Imaginary Landscape
Encyclopedia
Imaginary Landscape is the title of several pieces by American
composer
John Cage
. The series comprises the following works:
All of the Imaginary Landscape pieces include instruments or other elements requiring electricity. Although all five of the Imaginary Landscape pieces were included in a Mode recording of "Percussion Works I", two of the pieces do not use percussion as such. The booklet included with the aforementioned Mode recording includes a quote from Cage; "It's not a physical landscape. It's a term reserved for the new technologies. It's a landscape in the future. It's as though you used technology to take you off the ground and go like Alice through the looking glass."
The Mode recording includes two versions of No. 4 and No. 5. One version of No. 5 uses period jazz recordings which would have been available to Cage at the time he composed it, and the other version uses recordings of Cage's work. Interestingly, the Mode recording of the Landscapes is No. 43 in their series of CDs of Cage's work, so the previous 42 recordings provide the correct number needed for a realization of No. 5.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
. The series comprises the following works:
- Imaginary Landscape No. 1Imaginary Landscape No. 1Imaginary Landscape No. 1 is a composition by the American composer John Cage. Written in 1939 at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington, the work is the first in Cage’s series of five Imaginary Landscape pieces....
(1939)- for two variable-speed turntableTurntableA turntable is generally a rotating platform, and may refer to:-Music:* Turntable, a motor-driven platform that normally rotates a gramophone record at a constant rotational velocity as part of a phonograph....
s, frequency recordings, muted pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, and cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
- for two variable-speed turntable
- Imaginary Landscape No. 2 (March) (1942)
- for tin canTin canA tin can, tin , steel can, or a can, is a sealed container for the distribution or storage of goods, composed of thin metal. Many cans require opening by cutting the "end" open; others have removable covers. Cans hold diverse contents: foods, beverages, oil, chemicals, etc."Tin" cans are made...
s, conch shell, ratchetRatchetRatchet may refer to:* Ratchet , a mechanical device that allows movement in only one direction* Ratchet, a tool also known as a socket wrench* Ratchet , a music instrumentIn film and television:...
, bass drumBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
, buzzerBuzzerA buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or piezoelectric. Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm devices, timers and confirmation of user input such as a mouse click or keystroke....
s, water gongGongA gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
, metal wastebasket, lion's roar and amplified coil of wireWireA wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
- for tin can
- Imaginary Landscape No. 3 (1942)
- for tin cans, muted gongs, audio frequency oscillatorsElectronic oscillatorAn electronic oscillator is an electronic circuit that produces a repetitive electronic signal, often a sine wave or a square wave. They are widely used in innumerable electronic devices...
, variable speed turntables with frequency recordings and recordings of generator whines, amplified coil of wire, amplified marimbulaMarímbulaA marímbula is a folk musical instrument of the Caribbean Islands . The marímbula is usually classified as part of the lamellophone family of musical instruments. With its roots in African instruments, marimbula originated in the province of Oriente, Cuba in the 19th century...
(a Caribbean instrument similar to the African thumb pianoThumb pianoThe thumb piano is an African musical instrument, a type of plucked idiophone common throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:Each note of a kalimba, mbira, etc. is a separate idiophone, and in orchestral terms, the instrument as a whole belongs in the bar percussion family...
), and electric buzzer
- for tin cans, muted gongs, audio frequency oscillators
- Imaginary Landscape No. 4 (March No. 2) (1951)
- for 24 performers at 12 radioReceiver (radio)A radio receiver converts signals from a radio antenna to a usable form. It uses electronic filters to separate a wanted radio frequency signal from all other signals, the electronic amplifier increases the level suitable for further processing, and finally recovers the desired information through...
s
- for 24 performers at 12 radio
- Imaginary Landscape No. 5 (1952)
- for magnetic tape recording of any 42 phonograph records
All of the Imaginary Landscape pieces include instruments or other elements requiring electricity. Although all five of the Imaginary Landscape pieces were included in a Mode recording of "Percussion Works I", two of the pieces do not use percussion as such. The booklet included with the aforementioned Mode recording includes a quote from Cage; "It's not a physical landscape. It's a term reserved for the new technologies. It's a landscape in the future. It's as though you used technology to take you off the ground and go like Alice through the looking glass."
The Mode recording includes two versions of No. 4 and No. 5. One version of No. 5 uses period jazz recordings which would have been available to Cage at the time he composed it, and the other version uses recordings of Cage's work. Interestingly, the Mode recording of the Landscapes is No. 43 in their series of CDs of Cage's work, so the previous 42 recordings provide the correct number needed for a realization of No. 5.