Composer

:

John Cage

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Open Form

Compose Date

:

1986

Average_duration

:

30:04

Hymnkus is a composition by John Cage, an American composer, philosopher, and writer. It was composed in 1986 and premiered on October 18, 1986, at the University of California, San Diego. The piece is written for a choir of four voices and is divided into four movements. The first movement of Hymnkus is characterized by a slow and steady tempo, with the choir singing in unison. The lyrics are taken from a poem by James Joyce, and the music is written in a simple, tonal style. The second movement is more complex, with the choir singing in harmony and the music becoming more dissonant. The lyrics are taken from a poem by e.e. cummings, and the tempo is faster than the first movement. The third movement of Hymnkus is a solo for the alto voice, with the choir providing a drone in the background. The lyrics are taken from a poem by Gertrude Stein, and the music is written in a minimalist style, with the alto voice repeating the same phrase over and over again. The fourth and final movement of Hymnkus is a return to the tonal style of the first movement, with the choir singing in unison once again. The lyrics are taken from a poem by Cage himself, and the tempo is slow and steady. Overall, Hymnkus is a relatively simple composition, with a focus on the text and the vocal performance. The music is tonal and minimalist, with occasional moments of dissonance. The piece is notable for its use of texts by various poets, including Cage himself, and for its exploration of the possibilities of the human voice.

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