Research Catalog

John Cage : Ode to gravity (Radio program) on WNYC

Title: John Cage : Ode to gravity (Radio program) on WNYC / produced and hosted by Charles Amirkhanian.
Publication: [December 12, 1987].

Available Online

NYPL Digital Collections

Details

Additional Authors

Found In

Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.

Description

4 streaming audio files (115 minutes total) : digital, stereo

Summary

Streaming file 1, side 1: Program host, Charles Amirkhanian introduces John Cage; Cage and Lou Harrison's Double music (1941) played by the Manhattan Percussion Ensemble under Cage's direction, ca. 0:00-6:30; Amirkhanian gives a brief description of Cage's background and compositional style, including the influences of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg and Zen Buddhism, ca. 6:31-8:49; Amirkhanian introduces the interview he conducted with Cage at Davies Symphony Hall in 1983, ca. 8:50-9:29; Cage speaks about the confluence of inspirations from filmmaker Oskar Fischinger in the mid to late 1930's, and later, Zen Buddhism, that lead him to explore percussion, vibrational sounds, and environmental sounds, ca. 10:33-14:16; Cage speaks briefly about his Credo in US (1942), composed for a dance of the same title choreographed by Merce Cunningham and Jean Erdman, ca. 14:35-16:00; Credo in US played by Ensemble Musica Negativa, conducted by Rainer Riehn, ca. 16:11-32:22; Amirkhanian introduces Cage's Ryoanji (1983), ca. 32:23-34:32; Ryoanji played by Michael Pugliese with Isabelle Ganz, singer, ca. 34:33-44:21; ends abruptly.
Streaming file 2, side 2: Begins abruptly, continuation of Ryoanji played by Michael Pugliese with Isabelle Ganz, singer, ca. 0:00-11:54; Amirkhanian gives recording information on Ryoanji, briefly speaks about the preparations for the premiere of Cage's Europeras nos. 1 and 2 (1987), and gives an overview of the remainder of the program, ca. 11:57-13:40; the second hour of the program begins, Amirkhanian gives an overview of the remainder of the program, ca. 14:01-14:44; Experiences No. 2 (1945-1948) performed by Robert Wyatt on the album, Jan Steele/John Cage: Voices and Instruments (1976), ca. 14:45-19:31; Amirkhanian gives recording information on Experiences No. 2, and introduces Cage's talk at the Speaking of Music series on January 8, 1987, on his Europeras nos. 1 and 2, ca. 19:32-20:30; Cage speaks about his Europeras nos. 1 and 2, his plans for the premiere program notes, and reads some of the opera's found text - collaged from opera synopses - used in the work, ca. 20:31-29:02; Amirkhanian speaks about the Frankfurt Opera House, the location of the Europeras nos. 1 and 2 premiere, ca. 29:03-30:26; continuing excerpt from Cage's talk at the Speaking of Music series, Cage speaks about his use of the Frankfurt Opera House, ca. 30:26-32:40; Cage speaks about his inventor father, John Milton Cage, Sr., ca. 32:41-37:45; in response to a question about current events in China, Cage tells a personal anecdote, ca. 37:46-39:19; Amirkhanian introduces a recording of Cage reading from his diary, How to Improve the World (You will only make matters worse) (1966), [at Cage's MusiCircus event on November 21, 1969], ca. 39:20-40:11; Cage reads an excerpt from his diary, How to Improve the World (You will only make matters worse), part 2 (1966), ca. 40:12-44:41; ends abruptly.
Streaming file 3, side 3: Begins abruptly, continuation of John Cage reading an excerpt from his How to Improve the World (You will only make matters worse), part 2 (1966), ca. 0:00-16:24; ends abruptly.
Streaming file 4, side 4: Begins abruptly, continuation of John Cage reading an excerpt from his How to Improve the World (You will only make matters worse), part 2 (1966), ca. 0:00-7:04; Amirkhanian gives recording information on Cage's diary excerpt and concludes the Ode to gravity program, ca. 7:06-8:46.

Uniform Title

Ode to gravity (Radio program)

Alternative Title

Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection. Audio materials.

Subjects

Genre/Form

Biographical radio programs.
Classical music radio programs.
Musique concrète.

Note

Contains the Ode to gravity radio program featuring John Cage, originally broadcast on WNYC on December 12, 1987.
Title, date and location provided by cataloger based on handwritten notes on original cassettes, audition, and information provided by the Internet Archive.
Handwritten notes on original cassettes: "WNYC ; New York, NY ; Ode to Gravity ; John Cage ; Tape I and Tape II ; Dolby".
Sound quality is mostly good; there is background recording sounds at the end of streaming file 4.

Access (note)

Patrons can access streaming audio only on site at NYPL Research Libraries.

Indexed In (note)

Internet Archive, accessed May 8, 2015

Source (note)

Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation

Linking Entry (note)

Forms part of the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.

Call Number

*LTC-A 1434

OCLC

914904268

Title

John Cage : Ode to gravity (Radio program) on WNYC / produced and hosted by Charles Amirkhanian.

Production

[December 12, 1987].

Playing Time

004424 004441 001624 000846

Type of Content

spoken word

Type of Medium

audio

Type of Carrier

audiocassette

online resource

Digital File Characteristics

audio file

Performer

Manhattan Percussion Ensemble, directed by John Cage; Musica Negativa, conducted by Rainer Riehn; Michael Pugliese, percussion, and Isabell Ganz, mezzo-soprano; Robert Wyatt, singer.

Event

Broadcast on WNYC radio, New York, New York, [1987 December 12].

Indexed In:

Internet Archive, accessed May 8, 2015, Other Minds Audio Archive, Ode to gravity series, https://archive.org/details/JohnCageOTG

Restricted Access

Patrons can access streaming audio only on site at NYPL Research Libraries.

Original Version

Archival originals: (2 audio cassettes (115 minutes total) : analog) in *LTC-A 1434.

Linking Entry

Forms part of the Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.

Local Note

Transferred from two original analog cassettes by George Blood Audio on March 25, 2015; four preservation files were created based on cassette sides: myh_ltca1434_v01f01_pm -- myh_ltca1434_v02f02_pm.

Source

Gift; Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, 2011-2012.

Connect to:

NYPL Digital Collections

Added Author

Amirkhanian, Charles, interviewer.

Amirkhanian, Charles, host.

Amirkhanian, Charles, radio producer.

Cage, John, interviewee.

Cage, John, musical director.

Cage, John, speaker.

Ganz, Isabelle, singer.

Harrison, Lou, 1917-2003, composer.

Pugliese, Michael, instrumentalist.

Riehn, Rainer, conductor.

Wyatt, Robert, singer.

Container of (work): Cage, John. Credo in us.

Container of (work): Cage, John. Double music.

Container of (work): Cage, John. Europera. Nos. 1-2.

Container of (work): Cage, John. Experiences. No. 2.

Container of (work): Cage, John. Literary works. Selections.

Container of (work): Cage, John. Ryoanji.

Ensemble Musica Negativa, musical group.

Manhattan Percussion Ensemble, musical group.

KPFA (Radio station : Berkeley, Calif.), radio producer.

WNYC (Radio station : New York, N.Y.), broadcaster.

Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation, donor.

Added Title

Ode to gravity (Radio program)

Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection. Audio materials.

Found In:

Merce Cunningham Dance Foundation Collection.

Research Call Number

*LTC-A 1434

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