[silence] Cage's Software?

[Rob Haskins]

Cage had the I Ching computerized as part of his work with Hiller, and later Andrew Culver created a program to run on a IBM microcomputer. Andrew also designed software to be used in the creation of the Music for _____ series.  Jim Rosenberg created the softwware Mesolist, which assisted Cage in the composition of his mesostics.  Andrew's site at anarchicharmony.org offers some of this software.  I'm reasonably sure that Cage enjoyed the computer utility to faciliate his composition and did not miss the pleasure that using the I Ching manually might provide; among other things, he could create many more precompositional questions which could then be answered using printouts of many computer-generated IC (I Ching) hexagram number, rather than go through the laborious procedure of tossing coins. (For an example, see the many questions involved in the Freeman Etudes, described by James Pritchett in his article for Perspectives of New Music)

Best,
Rob.  
 
Rob Haskins
Assistant Professor of Music
University of New Hampshire
rob_haskins@yahoo.com
http://robhaskins.net
"Heroism doesn't consist in brilliantly combatting someone else. . . .  What is heroic is to accept the situation in which you find yourself."  -- John Cage




----- Original Message ----
From: Katherine Setar <setar@pacbell.net>
To: silence@list.mail.virginia.edu
Sent: Wednesday, April 25, 2007 12:22:40 AM
Subject: [silence] Cage's Software?

Dear Brian,

What an interesting question.  I can't say I know anything about Cage 
specific use of a commercially prepared "software."  I am guessing that 
Cage liked the process of doing his I Ching and other chance operations 
manually, as it were, as a means of "enlightenment"--to further his 
perceptions of sounds, but I really don't know for sure.

One place to start is to look at Cage's collaborations with Lejaren 
Hiller.  The work HPSCHD (1969) springs to mind, which was realized on 
the University of Illinois--Urbana's computer.  (See "Environmental 
Abundance,"  in Kostelanetz, Richard, ed.  JOHN CAGE:  AN ANTHOLOGY (New 
York:  Da Capo Paperback, 1970,) pp. 173-175.

I don't think the term "software" is at all appropriate to a piece from 
1969. Computers were pretty primitive in those days;  I assume Hiller 
specifically wrote the program for the performance on something like IBM 
cards.

Would Cage have collaborated with other computer-expert types?

Anybody have any better insights?

Katherine Setar
silence-request@list.mail.virginia.edu wrote:
> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. (no subject) (Brian B. James)
> Hello....
> 
> I am a student at Mills College studying with David Bernstein. I am  
> looking for any software that Cage used for composition/chance  
> operations/ect. Does anyone know of a place to get the software Cage  
> used, or can anyone direct me to someone that may have copies? I am  
> beginning to build a Cage reference application for the Macintosh.  
> Also, I have built a John Cage Mac OSX Dashboard widget called the  
> iCage if anybody is interested....it can be downloaded at http:// 
> www.bbjames.com/downloads.html. Thanks...
> 
> Brian B, James

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