- 149
Cage, John
Estimate
600 - 800 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Cage, John
- Indeterminate autograph musical quotation from "Variations" (either "Variations I" or "Variations II"), signed and inscribed (“for Roland Fischer, John Cage”)
- ink on paper card
notated graphically in blue ink on a filing card, comprising seven points denoting sounds and four perpendicular and one diagonal line (for any instrumental combination), titled by the composer indeterminately "( Variations I or II )"
1 page, on card (c.7.5 x 12.5cm), no place or date.
1 page, on card (c.7.5 x 12.5cm), no place or date.
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This small quotation highlights two of John Cage's major contributions to avant-garde music: indeterminacy and graphic notation. Therefore the element of uncertainty in Cage's titling is entirely intentional and characteristic. The scores of Variations I to VIII (1958-1967) are amongst the earliest examples of graphic musical notation. The score of Variations II (1961) consists of eleven transparent sheets: six lines and five points. The points represent sounds and the lines are used as axes of various characteristics of these sounds: frequency, amplitude, timbre, etc. One derives these sound-characteristics by measuring perpendicular lines drawn from the points. In Variations I (1958), the process is analogous, except that the lines denote frequency and overtone structure rather than amplitude and timbre. Regarding Variations II, Cage explains that it is intended for "any number of players and any sound-producing means." The recipient of the manuscript was also a graphic artist: a photographer.