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The programmatic design of this piece is quite unusual. It uses parody of children's songs, popular music, and satiric humor, resembling the music of William Russell from this period. The work is in three parts.
I. Axioms:
a) The pupil is eager to learn
b) The pupil is constitutionally lazy
c) We deal with the total child;
II. A Short Historical Sketch
a) Reactionaries
b) Revolutionaries - Pitched Battle
III. Vistas of the Future
a) Pessimist
b) Optimist.
Number of Players: 6 + assistant (Parts)
Difficulty: Grade 6
Instrumentation:
Player I: Bells, Thundersheet
Player II: Piano with assistant
Player III: Thundersheet, Sleigh Bells, 12 Almglocken
Player IV: Thundersheet, 4 Brake Drums, 8 Cowbells, 3 Temple Gongs
Player V: Thundersheet, 4 Suspended Cymbals, 4 Chinese Cymbals, 4 Anvils
Player VI: Thundersheet, 4 Muted Gongs, Water Gong, Tam-Tam, Suspended Gong
John Cage was born on September 5, 1912 in Los Angeles, California and died in New York City on August 12, 1992. He studied liberal arts at Pomona College. Among his composition teachers were Henry Cowell and Arnold Schoenberg. Cage was elected to the American National Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and received innumerable awards and honors both in the United States and in Europe.
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