Composer

:

John Cage

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

1971

Average_duration

:

6:23

Sixty-Two Mesostics Re Merce Cunningham is a musical composition by John Cage, composed in 1971. The piece was premiered on April 15, 1972, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City. The composition consists of 62 mesostics, which are poems that are created by taking a vertical phrase and using the letters in that phrase to create a new horizontal phrase. Each mesostic in the composition is based on the name of the choreographer Merce Cunningham, who was a frequent collaborator of Cage's. The mesostics are arranged in a specific order, which Cage determined using the I Ching, an ancient Chinese divination text. The order of the mesostics is meant to be random, and the composition can be performed in any order. The piece is scored for any number of performers, and each performer is given a mesostic to read aloud. The performers are instructed to read the mesostics in a slow, deliberate manner, with pauses between each line. The pauses are meant to allow the audience to reflect on the meaning of the mesostic. One of the characteristics of Sixty-Two Mesostics Re Merce Cunningham is its use of chance operations. Cage was known for using chance operations in his compositions, and in this piece, he used the I Ching to determine the order of the mesostics. This creates a sense of unpredictability and randomness in the composition. Another characteristic of the piece is its use of language. Cage was interested in the relationship between language and music, and in this piece, he uses language as a musical element. The mesostics are read aloud in a rhythmic, almost musical way, and the pauses between each line create a sense of musical phrasing. Overall, Sixty-Two Mesostics Re Merce Cunningham is a unique and experimental composition that showcases Cage's interest in chance operations and the relationship between language and music. Its use of mesostics and the I Ching create a sense of unpredictability and randomness, while its use of language as a musical element creates a rhythmic and musical quality.

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