John Cage's Prepared Piano: The Nuts & Bolts (excerpt)

JOHN CAGE’S

PREPARED PIANO

THE NUTS & BOLTS

TZENKA DIANOVA, DMA

VIC TORIA

Copyright © 2008 Tzenka Dianova. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher. First published in 2008 by Mutasis Books Suite 204 – 1157 Fairfield Road Victoria BC Canada V8V 3A9 www.mutasis.com Editor for the press: Clint Hutzulak Cover and text design by Mutasis Creative. Portions of this book were first published, in different form, in Musicworks magazine.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Dianova, Tzenka John Cage's prepared piano: the nuts and bolts / by Tzenka Dianova.

ISBN 978-0-9809657-0-4

1. Piano. 2. Cage, John--Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. ML697.D538 2008

786.28

C2008-904049-X

Printed and bound in Canada

To the memory of my grandfather Ivan

Acknowledgements

Iwould like to thank

all the people who contributed to the realization of this volume with ideas and information; there have been so many during the years: My warmest thanks to Dr. Heath Lees at University of Auckland, from whom I learned much about writing, and whose challenging questions inspired some interesting discoveries. I am indebted to Phillippa McKeown-Green, head librarian of the University of Auckland Music Library, who tracked down and obtained every single music score, recording and book that I needed for my research. I appreciate the help of Prof. Marina Kapatzinskaya, who suggested that I share my experiences in writing; Profs. Michael Longton, Bruce Vogt and Tamas Vesmas for granting me permission to prepare the concert pianos at the Universities of Victoria and Auckland; Eric Schandall, piano technician for Steinway & Sons, who taught me how to prepare pianos safely and effectively; Dr. Laura Kuhn ( John Cage Trust), Dr. Scott Klein, and Aurel Hollo (Amadinda Percussion Ensemble) for assisting me with my research. Last, but not least, thanks go to my family, Isis and Clint, for all the emotional support, and for helping me trust my ability to write about the amazing experiences accompanying my work.

© David O. Garcia. Used with permission.

Contents

xi

Foreword

viii

Preface

PART ONE:

Getting Prepared to Prepare a Piano 3

Piano performers of today— artists or music historians? Comments on the diminished connection between composers, performers and audience from the late nineteenth century onward, introducing the idea that John Cage’s prepared piano music could play a significant role in revitalizing that connection

6

John Cage’s prepared piano: a bridge between pre- and post-twentieth century music Its importance for performers and audience

11

Cage and his audiences The grounds for John Cage’s popularity

13

Why Cage’s prepared piano music is not part of the established piano repertoire The results of a survey carried out amongst professional pianists and piano students offer insight to this apparent phenomenon

17

Is it dangerous for the piano? Ungrounded fears and misconceptions about piano alteration

20

The prepared piano safety manual How to avoid harming the piano while working on it; the dangers and the challenges

26

The objects A practical guide to the objects used in John Cage’s prepared piano music, including numerous illustrations of materials and safe insertion techniques

PART TWO:

Playing the Prepared Piano 49

How the piano came to be prepared Viewing the invention from several perspectives

55

Percussion, prepared piano and dance The synthesis of the three in John Cage’s prepared piano works of the 1940s

58

Some differences between playing a regular and a prepared piano The piano as a percussion instrument(s)

PART THREE:

The Works 65

Preamble A complete descriptive guide to John Cage’s solo and chamber works featuring prepared or string piano

159

Afterword

161

A few random tributes to Indeterminacy

163

Endnotes

170

Selected Bibliography

174

Discography and Videography

175

Internet Resources

Foreword

this book is based on the thesis that Dr. Tzenka Dianova submitted for her dma at the University of Auckland in April 2007. John Cage’s Prepared Piano: The Nuts & Bolts is beautifully written and offers Cage aficionados and professional pianists alike a rare understanding of the multi-faceted artistic nature of his work. The music that is this book’s subject was written before 1950; as early as that Cage had left his footprint indelibly on the musical landscape of the twentieth century. Percussion works like First and Second Construction, Credo In Us and Amores, which include movements for prepared piano, have already found their way into the contemporary concert repertoire. But works like Three Dances for Two Amplified Prepared Pianos and Sonatas and Interludes, arguably Cage’s showcase works for prepared piano, along with a host of other smaller works including Bacchanale, Cage’s first composition for the instrument, have been less easily absorbed into the mainstream repertoire of contemporary solo pianists. During the second half of the twentieth century electronics changed the musical landscape, and new music has become increasingly allied to the development of new technology. Today digital samplers allow musicians to assign digitized sounds to the notes on a standard midi keyboard, a concept that owes much to the prepared piano developed by Cage. The prepared piano represents some of the earliest instances of experimental music in the concert tradition, where composing had become inseparable from the process of instrument-building; composing for prepared piano in effect requires reconstrucxi

