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Few composers have the self-control
seen here to allow the silence that surrounds all we do to be so present, to
bring to the forefront that which is covered by all of our daily activities,
only present when we let ourselves realize the stillness at the base of all
action, all sound.
The regular presence of notes in calme étendue (oboe) provides for the
listener a feeling similar to that of a light on top of a lighthouse as it
regularly turns in the night – a feeling of grounding. Every eight
seconds, the oboist reaffirms the world of constructed sound with constant
repetitions of three seconds of a sound followed by five seconds of
silence. After a group of these beacons, the silence takes over
again. The feeling is of heading back out to sea as silence resumes its
supremacy.
The subtle play of sounds given to the oboist comes from an aspect of playing
so common many professional players do it almost unthinkingly. Most
oboists, when playing notes that use only a few fingers will add keys lower
down on the oboe to provide subtle alterations of pitch and tone
quality. The ethereal beauty of the subtle color and pitch
changes make the sounds heard in calme étendue (oboe) haunting, yet
beautiful.
The interludes of John Cage’s Music for One are also haunting, again
using alternative pitches and tone colors. Cage uses microtonal
inflections, mutes and harmonic fingerings to subtly shade the tones and
pitches, surrounding each grouping with expanses of silence.
Although long notes and short phrases dot the composition, the most memorable
features of the work are the melodic vignettes that appear throughout,
examples of Cage’s melodic gift. Possibly a legacy of his early love of
Grieg, these melodies create small worlds that become clear when heard in a
solo version, as they are here. The Eastern nuances of the oboe sliding
between notes, the elephantine qualities of loud, low playing, the manic
energy of the last explosive phrases, the plaintive quality that comes
through when a section is played at a slower tempo, all of these musical
nuances come from a part of Cage not usually revealed.
Kathryn Gleasman Pisaro
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