JOHN CAGE

Haiku
Piano Solo

Edited by
Don Gillespie

Recording: MODE 259

EIGENTUM DES VERLEGERS · ALLE RECHTE VORBEHALTEN

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

HENMAR PRESS, INC.

A member of the Edition Peters Group
FRANKFURT/M. · LEIPZIG · LONDON · NEW YORK
Duration: 4 minutes
 EDITORIAL FOREWORD
In 1950–51 John Cage composed seven Haiku for piano. The manuscripts are extremely
sketchy 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 later
published in Edition Peters (P6745), these earlier Haiku use the sequence of 7-plus-5-plus-7
sound events (in nine measures) as a structural underpinning, rather than the 5-plus-7-plus-5
sequence of the later composition. One wonders whether Cage would have eventually found
time to recopy these little pieces for publication. They reflect a fascinating musical path from
the almost tonal Haiku I, reflecting a language similar to the Sixteen Dances (1950–51), to a
completely atonal style akin pitch-wise to the Music of Changes (1951), but without ostensibly
using chance methodology. The first of the four volumes of Music of Changes was completed on
May 15, 1951, two months after Haiku V.

The dates of these early Haiku confirm the powerful influence on Cage of the Zen Buddhist
master 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 literary
themes similar to those found in traditional Japanese haiku (a dear friend, stillness, frogs), no
specific allusion to Japanese haiku in print in 1950 can be found. Haiku IV references the River
Plurabelle 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 page
of Cage’s manuscript of Sixteen Dances (1950–51), though no thematic reference to Sixteen
Dances has been found. Curiously, the manuscript of Haiku V contains Arnold Schoenberg’s
Los Angeles address in its right-hand margin.

The sixth Haiku is untitled and undated, but was likely also composed in March 1951; an
alternative version of the first Haiku (undated) seems to have been rejected. These two pieces
are included here as addenda.

I should like to thank Paul van Emmerik, William Duckworth, Steffen Schleiermacher, and
András Wilheim for their valued assistance in making this edition possible. Jonathan Hiam of
the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center generously provided the editor with enlarged
and 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.
 HAIKU

{
Haiku I, for my dear friend, Who
John Cage
(1950–1951)
q=72
-̇ œj œ œj œ -
2R.H.

& 2 ˙˙ œ œ bœ bœ
j
œ̇ ˙˙ ww
-
L.H. L.H.

?2 ∑ ˙˙ Œ œ ∑ ∑
2 œ
-

{
œ
œœ b˙˙™™
5
Ó Œ
& Ó œ̇ œ œœ ˙ œJ ‰
Œ ˙
˙ œ̇ œ œœ bœœ

October 5, 1950
-
? ∑ & Ó œœ bœœ Œ Ó Œ ˙™ œj w
œ

{
Haiku II, (What stillness!)
h=54 -œ >œ.
2˙ Ó œœ œ≈‰
&2 #w- œ ˙ w œ ##œœ R
pp ppp ffz
p
2 ∑ Ó j j ‰
&2 & œœ ‰ Œ ∑ Ó b œ
b œœ#n œœœ
B
˙˙ œ
ppp -

{
-̇ >.
r œ
œ
™ Ó™
6
œ ˙ bœ
œ ‰ bœœ 4Œ b œœ
b
j
& Œ œ
∑ bbœœ-œ
March 5, 1951

pp ffz

bœ j
& œ ‰ œœj B ‰ Œ œ bœœ ‰ Œ bœœ
œœJ œ # œœ b ˙˙ ww ˙˙ ™™ œ-
- pp p pp

© 2012 by Henmar Press Inc.

