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JOHN CAGE’SPREPARED

PIANOTHE NUTS & BOLTS

TZENKA DIANOVA, DMA

VICTORIA

http://www.mutasis.com/




Copyright © zenka Dianova.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproducedor transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording or by any information storage andretrieval system, now known or to be invented, without permission

in writing from the publisher.

First published in byMutasis Books

Suite – Fairfield RoadVictoria BC Canada VV A

www.mutasis.com

Editor for the press: Clint Hutzulak Cover and text design by Mutasis Creative.

Portions of this book were first published,in different form, in Musicworks magazine.

Library and Arhives Canada Cataloguing in Publiation

Dianova, zenka John Cage's prepared piano: the nuts and bolts /

by zenka Dianova.

ISBN ----

. Piano. . Cage, John--Criticism and interpretation. I. itle.

ML.D . C--X

Printed and bound in Canada



o the memory of my grandfather Ivan



Aknowledgements

I all the people who contributed tothe realization of this volume with ideas and information; there

have been so many during the years:My warmest thanks to Dr. Heath Lees at University of

Auckland, from whom I learned much about writing, and whosechallenging questions inspired some interesting discoveries.

I am indebted to Phillippa McKeown-Green, head librarian of the University of Auckland Music Library, who tracked down andobtained every single music score, recording and book that Ineeded for my research.

I appreciate the help of Prof. Marina Kapatzinskaya, whosuggested that I share my experiences in writing; Profs. Michael

Longton, Bruce Vogt and amas Vesmas for granting me per-mission to prepare the concert pianos at the Universities of Victoria and Auckland; Eric Schandall, piano technician forSteinway & Sons, who taught me how to prepare pianos safelyand effectively; Dr. Laura Kuhn (John Cage rust), Dr. ScottKlein, and Aurel Hollo (Amadinda Percussion Ensemble) forassisting me with my research.

Last, but not least, thanks go to my family, Isis and Clint, for allthe emotional support, and for helping me trust my ability to

write about the amazing experiences accompanying my work.



© D a v i d O .

G a r c i a .

U s e d w i t h p e r m i s s i o n .



Contents

xi Foreword

viii Prefae

PART ON E:Getting Prepared to Prepare a Piano

Piano performers of today—artists or musi historians?Comments on the diminished connection betweencomposers, performers and audience from the late

nineteenth century onward, introducing the idea that John Cage’s prepared piano music could play a significantrole in revitalizing that connection

John Cage’s prepared piano: a bridge between pre- and post-twentieth entury musiIts importance for performers and audience

Cage and his audienes

Te grounds for John Cage’s popularity



Why Cage’s prepared piano musi is not part of theestablished piano repertoireTe results of a survey carried out amongst professionalpianists and piano students offer insight to this apparentphenomenon

Is it dangerous for the piano?Ungrounded fears and misconceptions about pianoalteration

Te prepared piano safety manual How to avoid harming the piano while working on it;the dangers and the challenges

Te objets A practical guide to the objects used in John Cage’sprepared piano music, including numerous illustrations

of materials and safe insertion techniques

PART T WO:Playing the Prepared Piano

How the piano ame to be preparedViewing the invention from several perspectives

Perussion, prepared piano and daneTe synthesis of the three in John Cage’s prepared pianoworks of the s

Some differenes between playing a regular and a prepared pianoTe piano as a percussion instrument(s)



P A R T T H R E E :The Works

PreambleA complete descriptive guide to John Cage’s solo andchamber works featuring prepared or string piano

