| Category: | Musical composition |
| Dated: | New York City, November 12, 1978 |
| Instrumentation: | Organist and three assistants (for each register) |
| Duration: | ca. 45' |
| Premiere and performer(s): | |
| Dedicated to: | for Gerd Zacher |
| Choreography: | |
| Published: | Edition Peters 66840 © 1980 by Henmar Press |
| Manuscript: | Score (holograph in pencil and ink - 41 p. Folder 580); Score (holograph in black and blue pencil - 16 p. Folder 579); Sketches (holograph in ink - 11 lvs. Folder 1018); Source material (holograph in ink - 1+27 lvs. Folder 578), all in New York Public Library |
| Based on Supply Belcher's tunebook 'The Harmony of Maine' (Boston, 1794); Using chance operations
Cage determined whether a note from the original source should stay or be left out, how long it should sound and how
it should be registered. Titles of the parts: Alpha C.M. - Majesty C.M. - Harmony C.M.- Creation L.M. - Hallowell S.M. - Advent C.M. - Turner L.M. - Sunday C.M. - St.John's C.M. - Invitation L.M. - Transmigration - Chester L.M. - The Lilly P.M. The abbreviations refer to the meter of the original hymns: C.M. = common meter (8+6+8+6 syllables). L.M. = long meter (8+8+8+8 syllables). S.M. = short meter (6+6+8+6 syllables). "Rewritten for Louise Nevelson and Diana Mackown at St.Peter's Lutheran Church, New York City". Sources: Paul van Emmerik: Thema's en Variaties; David Revill: The Roaring Silence; Reinhard Oehlschlägel: Liner notes from CD BIS-CD-510 |