- Date: 1942
- Composer: John Cage
- Period: Modern (1910-1949)
Review
Written in 1942, this charmingly plaintive and lyrical song for soprano voice and closed piano is a new music classic. The vocal line uses only three pitches in varied sequence combinations, and has a sparing modal, folk song quality. A beautiful perfect 4th grace note gesture is used throughout.The text quotes from James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake: "night by silentsailing night ... Isabel ... wildwood's eyes and primarose hair, quietly ...". Each word is extended slightly beyond easy recognizability which adds to the hypnotic quality.
The pianist provides a gentle percussive accompaniment, striking the wooden frame on the lid above the keys, the two corners beyond the keyboard, underneath the keyboard, with parts of the hand, usually the knuckles. The performer rehearses differing relative pitch ranges, which vary from piano to piano, and uses these timbres to realize the exactly notated rhythmic patterns. The sound of the piano knocking is something like muted wood blocks. ~ "Blue" Gene Tyranny, All Music Guide