Afterword

A few random tributes to Indeterminacy

Endnotes

Seleted Bibliography

Disography and Videography

Internet Resoures



xi

Foreword

the thesis that Dr. zenka Dianovasubmitted for her at the University of Auckland in April. John Cage’s Prepared Piano: Te Nuts & Bolts is beautifullywritten and offers Cage aficionados and professional pianists alikea rare understanding of the multi-faceted artistic nature of hiswork. Te music that is this book’s subject was written before ;as early as that Cage had left his footprint indelibly on the musical

landscape of the twentieth century. Percussion works like First andSecond Construction, Credo In Us and Amores, which include move-ments for prepared piano, have already found their way into thecontemporary concert repertoire. But works like Tree Dances for wo Amplified Prepared Pianos and Sonatas and Interludes, arguablyCage’s showcase works for prepared piano, along with a host of other smaller works including Bacchanale, Cage’s first compositionfor the instrument, have been less easily absorbed into the main-

stream repertoire of contemporary solo pianists.During the second half of the twentieth century electronicschanged the musical landscape, and new music has becomeincreasingly allied to the development of new technology. odaydigital samplers allow musicians to assign digitized sounds to thenotes on a standard keyboard, a concept that owes much tothe prepared piano developed by Cage.

Te prepared piano represents some of the earliest instances of experimental music in the concert tradition, where composing

had become inseparable from the process of instrument-build-ing; composing for prepared piano in effect requires reconstruc-



xii

tion of the instrument with an extensible lexicon of percussivesounds. New sounds are created by inserting various materialssuch as rubber, pieces of wood, bolts and screws etc. between thepiano strings.

In zenka Dianova’s work it is the performer who has chosento extend the conventional boundaries of concert performance.Her creative practice involves not only a mastery of contemporaryconcert repertoire but also an active engagement in the process of piano preparation.

Tis book addresses problems that challenge the developmentof new repertoire for a traditional musical instrument, and docu-ments the process of piano preparation. It includes a thoroughlyresearched and sorely needed illustrated manual for safe pianopreparation. Tis can help the next generation of classicallytrained pianists overcome resistance to piano preparation fromother pianists, piano technicians and concert managers, byaddressing the (understandable) concerns of maltreatment of the

instrument. Dr. Dianova’s manual also addresses for the first timethe problem of preparation materials, called for by Cage, that havebecome obsolete or are simply unavailable.

Dr. Dianova shows a rare understanding of the craft of theconcert-piano technician. Her concept of the instrument buildsupon the mechanical refinements to piano design of the nine-teenth century, to accommodate one of the most significant musi-cal developments of the twentieth—the prepared piano.

It is not uncommon to read or hear endorsements of Cageanaesthetics from artists working in disciplines other than music—apoint that serves to illustrate the interdisciplinary nature of Cage’swork—but it is a much more refreshing endorsement of Cage’smusical contribution to read a book such as this, written by a per-former committed to the ongoing development of the piano; a per-fomer who has actually experienced Cage’s prepared piano music.

–Dr. Greg Schiemer

University of Wollongong July



xiii

Prefae

For the most part, it will be Cage’s earlier work—the prepared pianomusic above all—that will appeal and continue to appeal to a

growing public.

– : Te Imaginary Landscaper

I Cage’s prepared piano music in . It wasinstant love, and I have been studying and performing it ever

since. Over the years, I attempted to familiarize myself with theliterature available on the subject—an ongoing process which tomy disappointment yielded a very limited amount of informa-tion, descriptive or critical.

Cage’s prepared piano has been mentioned in many articles andbiographical works on his life and music; Sonatas and Interludes

and Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra have beenanalyzed in detail by numerous scholars. Yet, so far, there has notbeen a book in the English language that brings together in onesource the information needed to fully understand this instrumentand to use it with confidence. In addition, there is a crying need fora descriptive guide to the pieces Cage composed, featuring hisamazing invention.

In the Colorado College Music Press published Te WellPrepared Piano by Richard Bunger,¹ with a foreword written by

Cage himself. Te book dealt mainly with the technical side of piano preparation, such as suitable objects and materials and the



xiv

safe techniques for their placement between the strings. It dis-cussed the prepared piano in general, not as in Cage’s music inparticular. Although certain information cannot be found in thatvolume—for example a description of the plastic bridge called forin Concerto for Prepared Piano—it nevertheless is a detailed andcomprehensive guide, richly illustrated with pictorial samples.Unfortunately, the book does not offer information on Cage’sworks for this instrument. Moreover, it has been out of print sinceits second press run in .

