Living Room Music

John Cage

General Info

Year: 1940
Duration: c. 6'
Difficulty: 5 (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: C. F. Peters Corporation
Cost: Score and Parts - $22.25

Movements

I. To Begin
II. Story
III. Melody
IV. End

Instrumentation

Players I-IV: Any household objects or architectural elements may be used as instruments: Magazines, newspaper, cardboard, table, largish books, floor, wall, door, wooden frame of window, etc...

Program Notes

Living Room Music is dedicated to Cage's then-wife Xenia. It is a quartet for unspecified instruments, all of which may be found in a living room of a typical house. The work consists of four movements: "To Begin", "Story", "Melody", and "End". Cage instructs the performers to use any household objects or architectural elements as instruments, and gives examples: magazines, cardboard, "largish books", floor, wooden frame of window, etc.

The piece is in four brief movements: the first is "To Begin". It is a joyful percussion piece in polyrhythms, not too difficult and not too easy. Movement II ("Story") is a rhythmically spoken setting (including extended phonemics that sound like tiny machines, and whistling) of the opening of Gertrude Stein's "The World is Round": "Once upon a time the world was round and you could go on it around and around". Movement III, "Melody" combines the rhythmical tapping of Movement I with a modal melody in an Indian-like scale than can be played on any convenient melodic instrument. Movement IV is appropriately named "End" and is another delightful rhythm session.

Recent Performances

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Works for Percussion by this Composer

27' 10.554" for a Percussionist - Multiple Percussion
Amores - Percussion Trio; Piano
Branches - Percussion Duo
But what about the noise of crumpling paper.....? - Percussion Sextet
Child of Tree - Multiple Percussion
Composed Improvisation for Snare Drum - Snare Drum
Composed Improvisation: for one-sided drum with or without jangles - Multiple Percussion
Composed Improvisation: for Snare Drum Alone - Snare Drum
Credo in US - Percussion Quartet
Dance Music: for Elfrid Ide - Percussion Sextet; Dancer
Double Music - Percussion Quartet - Cage/Harrison
First Construction (in metal) - Percussion Quintet; Piano
Forever and Sunsmell - Percussion Duo; Voice
Four4 - Percussion Quartet
Imaginary Landscape No.2 - Percussion Quintet
Imaginary Landscape No.3 - Percussion Sextet
Imaginary Landscape No.4 or March No. 2 - 12 Radios - 24 Players
Inlets - Percussion Trio; Conch Shells
Living Room Music - Percussion Quartet
One4 - Multiple Percussion
Quartet - Percussion Quartet
R= Ryoanji - Multiple Percussion
Second Construction - Percussion Trio; Piano
She is Asleep: Quartet - Percussion Quartet; Voice; Piano
Six - Percussion Sextet
The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs Multiple Percussion (Piano); Voice
Third Construction - Percussion Quartet
Three2 - Percussion Trio
Trio - Percussion Trio

Additional Resources

Dissertation: The Early Percussion Music Of John Cage 1935 - 1943