you can check the link at the side entitled 'Music Albums You Can Request' to see if there are any albums there that you want me to post up and comment if you want anything. For now, it only tracks my recent acquisitions but I'll be posting up my entire album list in time.


John Cage - Works For Piano 4 (mediafire)
John Cage - Works For Piano 4 (drop.io)

Buy It Now!


John Cage - Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle (mediafire)
John Cage - Daughters Of The Lonesome Isle (drop.io)

Buy It Now!