Composer

:

John Cage

Genre

:

Concerto

Style

:

Concerto

Compose Date

:

1990

Average_duration

:

19:54

John Cage's "Fourteen" is a composition for variable instrumentation that was composed in 1990. The piece was premiered on October 14, 1990, at the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio in New York City. The composition consists of fourteen movements, each of which is performed by a different combination of instruments. The first movement is for solo voice, the second for solo piano, and the third for solo percussion. The fourth movement is for a trio of flute, clarinet, and bassoon, while the fifth is for a quartet of violin, viola, cello, and double bass. The sixth movement is for a quintet of trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, and percussion, and the seventh is for a sextet of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. The eighth movement is for a septet of flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion, while the ninth is for an octet of flute, clarinet, trumpet, horn, trombone, violin, cello, and piano. The tenth movement is for a nonet of flute, clarinet, trumpet, horn, trombone, violin, viola, cello, and double bass, and the eleventh is for a ten-piece ensemble consisting of all the instruments used in the previous movements. The twelfth movement is for a trio of piano, percussion, and voice, while the thirteenth is for a quartet of piano, percussion, voice, and violin. The final movement is for a quintet of piano, percussion, voice, violin, and cello. The characteristics of "Fourteen" are its use of chance operations and indeterminacy. Cage used a variety of methods to determine the order and duration of the movements, including the use of the I Ching and the creation of a computer program. The instrumentation for each movement was also determined by chance operations. The result is a composition that is highly unpredictable and constantly changing. Each performance of "Fourteen" is unique, as the order and instrumentation of the movements are different each time. The use of chance operations also means that the performers have a great deal of freedom in how they interpret and perform the music. Overall, "Fourteen" is a fascinating and innovative composition that showcases Cage's unique approach to music-making. Its use of chance operations and indeterminacy make it a challenging and rewarding piece for both performers and listeners.

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