| Category: | Musical composition |
| Dated: | October/ November, 1991 |
| Instrumentation: | Flute, oboe, clarinet, trombone, percussion, piano, 2 violins, viola and cello |
| Duration: | 30' |
| Premiere and performer(s): | |
| Dedicated to: | Ives Ensemble |
| Choreography: | --- |
| Published: | Edition Peters 67432 © 1991 by Henmar Press. |
| Manuscript: | 10 parts and performance notes (holograph in ink and computer printout dated November 24, 1991 - 16 p.); Sketches (holograph in blue and red ink and computer printout - 4 lv.), both in New York Public Library |
| Ten consists of flexible time brackets with single tones in variable amounts. The time brackets overlap,
so that the sounds may be long or very short. The percussion instruments are not specified, but should be able to play long, as well as short sounds. The piano is played by plucking strings, tapping the construction and using the keyboard. All other instruments play microtonally. Cage uses a system of 6 different up and down arrows applied to all notes, resulting in microtonal jumps (not glissandi) towards or from the notated pitches. Short sounds may be of any amplitude, longer sounds have low amplitudes. Cage adds: "Search with them [the tones] for melisma, florid song". |