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From Cincinnati you know I hear a perilous night by John Cage. One of the works which will be played on discussed by Gene Christine on today's program. Twentieth century music Mrs. Kirsteen is an internationally known interpreter of contemporary piano music. I'm Ira Bennett and on this program I talk with Jean Kirstein about the music you will hear and the composers. The name John Cage is bound to cause a diversity of reactions among listeners to music. Some think of him as a very radical composer which he has others who know some of this music I have found quite a bit of charm and many of the pieces such as those that we have heard at the opening of the program and that we are about to hear and folk played by Jean Kirstein. I think it would be of some use to find out some basic facts about John Cage
and then we can discuss him a little more fully. He was born in 1912 in California. He attended classes with Henry Karl and worked with the American composer Adolph rice and later study but I'm not trying to bury him but he has definitely become his own man and has become one of the major influences on can jumper a composition. In fact some have said the major American influence and indeed a Gini both you and I became acquainted with John Cage when he was here at the University of Cincinnati in 1967 in 68. What's your impression of him as a person. He's a unique individual both personally and efficient. And his idea is with students and with people his
influence on the community and on the musical community was enormous. And the thing was that a static concept why him. And his challenge to the thinking to all people in any area not only music. Was very stimulating certainly for me. Most of his recent works better definitely than they ever on guard and very difficult for people not up on such things to listen to or to appreciate. But the works you're playing are it seems to me more accessible to just about anybody who is interested in music their sound as we heard at the beginning. Very charming sounds. So could you tell us a bed she know about the prepared piano and John Cage's writing for it. Well the preparations for the piano are are very
varied as far as from piece to piece. His directions are to put a piece of rubber or piece of weatherstripping in between one or two of the strings or over of the ring. And this creates. A completely different sound and also create a different pitch. You will be playing an out and it will not sound the pitch that you expect because you're getting. Overtones than is acting out. I'm interested to find out since you are a a pianist and are used to hearing the sound of the piano how is it to play these works. Doesn't sound like what you're used to. It's fascinating. I learnt the first piece without the preparations and then put the preparation then and now and what I'm about to experience it's perfectly beautiful they will be the reaction is always oh how you know I listen to that sound isn't that ear of oh you know. I do think beauty is a word that you can use
in relation to this which most people don't think of in a lot of now when I hear contemporary they don't think that beauty has a place in it. But I think they're very beautiful. Look.
Look look. That composition perilous night by John Cage I worked for prepared piano
played by Jean Kirstein And now for our next conversation and our next music. In light of all the evolution that has been going on in music of the 20th century many seem to regard bar talk Stravinsky of a certain drug and even of a brain as being old hat. But at the same time the larger audience finds it very difficult to accept this music. Yes that's true. The time lag between composer and audience who probably always be with us. However even the musical language has advanced since your inverse time. Many of the compositional problems he raised are still unsolved. Could you tell us some of these problems for instance. Yes around 1000 No.7 tonality gave way to a lack of sense of key. Sometimes called a tonality. The rules of tonal composition. With this came a more important breakdown in form organization of non-tonal elements into convincing forms is still the most critical problem for composers today.
This period of Schoenberg's works from nine hundred seventy one thousand twenty two is often referred to as free a tonality. The word passion very good you're going to play for us in the Opus 11 piano pieces was this written in this period. Yes it was written in 1909. Over some of the important aspects of this creator and how they are revealed in this work. Free eye to knowledge does not make use of the rigid 12 term system 12 tone becomes important only after 1922. Obsolescent consists of very short pieces or larger forms where tonal forms and could not be used with a to analyse. To make up for loss of tonal Eulalie Schoenberg strengthened the unity of the themes. And motives. In these pieces a short concise statement of ideas standing in direct opposition to the long winded excesses of post-war medicine isn't. There I find that the first two of these pieces are very romantic in mood and
in even in harmony. When he talks of the unity of themes and motives. In this piece the contrapuntal use of themes is very Brahms Ian. And only in the third one of the book does he break a completely away from this until you begin. You see in this third what they were it was coming later with with a 12 tone music history after. The orchestra haven't got pieces now played by Jane interesting. I am.
I am.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh.
Mm.
Hm. Mm. Hmm. We have heard two of the three piano pieces gripe Labiche still go by I'm old shirk. Research from the 70s 20th century music or piano by Walter Mays. It was recorded and produced at WG U.S. the University of Cincinnati
station by our announcer Myron Bennett and made possible by the Friends of WGA U.S.. This is the national educational radio network.
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Series
20th Century Piano Music
Episode Number
4
Contributing Organization
University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/500-k06x1w1q
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Description
Description
No description available
Date
1969-05-05
Topics
Music
Media type
Sound
Duration
00:30:25
Credits
AAPB Contributor Holdings
University of Maryland
Identifier: 69-21-4 (National Association of Educational Broadcasters)
Format: 1/4 inch audio tape
Duration: 00:30:25
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Citations
Chicago: “20th Century Piano Music; 4,” 1969-05-05, University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed March 29, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-k06x1w1q.
MLA: “20th Century Piano Music; 4.” 1969-05-05. University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. March 29, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-k06x1w1q>.
APA: 20th Century Piano Music; 4. Boston, MA: University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-k06x1w1q