In this essay I will present the contribution that Ruth Crawford’s String Quartet had on the modernist

music. I will delve into Teresa Davidian’s exploration of Crawford’s potential influence on John Cage
during the 1930s. Secondly, I will discuss the influence that the Andante movement had on Morton
Feldman's works in the 1970s, analyzing the use and purpose of using specific dynamics in his
composition. Thirdly, I will include E. Hisama’s opinion on how Crawford created Climax in the third
Movement.

In the development of John Cage's artistic journey, influences from key figures like Henry Cowell, Arnold
Schoenberg, Richard Buhlig, and Adolf Weiss are often acknowledged. However, the fragment sheds light
on overlooked influences, particularly women such as Cage's maternal aunt, Phoebe James, and
composer Mary Carr Moore. Cage's connections with Ruth Crawford, a prominent figure in ultramodern
music, are explored, emphasizing their shared elements and compositional techniques. While there's a
lack of documented evidence proving their direct association, the fragment draws attention to Cage's
likely awareness of Crawford through the ultramodern composers' community. The fragment states their
professional association, emphasizing the pivotal role of Henry Cowell as a mutual connection. Cowell, a
prominent figure in the modernist group, was very important in fostering both Crawford's and Cage's
careers. Through Cowell's extensive networking and promotional efforts, Cage was exposed to
Crawford's music, and a nuanced relationship between the two composers began to unfold.

Crawford's success in the ultramodern group before Cage's arrival and her interactions with influential
figures like Richard Buhlig, Adolf Weiss, and Henry Cowell, who later influenced Cage, suggests a
potential indirect influence. Teresa delves into Joseph Straus's belief in Crawford's positive impact on
structural elements in music, contrasting Cage's criticism of combining Schoenberg's twelve-tone
method with traditional forms. Cage's education under Cowell also played a pivotal role, imparting
complex rhythmic structuring and abstract durational schemes. Charles Seeger is presented as another
source of influence for both Crawford and Cage, as they learned pre-compositional planning to organize
musical parameters. Their exploration of serialism ideas, particularly Crawford's preference for a rotating
7-note series, showcased their unique approach. Numeration, a form of pre-compositional planning, was
used differently by both composers. Crawford and Cage favored projections and dominance of a single
number in a work, as well as systematic increase/decrease of materials. Aside from technical aspects,
Seeger emphasized the importance of mood in each part of a composition, advocating for a distinctive
mood for every section. The essay also highlights the use of heterophony in Crawford and Cage's work,
showcasing their shared commitment to pushing boundaries and experimenting with avant-garde
musical techniques.