Intensive Internet or library research might tell the interestedinquirer that there exists a dissertation-format volume, entitledDas Präparierte Klavier Des John Cage. Tis dissertation was writ-ten by German musicologist Monika Fürst-Heidtmann and pub-lished in German, in an edition by G. Bosse. Its main subject is theacoustic phenomena associated with the prepared piano, althoughit also includes analyses of four or five out of the pieces Cagewrote for the instrument. Te author mentions some interesting

facts regarding preparation materials, and offers a descriptive listof the exact objects Maro Ajemian found best-suited for Sonatasand Interludes.

Tis work has never been translated into English and is notavailable for sale; the language barrier, together with its highlyacademic style of writing and its unavailability, make it inaccessi-ble to both young pianists and to the wider music audiencearound the world.

Since information was not available, I had to experiment—inthe beginning with the help of a piano technician, later on myown. Identifying and finding all materials needed for a properpreparation took a while. Analyzing and making sense of Cage’spieces for the altered piano was even harder, but it proved to be afascinating and deeply rewarding process.

After a few years, I had gathered a substantial amount of infor-mation. Considering the increasing interest in the subject fromboth pianists and audience, I decided to put it into writing,

together with the experiences and reflections that accompaniedmy work. Te result is this set of interrelated chapters dealing



xv

with the many aspects of prepared piano use, technical as well asaesthetic. Here I have tried to answer questions that I found chal-lenging, such as: how is Cage’s prepared piano music important forpianists or audience, what is its significance, and why is it not per-formed as regularly as it ought to be?

I purposely avoided discussing facts easily available fromother sources. In the last two decades much has been written andsaid about John Cage’s life, art and philosophy. Te best accountsoriginate from musicologists and art critics who knew him in

person, who had the privilege to converse and correspond withhim, and were present at the premiers of his music; to paraphrasewhat is found in their writings would be, at best, second-handknowledge.

Finally, a warning note: what I present here is not intended tobe read and accepted as absolute; to claim that there is only onedefinitive way of preparing a piano or performing the music com-posed for it would be very un-Cagean indeed. Instead, the infor-

mation shared herein is meant to empower pianists with theknowledge and confidence needed to experiment on their ownand to trust the results, whatever they may be.



Te prepared pianosafety manual

Never force an object between the strings.

– : Te Well Prepared Piano

H teach that safety is possibleonly with knowledge. What knowledge does one need

where the prepared piano is concerned?It was already mentioned that pianists contemplating the per-

formance of prepared piano music for a first time should, ideally,employ the assistance of an expert piano technician. Practice hasconvinced me that no piano other than a Steinway is more suitableto showcase Cage’s prepared piano music at its best. Blindly

“experimenting” on such a piano, risking serious, even irreparabledamage, is inadvisable to say the least.Interaction with piano technicians should not be regarded

with apprehension; it can truly benefit any pianist. Tese profes-sionals can help in many ways: they can identify puzzling prepa-ration objects, explain and demonstrate how an object’s size orpositioning will affect the pitch and timbre of the sound and, mostimportantly, teach a pianist how to avoid accidents or damage tothe piano while working on its alteration.

Some pianists, however, might not be able to engage a techni-cian; this was one of the main reasons that compelled me to write



this book and to share my knowledge. Below is a list of facts, theawareness of which has proved invaluable in my work on pianopreparation. Te list is divided into two sections—Te dangers,dealing with practices that can be potentially harmful to the piano,and Te challenges, which will prepare pianists for some obstaclesthey might have to overcome during their work on piano alteration.

Te dangers

If the mind is disciplined, the heart turns quickly from fear to love.

