JOHN CAGE 44 HARMONIES from APARTMENT HOUSE 1776 Arranged for String Quartet by IRVINE ARDITTI Recording: Mode 144/145 duration: ca. 1 hour, 30 minutes C. EF. PETERS CORPORATION NEW YORK LONDON FRANKFURT LEIPZIGCage Harmonies first mer John Cage briefly in Cologne in February 1987 when we played his String Quartet, in Four Parts, The hall was rather full with an audience of musicians, writes, philosophers etc ‘This was no ordinary new music concert ‘The nexe occasion was more rewarding and for longer. Ie was ata festival of his music at ‘Wesleyan University, Middletown in February 1988. We arrived and thar evening there was a concert that included amongst other chings alive ealization of Fontana Mix with many dierent sized tape loops. Being performers in the festival, we were allowed into the hall before the normal audience admission. Many students were on the stage working. the eape machines and supporting ‘ape loops of many diflrene sizes, Some of the loops extended the entite length ofthis try large Sage area and others into che frone rows of the audience. Cage was to be spotted somewhere aa theit midse guiding this process. Prom outside it looked rather chaotic, but Cage was calmly instructing his helpers and performers to their cask ofthe evening. There was almost an angelic low above this man’s head ‘The piece began and then the audience was admitted. This was my firs taste of Cage performs Cage. Cage continued to asist che tape operators throughout the piece ‘The next evening the quartet performed Siring Quartet in Faur Pars, 30 Pies for String Quartet and Music for. in rehearsals Cage was very content to let us work out che problems, only ‘icertupting when asked co do so. He was a very laid back man who inspired real confidence in us Thad become familia with 13 of the movements of Harmonia in an arrangement by Roget Zahab, which I had played not with piano, bur with accordion and the distinguished accosdionat Stefan Hussong, 1 had experienced great diffculcy in rehearsals tuning’ with the accondion as the timbral ‘qualities of che ewo instruments were 50 very different. ‘When I looked ac the original score of Harmonicr, I saw that che open harmonies of this almost medieval looking score lene iself perfectly eo the homogenous sound ofa sing quartet, knew that ehese 18th century harmonies in part surrounded by silence, eemoved much ef es flesh sometimes down (0 the bones of one part, would sound well with che Arditti Quartets non vibrato playing. ‘Cage said of these harmonies, ‘the cadences and everything disappear, buc the flavour ‘Bring, Nou can recognize as 8th century music, but is suddenly ila na new Way ‘The challenge for usin performance was co beable to take up the ‘threads’ ofthe music and follow «ach piece through, even though the score sometimes looked as i someone had spilled some eraser uid over large sections of i. 1 was @ very satisfying and therapeutic work ro crunseribe hese anthems ane hymns for string inseruments, ‘What a perfect way co pay homage to Cage by ‘realising’ another work for sing quartet. | would like co thank my loving wife, Hilda Paredes for teaching me how to use acompuret tmusic progrim and guiding me pacently for countless hours curing my work, enabling me to realise this score. = Irvine ArditeiHARMONY I (Cookfield-James Lyon) John Cage Arango for Sing Quatet, ioptrane ris iin Violette Vall ve lo ost wml itn se