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Cage - Haiku Piano Solo
Cage - Haiku Piano Solo
JOHN CAGE
Haiku
Piano Solo
Edited by
DON GILLESPIE
The dates of these early Haiku con rm the powerful in uence on Cage of the Zen Buddhist
master Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, who gave three lectures at Columbia University in March 1951.
It cannot be a coincidence that Cage composed Haiku II, III, IV, and V during that month.
The titles of the pieces present a number of puzzles for the transcriber. Although using literary
themes similar to those found in traditional Japanese haiku (a dear friend, stillness, frogs), no
speci c allusion to Japanese haiku in print in 1950 can be found. Haiku IV references the River
Plurabelle of Joyce’s Finnegans Wake; Haiku I might refer to a “dear friend,” David Tudor,
whom Cage met at the beginning of 1950, and who, it is said, once performed this piece.
One should note that the initial one and a half measures of the piece appear on the title page
of Cage’s manuscript of Sixteen Dances (1950–51), though no thematic reference to Sixteen
Dances has been found. Curiously, the manuscript of Haiku V contains Arnold Schoenberg’s
Los Angeles address in its right-hand margin.
The sixth Haiku is untitled and undated, but was likely also composed in March 1951; an
alternative version of the rst Haiku (undated) seems to have been rejected. These two pieces
are included here as addenda.
I should like to thank Paul van Emmerik, William Duckworth, Steffen Schleiermacher, and
András Wilheim for their valued assistance in making this edition possible. Jonathan Hiam of
the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center generously provided the editor with enlarged
and enhanced Photostats from the manuscripts in the Music Division’s John Cage Collection.
Don Gillespie
Haiku (unpublished) / [John Cage]. October 5, 1950. Holograph, in pencil.
Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.
HAIKU
Haiku I, for my dear friend, Who
John Cage
(1950–1951)
q=72
& 22 ˙˙ œ̇ œ -̇
R.H.
œ œ œj bœ b j œ œ -˙˙
œj
ww
{ ? 22
L.H.
∑ ˙˙ Œ œ
-œ
-
∑
L.H.
∑
5
œ
& Ó œ̇ œ œœ Ó˙ œJŒ ‰ Œ ˙˙ œ̇ œ œœ bœ œœ b˙ ™™
{
0
5
- 9
1
,
5
œ
Haiku II, (What stillness!)
˙ h=54 -œ >œ.
& 22 Ó #w- œ œ #œ œ ≈ ‰
œ
w œ # œ ffz R
{ pp
˙ ppp p
& 22 ˙ ∑ &Ó œœj ‰ Œ ∑ Ó b œœ#n œbœœj B‰
˙ ppp -
-̇ >.r œ
œ ™
˙ Œ4 bbbœœœ
6
j
& Œ œ œ œffz ‰ bœœ ∑ Ó ™ bbœ-œ
{
1
5
9
1
pp ,
5
b ˙˙ wwb œœ ˙ ™ œ-
r
a
M
J- p pp
˙
pp
© 2012 by Henmar Press Inc.
Edition Peters 68395 51208 Sole Selling Agent, Edition Peters Group.
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.
2
q = 52
œ œ b -œ–“ ”œ
j j
& 22 b#>œœ ‰ Œ Œ œ Ó ?bb>œœ. ‰ & Ó Œ ™ J J ‰ Œ Œ ‰ J
{ mfz
bO
&
ppp (
∑ ‰ bœœœ ™™™ ˙˙˙
[depress silently]
pppp
)
>.r bœ # œœ
legatissimo
5
> . #œ
& ‰ j œŒ? ‰ bO ™™ Ó & ‰b œ ≈bœœ w˙ ™ .Jœ ‰ œ. œj ” ‰ J 4 Œ ∑j (poco rit.)
{
# p œ sf b O
( ) [depress
pp sf ( ppp
) ppp “
œ
1
5
9
1
,
6
& ˙˙˙ ™™™
a
? ‰ j 4 Œ ∑ M
2 -
.
h = 48
œ b œ b œ n œœ
& 2 bœœ Œ
-œ. Œ Ó b œ-.œ Œ Œ Œ Œ bœ œ Œ ppppp
œ#œ œ#œbœ œ
nœ-
{
#œ œ
Ó
pppp
& 22 j #œ Œ
sempre
bb œ-. Œ Ó Œ # œ
#œ-
j ‰ œj œ Ó
>œ.
# œj ‰ œj œ Œ
# œ- bb œœ
-œ– b œ
mute string
bœœ Œ J ‰ Œ Ó Œ bœ U
5 with finger
&w Ó nœ Œ ∑ of L.H.
{
1
5
9
mp sf ppp 1
b -œ ( ) ,
8
h
c
& Ó Œ bb œ b œ œ Œ œ Œ bb œ Œ # j œ œ #œ Œ ˙ w
r
a
M
pppp
Haiku V
q = 72 b˙
& 22 ˙ Œ #œ Ó Ó Œ #œœ Ó ™ œ
{ ppp
& 22 Ó ˙˙ ? ‰ j Œ Œ œ ˙ ™
œ
Œ
˙ ™™
˙ Œ
bœ œ
5
œ Œ œ œ Œ J B‰
& œŒ Ó Œ œ– ∑ – ∑
{
1
5
9
1
pppp ppp ,
Ó b œ œ b œœ
6
? bœ œ Ó bœœ Œ Ó
1
h
∑ ∑ S&T
c
r
a
M
Addenda
& œ bœ Œ Œ ‰ J
6 bœ
∑ ∑ Œ œ ™ #>Jœ. ‰ b Jœ
{
]
œ d
e
t
a
d
bœ
bœ
Haiku I - second version [rejected?]
[q = 72]
œ œ œ œ j
Ó b˙˙ Œ b˙˙˙˙ b˙˙˙˙ b˙˙˙˙
6 # œ ]
{
9
1
,
5
b# ˙˙ Ó ?
r
e
b
o
t
c
& ∑ wŒ # œ Ó ∑ O
;
d
e
t
a
d
n
u
[
[Haiku VI]