Themes and Variations by John Cage

Review by: Ronald M. Radano

Source: Perspectives of New Music, Vol. 21, No. 1/2 (Autumn, 1982 - Summer, 1983), pp. 417-424
Published by: Perspectives of New Music
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/832886
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THEMESAND VARIATIONSby John Cage

Barrytown,New York:Station Hill Press, 1982

StationHill PresscallsJohn Cage's new aural-visual

experiment"a poem, a score for oral performance... a musical
compositionin which the words are notes and the ideas phrases."
Cage presentshere a kind of book/score, a work that standson
the cutting edge of new musicand poetry.
Priorto Themes
and Variations,
Cage's written output has
taken three forms:conversationson aesthetics,scores for
musicalperformance,and books that includeboth lecturesand
prose-poetry.In this new work, he combinesthe latter two
approaches,producingwhat appearsto be a manuscriptof text
for solo speakerin book form. Station Hill'scarefullayout,
minglingphotographsby RobertMahon (made by chance
operations)with bold-printtext on high quality,off-whitepaper
enhancesthe blurringof media.The resultis a compositionthat
extends its appealto a broad spectrumof the arts community.
As the title suggests, Themes
and Variations
consistsof a
section of themes, followedby four sectionsof variationson
these themes. Each section is twelve minuteslong, producinga
sixty-minutework. There are fifteen themes, each based on the
name of a man importantin Cage's life and work.' The names
appearin a verticalformat,runningthroughthe middleof the
composition.Cage calls the techniqueof writinghorizontally
throughthese names "mesostics",a modifiedform of acrostics.In
an earlierwork, Cage explainsthat the basic rule behind
mesosticsis that "a given letter capitalizeddoes not occur
between it and the precedingcapitalizedletter".2Marjorie
Perloffsuggeststhat Cage's technique"paystribute"to "the
world of typographiclayout and printformatin whichwe all
live".3It also pays tributeto MarshallMcLuhan,a man who has
taught us much about the impact of the written word.
(McLuhan'sname appearsin one of the mesostic-themes.)
and Variations
Cage's pre-compositionalprocedurein Themes
is typicallyelaborateand complex. He selects one hundredand

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418

ten words or statementsof his own choice from five of his books:
TheWorksof VirgilThomson
(with KathleenO'DonnellHoover),
A YearFromMonday,M, and EmptyWords.The choices
Silence,
become the basic source materialfor his writing.Through
I Chingchance operations,each of the fifteennamesis then
assigneda group of wordsand statementstaken from the basic
source material.Cage incorporatesthe groupsinto his own
writingof three to five prose-poemsfor every name. The next
step is to use the prose-poemswritten on a given name in order
to compose a new text or "theme"on the same name. This is
done for each of the name-mesostics,creatinga total of fifteen
themes.4Cage constructsa theme by usingthe I Chingto choose
each line of the theme'stext from one of the correspondinglines
in any of the three to five prose-poems.The whole processis
intendedto simulateRenga,a form of collectively-composed
Japanesepoetry.5Accordingto Cage, Rengais composedso that
each line bears the least possiblerelationshipto the preceding
line. Rengais thus one inspirationfor Cage's non-syntacticalmix.
of language",
Anotheris what he calls the "demilitarization
an
anarchic
worldfree from
with
equatingsyntacticdisruption
and
action.6
regimentation military
In the Introduction,Cage providesexamplesof the Theme
and Variationson "DavidTudor"to help the readerunderstand
how he composedthe work. Five prose-poemsare written,each
consistingof fifteenlines.These are followedby the theme and
four variations,based on the prose-poems.One will note upon
inspectionof the book that the variationsdo not operate in the
traditionalsense of the word. Insteadthey succeed the theme as
four more compositerealizationsof the originalprose-poems.
Thus the variationsdo not necessarilybear a resemblanceto the
originaltheme.
A comparisonof a theme to the four variationson the same
name showsthat resemblancescan occur. The Theme and
VariationsII and IIIon "DavidTudor",for example,sharesimilar
firstlines ("we Don't know"or "we Don't"),and all five
statementsemploy natureimagery ("mOuntain","Desert",
"soundsof Birds",etc.) in the body of their texts. After several
and Variations,
the listenermight learnto
performancesof Themes
recognize these relationships.But such a feat would seem difficult