– : Silence

• Many people are terrified by the thought of touching the pianostrings with metal objects. Contrary to popular misunder-standing though, metal can be less threatening to the stringsthan a human hand. While working on inserting objectsbetween the strings, the natural oils and acidic moisture foundon the skin of the palms can cause the strings to eventuallycorrode. Some pianists, like Richard Bunger, advise the use of a screwdriver to separate the strings. In my work, I find that

using my fingers helps control the pressure better. Te poten-tial harm can be avoided by washing one’s hands meticulouslybefore touching the strings, or by wearing tight-fitting latexgloves during the process.

• For me, placing a soft cloth underneath the strings while work-ing inside the piano has proved an absolute must; such practicehelps prevent scratches to the soundboard that might occuras a result of bolts or screws sliding down. Scratching the

soundboard can alter the piano’s sound quality and is difficultand costly to repair.



• Te only way to avoid harming the delicate dampers corre-sponding to most piano strings is to hold the sustain pedaldown while working on the strings. Failing to do so will causethe strings—as they are being separated in order to insertobjects between them—to cut into the felt of the dampers andto damage them. Damper repair is very costly, too.

• Forcing the strings apart by using too large an object will mostprobably damage them, as well as their corresponding

dampers. Moreover, the sound resulting from strings preparedin such a manner will be unsatisfactory, as the dampers will notbe able to efficiently mute them.

• If objects are too small in diameter, they will slide down betweenthe strings during performance and scratch the wooden part of the soundboard. Playing strings prepared with loosely fitting objects will produce an undesirable buzz and, if the objects slide

down, knocks. John Cage himself said that the appropriate sizeof an object is that which ensures a snug fit between strings, sothat it doesn’t become dislodged during performance.

• Placing an object too close to either end of the strings can causedamage to the strings and tuning pins, especially if the objectis large, or is horizontally inserted.

• Placing any objects on top of the piano while working on itspreparation poses the risk of some of them slipping inside theinstrument, causing damage to its soundboard and/or otherparts. Te process of retrieving any such object can be long and complicated; sometimes it might even require taking thepiano apart. Terefore, it is imperative to keep all materials ona table or a stand beside the piano and work carefully with onlyone at a time. If by accident an object falls inside, I stronglyadvise against playing the piano before that object is retrieved,

as the vibrations will set it into motion, causing scratches to thesoundboard or other parts. If it is impossible to extricate the



object without the help of a technician, the best thing to do isto wait until the technician arrives.

Te hallenges

Te conscientious objectors to modern music will, of course,attempt everything in the way of counter-revolution.

– : Silence

• A written permission to prepare a piano is a must; it is best toobtain permission from the person who is in charge of theinstrument in question. Failing to have such a document will

most probably cause problems, no matter how harmless onemight believe their piano alteration practice would be. Whenrequesting the permission, it is important to explain exactlywhat will be done to the piano, and how the possible dangerswill be safely avoided.

• A small part of Cage’s prepared piano music can be played onalmost any grand piano. I have performed Bacchanale on three

different Steinways, a Bösendorfer, two Yamahas, a Kawai anda Baldwin, all of different sizes, all resulting in a satisfactorysound. It is the almost-all-felt preparation, such as that of Bacchanale, that makes practically any grand suitable; how-ever, there are only a few such pieces. Works like Sonatas andInterludes, on the other hand, make a completely different case;my experience has convinced me that it is next to impossible toachieve a beautiful, rich, and varied sound on any piano otherthan a Steinway (a six-foot or a concert grand). Terefore, I

believe that it is unwise to commit to a performance of pre-pared piano music before having tested the instrument in ques-



tion. Te results might be perfectly fine or they might be dis-astrous. One example from my practice is telling: in Iagreed to perform Sonatas and Interludes on an excellent con-cert grand Yamaha. I prepared the piano and worked on it forover a week, constantly moving and changing the objects in anattempt to make the piano sound “properly.” Alas, that justdid not seem possible, and only two days before the concert Ihad to give up and beg for the use of a Steinway, which had tobe specially brought in at an additional expense. From this

stressful experience I learned that due to the differences in theinstruments’ specifics, metal preparation—such as bolts andscrews—changes the different pianos’ sound in different ways,making this particular Yamaha’s sound unsatisfactory, as it didnot offer enough reverberance and warmth of sound. o saveoneself from similar situations, one simply must try an instru-ment before undertaking to prepare it.

