Seven Haiku



Category: Musical composition
Dated: Page 1: 7-51 (i.e. July 1951), NYC; page 2: 1-21-52; page 3: 6-16-51, NYC; page 5-7: NYC.
Instrumentation: For solo piano
Duration: 3' (every single piece lasts between 10-25 seconds)
Premiere and performer(s): Probably fall 1952, at Cage's house
Dedicated to: Page1: For Elsa; page 2: For Merle Armitage ; page 3: For Aghavni Uomini; page 4: For Richard Lippold; page 5: For Maro [Ajemian]; page 6: For Willem De Kooning; page 7: For Sonia Sekula
Choreography: ---
Published: Edition Peters 6745 © 1960 by Henmar Press
Manuscript: Score (page proofs with corrections on title page - 7 p.) in New York Public Library.


The Seven Haiku are composed using his chart technique for I Ching chance operations. The same charts as in Music of Changes were used, as well as the same method of notation, which is proportional where a quarter note equals ½ inch.
Each haiku is built around three measures of five, seven and five quarter notes each. Silence plays an essential role in these pieces.