Living Room Music

John Cage

Subtitle: Percussion and Speech Quartet

General Info

Year: 1940 / 1976 / 200-?
Duration: c. 20:00
Difficulty: (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: C.F. Peters
Cost: Score (print) - $22.95

Movements

1. To Being - 1:10
2. Story - 2:35
3. Melody - 2:20
4. End - 1:35

Instrumentation

Full Score

"Any household objects or architectural elements may be used as instruments ..." The melody (if it is included in the suite) may be played on any suitable instrument: wind, string, or keyboard (prepared or not)."

Players speaking (optional)

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

The first and last movements of this piece are to be played on household objects, such as magazines, a table, books, or the floor, or using household architectural “objects,” such as window frames. The optional third movement is a melody performed by one player on "any suitable instrument". The text of the popular second movement, The World is Round, is by Gertrude Stein.

- Program Note from John Cage website

Commercial Discography

Audio CD: Third Coast Percussion

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Hartwick College (Oneonta, N.Y.) Percussion Ensemble (Andrew Pease, conductor) - 18 May 2021
Hope College (Holland, Mich.) Wind Ensemble (Gabe Southard, conductor) - 31 October 2020
United States Marine Band (Washington, D.C.) (unconducted) – August 2020

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

4'33" (1952)
Atlas Eclipticalis (Adaptable Band) (1961)
Ryoanji (Adaptable Band) (1983-1985)

All Wind Works

4'33" (1952)
Atlas Eclipticalis (Adaptable Band) (1961)
Fifty-Eight (1992)
Living Room Music (1940/1976/200-?)
Music for Wind Instruments (1938)
Quartet for Concert Band and Twelve Amplified Voices (1976)
Ryoanji (Adaptable Band) (1983-1985)
Twenty-Eight (1991)

Resources

Cage, J. [ca. 2012] Living Room Music : Percussion And Speech Quartet; [(with or without an instrumental solo with percussion trio)] [score]. Henmar Press: New York.
John Cage website Accessed 30 October 2020
Perusal score