tion of the instrument with an extensible lexicon of percussive sounds. New sounds are created by inserting various materials such as rubber, pieces of wood, bolts and screws etc. between the piano strings. In Tzenka Dianova’s work it is the performer who has chosen to extend the conventional boundaries of concert performance. Her creative practice involves not only a mastery of contemporary concert repertoire but also an active engagement in the process of piano preparation. This book addresses problems that challenge the development of new repertoire for a traditional musical instrument, and documents the process of piano preparation. It includes a thoroughly researched and sorely needed illustrated manual for safe piano preparation. This can help the next generation of classically trained pianists overcome resistance to piano preparation from other pianists, piano technicians and concert managers, by addressing the (understandable) concerns of maltreatment of the instrument. Dr. Dianova’s manual also addresses for the first time the problem of preparation materials, called for by Cage, that have become obsolete or are simply unavailable. Dr. Dianova shows a rare understanding of the craft of the concert-piano technician. Her concept of the instrument builds upon the mechanical refinements to piano design of the nineteenth century, to accommodate one of the most significant musical developments of the twentieth—the prepared piano. It is not uncommon to read or hear endorsements of Cagean aesthetics from artists working in disciplines other than music—a point that serves to illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of Cage’s work—but it is a much more refreshing endorsement of Cage’s musical contribution to read a book such as this, written by a performer committed to the ongoing development of the piano; a perfomer who has actually experienced Cage’s prepared piano music. –Dr. Greg Schiemer University of Wollongong July 2008 xii

Preface For the most part, it will be Cage’s earlier work—the prepared piano music above all—that will appeal and continue to appeal to a growing public. –eric salzman: The Imaginary Landscaper

I first heard

Cage’s prepared piano music in 1998. It was instant love, and I have been studying and performing it ever since. Over the years, I attempted to familiarize myself with the literature available on the subject—an ongoing process which to my disappointment yielded a very limited amount of information, descriptive or critical. Cage’s prepared piano has been mentioned in many articles and biographical works on his life and music; Sonatas and Interludes and Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra have been analyzed in detail by numerous scholars. Yet, so far, there has not been a book in the English language that brings together in one source the information needed to fully understand this instrument and to use it with confidence. In addition, there is a crying need for a descriptive guide to the 38 pieces Cage composed, featuring his amazing invention. In 1973 the Colorado College Music Press published The Well Prepared Piano by Richard Bunger,¹ with a foreword written by Cage himself. The book dealt mainly with the technical side of piano preparation, such as suitable objects and materials and the xiii

safe techniques for their placement between the strings. It discussed the prepared piano in general, not as in Cage’s music in particular. Although certain information cannot be found in that volume—for example a description of the plastic bridge called for in Concerto for Prepared Piano—it nevertheless is a detailed and comprehensive guide, richly illustrated with pictorial samples. Unfortunately, the book does not offer information on Cage’s works for this instrument. Moreover, it has been out of print since its second press run in 1981. Intensive Internet or library research might tell the interested inquirer that there exists a dissertation-format volume, entitled Das Präparierte Klavier Des John Cage. This dissertation was written by German musicologist Monika Fürst-Heidtmann and published in German, in an edition by G. Bosse. Its main subject is the acoustic phenomena associated with the prepared piano, although it also includes analyses of four or five out of the 38 pieces Cage wrote for the instrument. The author mentions some interesting facts regarding preparation materials, and offers a descriptive list of the exact objects Maro Ajemian found best-suited for Sonatas and Interludes. This work has never been translated into English and is not available for sale; the language barrier, together with its highly academic style of writing and its unavailability, make it inaccessible to both young pianists and to the wider music audience around the world. Since information was not available, I had to experiment—in the beginning with the help of a piano technician, later on my own. Identifying and finding all materials needed for a proper preparation took a while. Analyzing and making sense of Cage’s pieces for the altered piano was even harder, but it proved to be a fascinating and deeply rewarding process. After a few years, I had gathered a substantial amount of information. Considering the increasing interest in the subject from both pianists and audience, I decided to put it into writing, together with the experiences and reflections that accompanied my work. The result is this set of interrelated chapters dealing xiv