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419

when we realizethat if a mesosticpatternis repeatedmore than

once in a given theme or variation,it will be based on an entirely
new set of three to five prose-poems.When lookingat the score,
one will note this in VariationIIon the mesostic"DavidTudor".
Here the mesosticcontinuesfor five complete statementsof the
fullname. However, after the statementof the first part of the
mesosticgiven in the Introduction,Cage employsnewly composedpoetic materialchosenfrom the one hundredandten ideas.
The abstractionbelow will help the readerto followthe
appearancesof the themes and variations,and the numberof
times each name is repeatedin a given theme. The letters in
each column representthe initialsof the name in each theme:
JamesJoyce (JJy),JasperJohns JJh),Merce Cunningham(MC),
Mark Tobey (MT), Henry David Thoreau (HDT), Marcel
Duchamp(MD), MarshallMcLuhan(MM), BuckminsterFuller
(BF),ErikSatie (ES), MorrisGraves (MG), ArnoldSchoenberg
(AS), David Tudor(DT), and SuzukiDaisetz (SD). The order of
their appearanceis indicatedby Romannumeralson the far left
side of the abstraction.The Arabicnumeralsshow the numberof
verticalrepetitionsof the full name.
The asterisksnext to the Arabicnumeralsindicateplaceswhere
Cage used only the initialsof a name,due to space limitations
imposedby the chance operations.7
The abstractionprovidesa full view of the consistencies
realizedthroughchance operations.The appearanceof "David
Tudor"at or near the end of each statementis the most obvious
consistency.While its appearancewould not signalthe end of a
theme or a variation(since there is no accompanyingbeginning
to reinforceits endingstatus),severalwords in the mesostic
might be heardtogether as a regularlyrecurringpoint of focus
in the midstof the dis-order.8Textualrelationshipsat other
pointscan also be noted. For instance,the appearanceof the
same name-mesosticin the same positionsin VariationsIIIand IV
(see mesosticnumbersi, vi, vii, and xii on the abstraction)
suggeststhat there might be audibletextual relationships
between these mesostics.Closer inspectionreveals,however,
that mesosticsvii shareno words in common. In mesosticsxii,
there are not enough textual similaritiesto create any audible
connections.This leaves mesosticsi and vi as the only groups

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420

Themes No. Var I

i JJy
ii JJh
iii MC

No. Var II

No. Var III No. Var IV No.

2
1

MM

I112

HDT

12/3

MT

112

ES

MG

4V2 MC

312

JJY

3V2

MG

51 2

MC

I1V2

SD

412

ES

312

MT

iv

MT

JJy

212 SD

NOB

RR

HDT

32/3

NOB

ES

JJy

512

MG

vi

MD

HDT

"'1

RR

JJh

412

JJh

3
2
5

AS
MC
RR

12

212

MM
MD

112

JJh

1V2

MD
MG
ES

MD
1/2
-12
312 BF
5
NOB 2

vii MM
viii BF
ix ES

11V2

SD

NOB

312 MD

BF

AS

xi

RR

312 JJh

2 V2 AS

RR

11V2 MC

xii
xiii
xiv
xv

MG

112

212

HDT

31/3

HDT

212

DT
MM
BF

3V2

MM

12

AS
DT

2V2

AS
DT
SD

1V2

112

`2

SD

MT
BF
DT

`-2
61//2

12

JJy
MT
NOB
DT

4
5

I1
1/2

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12

421

whose textual relationshipsmight catch the listener'sear, since

they do sharea few of the same words.
In Cage's chance-controlledproceduresone notes a
concern for consistencyand precisionthat goes almost
unmatchedin the field of contemporarymusic-writing.Not once
does Cage adjustthe aspectsbased on chance operations.A
disciplinedrespect for processis evident even in the minor
details.As in some of his other elaboratelyconstructedchance
works-Music of Changes
no.4 (1951),
Landscape
(1951), Imaginary
Books
and
62
Mesostics
re
Merce
(1970),
(1971)Song
Cunningham
Cage employspre-compositionaland compositionalprocedures
of enormouscomplexity.In a problem-solving,inventorly
fashion,he works out this pre-performance"labwork"with the
precisionof a scientist.His method is one of ultra-rationality,
used to producea seeminglyirrational,non-syntacticnon-sense.
Yet with closer scrutiny,we realizethat Cage has imposed
personaltaste and controlled-chanceproceduresto create
structuralorganizationthat wouldbe audiblein performance.9
His groupingsof lines,for instance,determinedby improvisation,
are constructedin a way that gives the work an effective stop/
start lilt. The groupingsare emphasizedwhen the performer
followsCage's instructionto read each phrasein a singlebreath,
and to separatethese phraseswith a durationof silence
designatedby the time clock runningalong the edge of each
page. Moreover, Cage's well-knownconcern with durationand
and
rhythmis extended to the large-scaleform of Themes
Variations.
The tempo constraintsfor the five sections(fast, slow,
fast, fastest,slow) bring the piece to a climax in VariationsIII,
followedby relaxationin VariationsIV. The sectionalization
between the Themes and VariationsI is highlightedby a
cadentialstatementof natureimageryon the "DavidTudor"
mesostic,"mOuntain"/"mountain
bReeze"/"Desert"/"lAke",
each separatedfrom the next by a brief moment of silence.A
cadence with less impactappearson another "DavidTudor"
mesosticat the end of VariationsI.
Cage's one hundredand ten ideasalso may help the listener
stay attentive duringa performanceof the work. Interspersed
throughoutthese non-sensepoetics, one will hear an almost
periodic(but chance-produced)statementof a line or part of a

