Haiku - Sheet Music Publishers

JOHN CAGEHaikuPiano SoloEdited byDon GillespieRecording: MODE 259EIGENTUM DES VERLEGERS · ALLE RECHTE VORBEHALTENALL RIGHTS RESERVEDHENMAR PRESS, INC.A member of the Edition Peters GroupFRANKFURT/M. · LEIPZIG · LONDON · NEW YORK

Duration: 4 minutes

EDITORIAL FOREWORDIn 1950–51 John Cage composed seven Haiku for piano. The manuscripts are extremelysketchy but can be deciphered, with only a few minor rhythmic details open to speculation.In contrast to the familiar Seven Haiku of 1951–52, which Cage copied out carefully and laterpublished in Edition Peters (P6745), these earlier Haiku use the sequence of 7-plus-5-plus-7sound events (in nine measures) as a structural underpinning, rather than the 5-plus-7-plus-5sequence of the later composition. One wonders whether Cage would have eventually foundtime to recopy these little pieces for publication. They reflect a fascinating musical path fromthe almost tonal Haiku I, reflecting a language similar to the Sixteen Dances (1950–51), to acompletely atonal style akin pitch-wise to the Music of Changes (1951), but without ostensiblyusing chance methodology. The first of the four volumes of Music of Changes was completed onMay 15, 1951, two months after Haiku V.The dates of these early Haiku confirm the powerful influence on Cage of the Zen Buddhistmaster 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 literarythemes similar to those found in traditional Japanese haiku (a dear friend, stillness, frogs), nospecific allusion to Japanese haiku in print in 1950 can be found. Haiku IV references the RiverPlurabelle 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 pageof Cage’s manuscript of Sixteen Dances (1950–51), though no thematic reference to SixteenDances has been found. Curiously, the manuscript of Haiku V contains Arnold Schoenberg’sLos Angeles address in its right-hand margin.The sixth Haiku is untitled and undated, but was likely also composed in March 1951; analternative version of the first Haiku (undated) seems to have been rejected. These two piecesare included here as addenda.I should like to thank Paul van Emmerik, William Duckworth, Steffen Schleiermacher, andAndrás Wilheim for their valued assistance in making this edition possible. Jonathan Hiam ofthe New York Public Library at Lincoln Center generously provided the editor with enlargedand 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.

B5{{q=72HAIKUHaiku I, for my dear friend, WhoR.H.˙- œ& 2 ˙˙ œj œ œœ j -bœœ˙˙ wwL.H.L.H.-? 2 ∑ ˙ Œ œ ∑ ∑œ-œbœj œ& Ó Ó Œ b bœ˙ œ Œœœ œJ ‰ ˙˙ œ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙-˙?œ∑ & Ó œ bœŒ Ó Œj˙ wœJohn Cage(1950–1951)October 5, 19506{{& 2h=54˙pp ppp p ffz& 2∑ & Ó œ j ‰ Œ ∑ Ó b˙b # n œ j ‰œœ œ ppp -˙- .> r œ& Œœ j˙ œœ 4 ∑œ‰ bœ œbœŒ bbœœÓb b œœœ-ppHaiku II, (What stillness!)Ó w - # œffz& B bœ ‰ œ j ‰ Œ bœœ#-Jœ œj ‰œ-Œpp p pp˙ w œ œ # œ#b˙˙bœœww ˙˙ œ -œ.>œR ≈ ‰March 5, 1951Edition Peters 6839551208© 2012 by Henmar Press Inc.Sole Selling Agent, Edition Peters Group.International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.

S25&{5&&{&{Haiku III, The Green Frog′s Voiceœ“”q = 52œ?& 2b#œj j ‰ Œ Œ œ Ó bœ&>b œ ‰ Ó Œ J.>&{mfz pppp mp (sf) ppp& 2 # ˙œ ‰ Œ bb œ pph = 482& 2pppp sempre?[depress silently]&∑mp (sf)ppppœbœ-–J ‰ Œ Œ ‰ Jpppplegatissimo.>#œœ(poco rit.) bœ‰ .>?& b 4 ∑# œœj Œ ‰ b b O Ó ‰ œ r#jb ≈ œœ w˙ œpp (sf) ppp .J ‰ œ . œ j ‰ J Œppp “”p (sf) [depressœsilently] mp (sf)??˙˙˙ Œ œ jbb ‰ Œ. T &B ‰ # œ ẇ œ 4 ∑>pp J ‰ Œ œ j ‰ ‰ j Œ#œœ3 œwÓHaiku IV, The River Plurabelleœ-–ŒnœÓbb Oœ.-bœœŒ œ- Œ Ó Œ. bœœ- .œ# œœjŒbœ b# Œ ÓÓbœœbœ-b bœ . -ŒŒ Óœ Œ∑b b œœŒ # œbœœ ŒŒŒbœj# œ ‰ œ œ j Ó# œ-bœbœœœ# œœjŒŒ‰ b œœ ˙˙˙œ# œbœœ Œj# œ ‰ œ œ j# œ-bœnœœbbœœpppppmute string>with fingerœ . of L.H.J ‰ Œ Ó Œ bœ# Œ ˙ wpppnœ-ŒMarch 6, 1951UMarch 8, 1951Edition Peters 51208

3&{2& 2q = 72˙pppÓb˙Œ?˙˙ ‰#œHaiku VÓ Ó Œ # œÓj Œ Œ œ ˙ Œœ˙˙ œŒ5œbœœ ŒÓ Œ œ Œ& – ∑ – ∑ B{pppp? œbœ ÓœbœŒ Ó ∑ ∑ S & T Óœœ ŒpppbœœJ ‰œbœœMarch 16, 1951Edition Peters 51208

4Addenda6&{[q = 72]2Ó?b~2 ~sost.Œbœœ>fffzœ bœŒ Œœjbœ?‰Haiku VI (not numbered)bœr ≈‰ ŒpObœœObOŒ Ó& ∑ ∑{Jœ? œJ bœ‰ ŒÆ œ Jj ‰ ∑ Ó& œ # œœ Œ ÓbœOOj ‰ Œbœ>fff&Œ&∑wbœ-j ‰ J ‰ ? ∑ Ó ˙œœ -Œœ œ . > #J ‰œ b J[undated]Haiku I - second version [rejected?]{[q = 72]& 2bw∑nwœ œ j œ ˙ ‰œjœ œ œ œ œ j b ˙˙& 2 ∑ ∑ ww ∑œ#œœ6œ œ œ œ{# œ& œ ˙˙ # œÓ b˙Œ b˙˙˙˙b˙˙˙˙b˙˙˙˙& ∑b#˙˙Ó ?wŒ # œ Ó∑[undated; October 5, 1950?]Edition Peters 51208

5[Haiku VI]Haiku (unpublished) / [John Cage]. Undated. Holograph, in pencil.Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.Edition Peters 51208