Edition Peters 68395 51208 Sole Selling Agent, Edition Peters Group.
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.
2

Haiku III, The Green Frog′s Voice

{
“”œ œ
b -œ–
q = 52
œ
j
Œ™ J J ‰ Œ Œ ‰ J
2 # œ j
& 2 b œœ ‰ Œ Œ œœ Ó ? b œ
b œ. ‰ & Ó
> >
‰ bœœœœ ™™™
mfz pppp mp (sf) ppp

2 ˙
™
& 2 #œ̇™ Œ
‰ bbœœ
? Ó
& ∑ ˙˙˙
bb OO

{
pp pppp
[depress silently]

>. legatissimo # œœ
r (poco rit.) bœ
>. ? #œ j
5

& ‰ j Œ ‰ bO ™ Ó & ‰b œ
œ ≈bœœ w˙ ™ œJ ‰ œ. œj ‰ J 4Œ ∑
# œœ b O ™ . ppp “”

March 6, 1951
pp (sf) ppp
p (sf) œ
™
[depress

j
& ˙˙˙˙ ™™™ Œ b œ S ‰ ŒT & B ‰ #œœ ™™
mp (sf)
j
silently]

b
? œ ẇ œ ‰ Œ œ ‰ ?‰
j 4Œ ∑
>. pp
J # œœ
3 œ

{
Haiku IV, The River Plurabelle
-œ.
h = 48
bœ b œ n œœ
2 œ#œ œ#œ
& 2 bœœ Œ œ. Œ Ó Œ Œ bœ œ Œ Œ bœ œ Œ nœ-
- b œ-. œ ppppp
pppp sempre

2 j j
& 2 j #œ Œ Ó Œ Ó Œ #œ ‰ œjœ Ó #œ ‰ œjœ Œ
 bb œœ-. # œ- # œ- bb œœ

{
# œœ

-œ– >œ. mute string

bœ U
5 with finger

Ó Œ ∑ bœœ Œ J ‰ Œ Ó Œ bœ
of L.H.

& w nœ
March 8, 1951

mp (sf) ppp
b -œ
& Ó Œ
b œ œ Œ
œ
Œ Œ #œ Œ ˙ w
b œ bœ bb œœ j
# œœ pppp

Edition Peters 51208

 3

{
Haiku V
q = 72 b˙
Ó™
#œ œ
2 ˙
&2 Œ Ó Ó Œ #œœ

˙˙ ™™
ppp

2
&2 Ó ? ‰ j Œ Œ œœ ˙™ Œ Œ
˙˙
œ

{
œ
bœ
Œ œ – –
œ œ
5
J ‰
œ Œ
& Ó ∑ ∑ Œ œ Œ B

March 16, 1951

pppp ppp

? bœ œ Ó œ Œ Ó bœ œ
bœ ∑ ∑ S &T Ó b œœ

Edition Peters 51208

4
Addenda

{
Haiku VI (not numbered)

OO ™™
[q = 72]
2 ? r ≈ ‰ Œ OO
w
&2 Ó Œ Œ ∑
b œœœœ bœ bO O™ &
> p
b -œ
? 2 b~
fffz
O
2 ~~ OO Œ Ó j ‰ Œ & œœj ‰ J ‰ ? ∑ Ó ˙
œ -
b >œ

{
sost.
œj
b œœ
Ϫ
fff
>.
# œœ b œJ
bœ
œ
6

& bœ Œ Œ ‰ J ∑ ∑ Œ J ‰

[undated]
œ
? œ ‰ Œ Æœ
jJ ‰ ∑ Ó™ &œ #œœ Œ Ó
J bœ
bœ

{
Haiku I - second version [rejected?]
[q = 72]
2
& 2 bw œ ˙˙ ‰ j ∑ b˙ œœ #œ
nw œ œ
j
œ œ œ œj œ™ œ ˙
œ
2
&2 ∑ ∑ w w ∑
w w

{
 œ œ
#œ
œœ ˙ # œj ˙ ˙ ˙
& œœ b˙˙ ™™
6

Ó b˙ Œ b˙˙ b˙˙ b˙˙

[undated; October 5, 1950?]

˙ ˙ ˙
b# ˙˙
& ∑ Ó ? ∑
w #œ Ó
Œ

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