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422

line familiarto Cage's readers.In the Themes, for example,

quotationslike "thusmakingit susceptibleto divineinfluences",
"quietmind","koan","utopia","chanceoperations","Suzuki
changedmy mindthirty-twoyears ago","Roratorio","anarchyis
practical",and "wherewe could get some cous cous"strikethe
initiatedlistener'sear, provokingrecognitionand heightening
attention.Juxtapositionsof profundityor humor ("whydid you/
repeat yourselfjust now/rambling/person")also functionas
attention-gettingdevices and remindus of Cage's clevernessand
quickwit. The readerhas the addedpleasureof seeing the text
in its Haiku-likeprintedformat,and the verticalstatementsof
the theme-names.Occasionally,a curious,chance-producedtwist
will occur, such as the elisionof"David" between "Henry"
(David) and (David) "Tudor"in VariationsIII.
and Variations
But the true spiritof Themes
only comes alive
in a performanceby the composer.Duringa readingof the work
at the ModernLanguageAssociationmeeting in New Yorklast
December, I first noticed many of the aspectsdiscussedin this
review.Familiarideasfloatedalong, propelledby Cage's gentle,
rockingbreath-rhythm.It was this rhythmthat seemed most
striking.Beforerecognizingit I felt lost; but after a while,I was
able to follow it in a way not unlikethe way one followsother
musicsof the United States that are inspiredby lively rhythms.
and Variations
is a pasticheof Cage's
All in all, Themes
on
based
systematicpre-compositionalrigor,
philosophy,
producinga wonderfullyirrationaland engagingaural-visual
experience.While it is best performedby Cage (wouldn'ta
recordingbe a delight!)it meritsperformanceby others who are
awareof its basisin everyday life. Further,such performances
shouldnot be limitedto conferencerooms and auditoriums.Just
and
like the collectively-composedJapaneseRenga,Themes
Variations
seems to lend itselfto performanceat smallgatherings.
It wouldwork well in the home or in the park,providedthat the
performerapproachesit with sincerityand with a thorough
knowledgeof Cage's aesthetics.
RonaldM. Radano

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NOTES
1. It is noteworthythat Ives, Berg,and Schoenbergalso used
names in their compositionsas an homage to the greatnessof an
individual.Their practicesdifferedfrom Cage's, however, in
their use of the letters of the names to determinepitchesof a
theme. The practicesof Cage and the three composersare
similarin that the incorporationof a name is visuallyratherthan
aurallyperceivable.Schoenberg,who used the "BACH"motive
in his Variations
for Orchestra
(op. 31), is one of the fifteenmen
whose name appearsin Themes
and Variations.
2. M, Writings'67-'72 (MiddletownConn.: WesleyanUniversity
Press, 1973), p. 1.
3. MarjoriePerloff,"'Unimpedednessand Interpenetration':
The Poetic of John Cage",TriQuarterly
54 (Spring,1982, a
Reader
81.
The
same author
issue),p.
specialJohn Cage
discussesCage's writingsin their literarycontexts in ThePoeticsof
Rimbaud
to Cage(Princeton,NJ: Princeton
Indeterminacy,
UniversityPress, 1981).
4. This explainsthe peculiarityof the title: "Themes",not
"Theme".
5. Cage tells us that traditionalRengafollowsa syllablecount of
5,7,5;7,7.The examplesof poetry given in the Introductiondo
show signsof a syllabicordering,but with a differentand freer
syllablecount. The suggestedorderingmay have been
consciouslyimposedby Cage or, more likely,is due to the
natureof hisJapanese-inspired
poetry. The great length of
Themes
and Variations
is surelyinfluencedby the requirementthat
the traditionalRengasyllablecount be repeatedat least thirty-six
times.
6. Cage cites Norman O. Brown'sstatementthat "syntaxis
the arrangementof the army"as a reasonfor turningtowards
non-syntacticpoetry. EmptyWords,Writings'73-'78 (Middletown,
Conn.: WesleyanUniversityPress, 1979), p. 133.

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424

7. Cage does not discusshow the initialednameswere chosen.

One wouldassumethat chance operationswere employed,
althoughthe use of initialsfor SuzukiDaisetz and Marshall
McLuhantwo times each (out of a total of seven appearancesof
initials)makesone suspectthat some kindof symbolicordering
has been imposed.
8. It shouldbe noted that statementsused to write throughthe
mesostic"DavidTudor"(from the one hundredand ten ideas)
might appearin other mesostics,and thus furtherobscure
relationships.
9. WilliamBrookssuggeststhat greater order is a trend in
some of Cage's recent works.See: "Choiceand Change in
(54), pp. 148-166.
Cage's Recent Music",TriQuarterly

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