with the many aspects of prepared piano use, technical as well as aesthetic. Here I have tried to answer questions that I found challenging, such as: how is Cage’s prepared piano music important for pianists or audience, what is its significance, and why is it not performed as regularly as it ought to be? I purposely avoided discussing facts easily available from other sources. In the last two decades much has been written and said about John Cage’s life, art and philosophy. The best accounts originate from musicologists and art critics who knew him in person, who had the privilege to converse and correspond with him, and were present at the premiers of his music; to paraphrase what is found in their writings would be, at best, second-hand knowledge. Finally, a warning note: what I present here is not intended to be read and accepted as absolute; to claim that there is only one definitive way of preparing a piano or performing the music composed for it would be very un-Cagean indeed. Instead, the information shared herein is meant to empower pianists with the knowledge and confidence needed to experiment on their own and to trust the results, whatever they may be.

xv

The prepared piano safety manual Never force an object between the strings. –richard bunger: The Well Prepared Piano

History and experience

teach that safety is possible only with knowledge. What knowledge does one need where the prepared piano is concerned? It was already mentioned that pianists contemplating the performance of prepared piano music for a first time should, ideally, employ the assistance of an expert piano technician. Practice has convinced me that no piano other than a Steinway is more suitable to showcase Cage’s prepared piano music at its best. Blindly “experimenting” on such a piano, risking serious, even irreparable damage, is inadvisable to say the least. Interaction with piano technicians should not be regarded with apprehension; it can truly benefit any pianist. These professionals can help in many ways: they can identify puzzling preparation objects, explain and demonstrate how an object’s size or positioning will affect the pitch and timbre of the sound and, most importantly, teach a pianist how to avoid accidents or damage to the piano while working on its alteration. Some pianists, however, might not be able to engage a technician; this was one of the main reasons that compelled me to write 

this book and to share my knowledge. Below is a list of facts, the awareness of which has proved invaluable in my work on piano preparation. The list is divided into two sections—The dangers, dealing with practices that can be potentially harmful to the piano, and The challenges, which will prepare pianists for some obstacles they might have to overcome during their work on piano alteration.

The dangers If the mind is disciplined, the heart turns quickly from fear to love. –john cage: Silence

• Many people are terrified by the thought of touching the piano strings with metal objects. Contrary to popular misunderstanding though, metal can be less threatening to the strings than a human hand. While working on inserting objects between the strings, the natural oils and acidic moisture found on the skin of the palms can cause the strings to eventually corrode. Some pianists, like Richard Bunger, advise the use of a screwdriver to separate the strings. In my work, I find that using my fingers helps control the pressure better. The potential harm can be avoided by washing one’s hands meticulously before touching the strings, or by wearing tight-fitting latex gloves during the process. • For me, placing a soft cloth underneath the strings while working inside the piano has proved an absolute must; such practice helps prevent scratches to the soundboard that might occur as a result of bolts or screws sliding down. Scratching the soundboard can alter the piano’s sound quality and is difficult and costly to repair. 

• The only way to avoid harming the delicate dampers corresponding to most piano strings is to hold the sustain pedal down while working on the strings. Failing to do so will cause the strings—as they are being separated in order to insert objects between them—to cut into the felt of the dampers and to damage them. Damper repair is very costly, too. • Forcing the strings apart by using too large an object will most probably damage them, as well as their corresponding dampers. Moreover, the sound resulting from strings prepared in such a manner will be unsatisfactory, as the dampers will not be able to efficiently mute them. • If objects are too small in diameter, they will slide down between the strings during performance and scratch the wooden part of the soundboard. Playing strings prepared with loosely fitting objects will produce an undesirable buzz and, if the objects slide down, knocks. John Cage himself said that the appropriate size of an object is that which ensures a snug fit between strings, so that it doesn’t become dislodged during performance. • Placing an object too close to either end of the strings can cause damage to the strings and tuning pins, especially if the object is large, or is horizontally inserted. • Placing any objects on top of the piano while working on its preparation poses the risk of some of them slipping inside the instrument, causing damage to its soundboard and/or other parts. The process of retrieving any such object can be long and complicated; sometimes it might even require taking the piano apart. Therefore, it is imperative to keep all materials on a table or a stand beside the piano and work carefully with only one at a time. If by accident an object falls inside, I strongly advise against playing the piano before that object is retrieved, as the vibrations will set it into motion, causing scratches to the soundboard or other parts. If it is impossible to extricate the 

object without the help of a technician, the best thing to do is to wait until the technician arrives.