• One factor that can make a pianist’s work particularly hard isthe string crossing in the lower register, which differs frominstrument to instrument. When Cage conducted his alter-ation experiments, he used his own six-foot Steinway model .In some works he prescribed the use of large bolts in the lowerregister, which must have been easy to realize on his instru-ment. However, on most of today’s pianos such preparationmay be impossible, as any longer objects will touch the differ-

ently-overlaid strings. In such cases I use shorter objects (see ), or even two if necessary, in order to achieve the“proper” sound.



• Tere is normally one diameter-size of metal bolts/screws thatwill fit snugly between the strings of a particular grand piano.However, when certain pianos are prepared with the properlyfitting size bolts, a slight buzz is heard, which indicates that thebolts are a trifle too thin. Ten the next size up might be muchtoo large. Tis problem can be very frustrating and may even

prove impossible to resolve. One way to attempt its solution isto slide the bolt/screw along the string until a position is foundin which no buzz is produced. Tis might work or it mightnot; if it does, one should not be much troubled if the resulting pitch differs from a desired one. In the long run, a “strange”pitch is a lesser evil than an unwanted buzz, all the more sosince the buzz will be audible when playing all strings, not justthe “problematic” one. In extreme cases where a “good” posi-

tion simply cannot be found, a complete replacement of theobject (with rubber, plastic etc.) might be necessary. Such asubstitution is done at the performer’s informed discretion. If more than two of the prepared strings buzz, then the pianoused is simply not suitable for the attempted alteration.

.



Te objecs

In short, we must explore the materials of music.

– : Silence

J —this is evident bythe wide variety of bolts, screws and other objects he mentioned

in his preparation instructions. Most of the preparation instruc-tion tables, however, do not describe the objects in detail, asidefrom mentioning their names. Bolts are simply “long” or “large,”but how long or large is not specified. Cage wrote “rubber” and“plastic,” but what rubber and plastic exactly, how thin or thick, pli-able or brittle, is not clear. Some of the materials he used, such asa typewriter bolt or fibrous weather-stripping, are not availabletoday—for them we have to find suitable substitutes.

At first, the vagueness of some of the instruction tables mightbe frustrating, yet one soon learns to appreciate it as it allows thefreedom to experiment and choose on one’s own.

It naturally follows that the process of recreating piano prepa-ration requires extra inventiveness and dexterity, as well as solidbackground knowledge. Experimenting is recommended onlywhen performed in an expert and responsible manner.

I have listed below the few excerpts from Cage’s writings—mainly from the performance instructions to Amores unless oth-

erwise indicated—in which recommendations for and descriptionof correct preparation are given:



• Te screw must be large enough and so positioned on andbetween the strings as to produce a resonant sound, rich inharmonics.

• If the screw is too small in diameter, an undesired metallicbuzz will occur when the proper key is played.

• Choose nuts that are large enough to slide freely on thescrew [bolt], yet small enough so that they do not slide off

the screw-head [bolt-head] end.

• Bolts are used in the lower register, rather than screws,because of their greater diameter, necessary in muting thelonger strings to achieve the desired result: a sound reso-nant, rich in harmonics and free of any metallic buzzing.

• Te piano was transformed into a percussion orchestra hav-

ing the loudness, say, of a harpsichord. (From Autobiograph-ical Statement)

• Te total desired result has been achieved if, on a comple-tion of the preparation, one may play the pertinent keyswithout sensing that he is playing a piano or even a ‘preparedpiano’. An instrument having convincingly its own specialcharacteristics, not even suggesting those of a piano, must be

the result.

• Te size and position of… all mutes may be determined byexperiment.