The challenges The conscientious objectors to modern music will, of course, attempt everything in the way of counter-revolution. –john cage: Silence

• A written permission to prepare a piano is a must; it is best to obtain permission from the person who is in charge of the instrument in question. Failing to have such a document will most probably cause problems, no matter how harmless one might believe their piano alteration practice would be. When requesting the permission, it is important to explain exactly what will be done to the piano, and how the possible dangers will be safely avoided. • A small part of Cage’s prepared piano music can be played on almost any grand piano. I have performed Bacchanale on three different Steinways, a Bösendorfer, two Yamahas, a Kawai and a Baldwin, all of different sizes, all resulting in a satisfactory sound. It is the almost-all-felt preparation, such as that of Bacchanale, that makes practically any grand suitable; however, there are only a few such pieces. Works like Sonatas and Interludes, on the other hand, make a completely different case; my experience has convinced me that it is next to impossible to achieve a beautiful, rich, and varied sound on any piano other than a Steinway (a six-foot or a concert grand). Therefore, I believe that it is unwise to commit to a performance of prepared piano music before having tested the instrument in ques

tion. The results might be perfectly fine or they might be disastrous. One example from my practice is telling: in 1999 I agreed to perform Sonatas and Interludes on an excellent concert grand Yamaha. I prepared the piano and worked on it for over a week, constantly moving and changing the objects in an attempt to make the piano sound “properly.” Alas, that just did not seem possible, and only two days before the concert I had to give up and beg for the use of a Steinway, which had to be specially brought in at an additional expense. From this stressful experience I learned that due to the differences in the instruments’ specifics, metal preparation—such as bolts and screws—changes the different pianos’ sound in different ways, making this particular Yamaha’s sound unsatisfactory, as it did not offer enough reverberance and warmth of sound. To save oneself from similar situations, one simply must try an instrument before undertaking to prepare it. • One factor that can make a pianist’s work particularly hard is the string crossing in the lower register, which differs from instrument to instrument. When Cage conducted his alteration experiments, he used his own six-foot Steinway model . In some works he prescribed the use of large bolts in the lower register, which must have been easy to realize on his instrument. However, on most of today’s pianos such preparation may be impossible, as any longer objects will touch the differently-overlaid strings. In such cases I use shorter objects (see figure 1), or even two if necessary, in order to achieve the “proper” sound.



fig. 1 • There is normally one diameter-size of metal bolts/screws that will fit snugly between the strings of a particular grand piano. However, when certain pianos are prepared with the properly fitting size bolts, a slight buzz is heard, which indicates that the bolts are a trifle too thin. Then the next size up might be much too large. This problem can be very frustrating and may even prove impossible to resolve. One way to attempt its solution is to slide the bolt/screw along the string until a position is found in which no buzz is produced. This might work or it might not; if it does, one should not be much troubled if the resulting pitch differs from a desired one. In the long run, a “strange” pitch is a lesser evil than an unwanted buzz, all the more so since the buzz will be audible when playing all strings, not just the “problematic” one. In extreme cases where a “good” position simply cannot be found, a complete replacement of the object (with rubber, plastic etc.) might be necessary. Such a substitution is done at the performer’s informed discretion. If more than two of the prepared strings buzz, then the piano used is simply not suitable for the attempted alteration.



The objects In short, we must explore the materials of music. –john cage: Silence

ohn cage knew his hardware—this is evident by

J

the wide variety of bolts, screws and other objects he mentioned in his preparation instructions. Most of the preparation instruction tables, however, do not describe the objects in detail, aside from mentioning their names. Bolts are simply “long” or “large,” but how long or large is not specified. Cage wrote “rubber” and “plastic,” but what rubber and plastic exactly, how thin or thick, pliable or brittle, is not clear. Some of the materials he used, such as a typewriter bolt or fibrous weather-stripping, are not available today—for them we have to find suitable substitutes. At first, the vagueness of some of the instruction tables might be frustrating, yet one soon learns to appreciate it as it allows the freedom to experiment and choose on one’s own. It naturally follows that the process of recreating piano preparation requires extra inventiveness and dexterity, as well as solid background knowledge. Experimenting is recommended only when performed in an expert and responsible manner. I have listed below the few excerpts from Cage’s writings— mainly from the performance instructions to Amores unless otherwise indicated—in which recommendations for and description of correct preparation are given: 

• The screw must be large enough and so positioned on and between the strings as to produce a resonant sound, rich in harmonics. • If the screw is too small in diameter, an undesired metallic buzz will occur when the proper key is played. • Choose nuts that are large enough to slide freely on the screw [bolt], yet small enough so that they do not slide off the screw-head [bolt-head] end. • Bolts are used in the lower register, rather than screws, because of their greater diameter, necessary in muting the longer strings to achieve the desired result: a sound resonant, rich in harmonics and free of any metallic buzzing. • The piano was transformed into a percussion orchestra having the loudness, say, of a harpsichord. (From Autobiographical Statement) • The total desired result has been achieved if, on a completion of the preparation, one may play the pertinent keys without sensing that he is playing a piano or even a ‘prepared piano’. An instrument having convincingly its own special characteristics, not even suggesting those of a piano, must be the result. • The size and position of… all mutes may be determined by experiment. Here follows an illustrated guide to the objects, which I have found safe and effective in my own work on prepared piano music. I have taken into consideration that no two countries in the world would have exactly the same hardware in store; therefore, instead of giving exact names, measures etc., I have described and pic-



tured these objects and the way they would ideally fit between the piano strings and alter its sound. It is good to keep in mind that certain items (such as metal bolts and screws) will alter not only the timbre, but also the pitch of a tone, which makes it important to know two simple laws: • Adding mass to the strings elongates their vibrating surface and results in a lower pitch. • Spreading the strings apart increases their tension and results in a higher pitch. It follows that using objects that are both long and wide is ineffective. Furthermore, pulling the piano strings apart or preparing them with objects of large diameter can be detrimental to certain parts of the instrument, and is strongly advised against. If a variation in pitch is desired, it can be achieved by other means, such as: • Adding more mass by using longer items, as opposed to ones with bigger diameter. One will find that there is a limiting factor to that, as too long an object will not stay upright. Special care should be taken that long objects do not touch the soundboard of the piano. If there is a possibility that they might (due to slipping down during performance), a strip of soft cloth should be placed underneath them (as shown in figure 2), so as to prevent possible scratches to the soundboard.



fig. 2 • Adding even more mass to an object—such as a screw—by screwing nut(s) etc. to its upper part (not touching the strings). For examples see figure 3.

fig. 3 • Moving the object lengthwise along the strings, in order to find a desired pitch. When and where the object touches the string’s node, the original pitch will be most distinctive. A special note should be made about the meticulous placement measurements Cage inscribed in some of his later works’ preparation instructions, such as those of Sonatas and Interludes and Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra. (Some of these measurements are as precise as ⁄ of an inch. )



A Note About the Author

since her debut at age five, Bulgarian-born pianist Tzenka Dianova has been extremely active on stage, both as a soloist and a chamber musician, winning numerous prizes in national and international competitions. She began her education at the State School of Music in Pleven, under the guidance of eminent Bulgarian pedagogue Prof. Eleonora Karamisheva. Further studies include a Magister degree from the State Academy of Music in Sofia, with Prof. Marina Kapatzinskaya, and a Diploma from the Summer School at Salzburg’s Mozarteum, with Prof. Dmitri Bashkirov. In 1998 the pianist moved to Canada, where she pursued her interest in twentiethcentury and contemporary avant-garde music. For the last ten years, Dr. Dianova has performed, taught and lectured on the music of the past century, with the firm belief in and the ultimate goal of its incorporation in the standard piano repertoire. She has commissioned numerous new works for piano, harpsichord, prepared and string piano and mixed media. Tzenka Dianova holds a doctoral degree from the University of Auckland and has a special interest in the prepared piano music of John Cage. She lives with her family in Victoria, Canada. For detailed information, audio samples and repertoire list, please visit the author’s site at www.tzenkadianova.com 

‘

is beautifully written and offers Cage aficionados and professional pianists alike a rare understanding of the multi-faceted artistic nature of his work.’ – From the foreword by Dr. Greg Schiemer At last, a book on the prepared piano of John Cage, dedicated both to the instrument itself and to the repertoire Cage created for it. It serves as an illustrated guide for pianists interested in exploring the world of the prepared piano, as well as an accessible source of information for the innumerable non-musician Cage-lovers.

Bulgarian-born pianist Tzenka Dianova has been extremely active on stage, both as a soloist and chamber musician, winning numerous prizes in national and international competitions. In 1998 the pianist moved to Canada, where she pursued her interest in twentiethcentury and contemporary avant-garde music. She holds a doctoral degree from the University of Auckland and has a special interest in the prepared piano music of John Cage. She lives with her family in Victoria, Canada. tzenkadianova.com

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