Here follows an illustrated guide to the objects, which I havefound safe and effective in my own work on prepared piano music.I have taken into consideration that no two countries in the worldwould have exactly the same hardware in store; therefore, instead

of giving exact names, measures etc., I have described and pic-



tured these objects and the way they would ideally fit betweenthe piano strings and alter its sound.

It is good to keep in mind that certain items (such as metalbolts and screws) will alter not only the timbre, but also the pitchof a tone, which makes it important to know two simple laws:

• Adding mass to the strings elongates their vibrating surfaceand results in a lower pitch.

• Spreading the strings apart increases their tension andresults in a higher pitch.

It follows that using objects that are both long and wide is ineffec-tive. Furthermore, pulling the piano strings apart or preparing them with objects of large diameter can be detrimental to certainparts of the instrument, and is strongly advised against. If a varia-tion in pitch is desired, it can be achieved by other means, such as:

• Adding more mass by using longer items, as opposed to oneswith bigger diameter. One will find that there is a limiting factor to that, as too long an object will not stay upright.Special care should be taken that long objects do not touchthe soundboard of the piano. If there is a possibility thatthey might (due to slipping down during performance), astrip of soft cloth should be placed underneath them (as

shown in ), so as to prevent possible scratches tothe soundboard.



• Adding even more mass to an object—such as a screw—byscrewing nut(s) etc. to its upper part (not touching thestrings). For examples see .

• Moving the object lengthwise along the strings, in order tofind a desired pitch. When and where the object touches thestring’s node, the original pitch will be most distinctive.

A special note should be made about the meticulous placementmeasurements Cage inscribed in some of his later works’ prepara-tion instructions, such as those of Sonatas and Interludes andConcerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra. (Some of

these measurements are as precise as ⁄ of an inch. )

.

.



A Note About the Author

, Bulgarian-born pianistzenka Dianova has been extremely active on stage, both as asoloist and a chamber musician, winning numerous prizes in

national and international competitions. She began her educa-tion at the State School of Music in Pleven, under the guidance of eminent Bulgarian pedagogue Prof. Eleonora Karamisheva.Further studies include a Magister degree from the StateAcademy of Music in Sofia, with Prof. Marina Kapatzinskaya,and a Diploma from the Summer School at Salzburg’sMozarteum, with Prof. Dmitri Bashkirov. In the pianistmoved to Canada, where she pursued her interest in twentieth-

century and contemporary avant-garde music. For the last tenyears, Dr. Dianova has performed, taught and lectured on themusic of the past century, with the firm belief in and the ultimategoal of its incorporation in the standard piano repertoire. She hascommissioned numerous new works for piano, harpsichord, pre-pared and string piano and mixed media.

zenka Dianova holds a doctoral degree from the University of Auckland and has a special interest in the prepared piano music of

John Cage. She lives with her family in Victoria, Canada.

For detailed information, audio samples and repertoire list,please visit the author’s site at www.tzenkadianova.com



ISBN-13:978-0-9809657-0-4

ISBN-10:0-9809657-0-5

‘ isbeautifully written and offers Cage aficionados andprofessional pianists alike a rare understanding of the multi-faceted artistic nature of his work.’

– From the foreword by Dr. Greg Schiemer

At last, a book on the prepared piano of John Cage, dedicated both

to the instrument itself and to the repertoire Cage created for it.

It serves as an illustrated guide for pianists interested in exploring

the world of the prepared piano, as well as an accessible source of

information for the innumerable non-musician Cage-lovers.

Bulgarian-born pianist Tzenka Dianova has been extremely active

on stage, both as a soloist and chamber musician, winning numerous

prizes in national and international competitions. In the pianist

moved to Canada, where she pursued her interest in twentieth-century and contemporary avant-garde music. She holds a doctoral

degree from the University of Auckland and has a special interest in

the prepared piano music of John Cage. She lives with her family in

Victoria, Canada. tzenkadianova.com

Music | Performance Theory

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Cover design: Clint Hutzulak

http://www.tzenkadianova.com/




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